What eats hydroids?

[cimpow137]

I've had my tank set up for a little over a year and I've noticed hydriods growing in small patches on several rocks. I cleaned them off about 3 months ago, but now they are back and stronger than ever. I can't take the rocks out to clean them unless I take down the entire tank. And I don't wanna do that. So if there's a fish out there that eats them. Or a shrimp or something. I've got a 120g reef tank.
Livestock:
1 Kole tang
1 Sailfin tang
2 mandarins (both of which eat the food I feed the tank)
2 B&W clowns
1 Bi color blenny
1 cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
I'm really tired of these hydroids and they aren't going away and they are starting to move in on my corals real estate. If there's anything that eats them. Please suggest it. :help:

 

[bronco300]

bump for a fellow hydroid invested tank

 

[fishgeek01]

the only thing that i think could possibly help would be a butterfly, such as the copperband, notorius for eating tube wroms, and feather dusters, but i am not sure about the hydroids. sorry guys.
BUMP, i would like to know for future purposes as well, just in case

 

[fishgeek01]

plus if you guys have corals, which i know both of you do, the butterfly may not be the best choice though because it may eat poylps. i would ask bang or viper of they know anything

 

[tizzo]

I had an african flameback and I swear I caught him eating my hydroids, twice. He swam up on them, appeared to snatch one out and all the rest retreated nto their tubes. I didn't actually SEE the action up close, but I wanna say I feel pretty confident that that's what he was doing...
Otherwise, very reef safe fish. He didn't even touch my dusters, but 6 months after introducing him, all my droids were gone. It's worth a shot... They are small fish.

 

[bronco300]

an african flameback i shall search for. thanks tizzo

 

[tizzo]

There's an african flameback and a brazillian (i think), but here's a pic of mine. They look a lot alike, but there are still differences. I don't know if the one this sight sells is the same as mine...

 

[bonebrake]

Hydroids are a natural phase in the development of some tanks and will eventually disappear as mysteriously as they appeared. You don't need to buy anything to get rid of them.
:joy:

 

[bronco300]

is that the pygmy angel we're talking about or is that different?
i guess i shouldnt buy something just for that, but man its frustrating seeing these things all over now...it'd be interesting to see if it eats it for sure though

 

[tizzo]

I guess it does look like a pygmy, but it's not. This sight sells a "flameback" but it's more orange on top, which makes me think it's that brazillian one. But I put African flameback and pygmy into google and found these pics for differences...
AF then pygmy...

 

[bronco300]

haha, yea...i guess you're right, i dont know what i was thinking, my bad

 

[cimpow137]

Wow. I thought this thread just disappeared. I got an email that one person replied today. Well I took the rocks out and scrubbed them to get rid of the hydroids. I got most of em, I hope. And I know they are a phase but they are moving in on my corals and killing them which is why I want them gone now. I'm just tired of them being there.

 

[bonebrake]

It sounds like you are talking about aiptasia and not hydroids.
You can manually remove them, inject them with a kalkwasser solution, or buy peppermint shrimp or a copperbanded butterfly and hope that they eat them.
:joy:

 

[cimpow137]

Noo. Definately not aiptasia. I know what those are and have had issues with them as well. But I have my peps that keep them in check as of right now. I'm almost positive these things are hydroids. And even if they aren't they are stinging my corals and I'm tired of them.

 

[fishrule]

Originally Posted by cimpow137
Noo. Definately not aiptasia. I know what those are and have had issues with them as well. But I have my peps that keep them in check as of right now. I'm almost positive these things are hydroids. And even if they aren't they are stinging my corals and I'm tired of them.
Stinging??? All my hydroids did were filter water... Thats all they do as far as I know... :notsure:

 

[fishrule]

Well I sand Corrected... I googled Stinging Hydroid and learned something new...
Can you post up a picture of your Hydroids?

 

[bronco300]

here are mine, not a totally clear pic...but one nontheless..the first is circled...the second one you can see on the coral there on the top. the third picture is an acclimator my store got to try out...i used it to get boiling water and squirt it right in that tube...have to check today to see if anything happened...but its kind of a nice little gadget, needs a couple of improvments, but nice anyways

 

[fishgeek01]

Bronco 3000 how are the cardinals doing, not to hijack or anything, i see you havent found anything to do about those stingers in there yet

 

[dragonladylea]

Some Hydroids do not disappear but continue to grow, the ones in the pic just about wiped out a colony of zoa, I tried everything including pulling them with tweezers one by one and still couldnt get rid of them. Got a Rusty Angel and within 2 days no hydroids (had 3 or 4 different kinds) and believe it or not no Aptasia.

 

[bronco300]

the cardinals are still doing great and calm with each other...so i assume they're male and female, they hang out together always....and i tried boiling with that thing above, we'll see if it works.....how are the mushrooms and zoos?