Identifying a hitchhiker

[kmckienz]

A day after adding some brine shrimp to my tank these little "bugs" were attached to the side of the tank glass. There are a few different species. Some look like copepods and that is great. But the one I am concerned about I can't seem to find any pictures or info on it. They are small, a little smaller than a pin head. They are white-clear with a circular body and legs all the way around. Imagine drawing a picture of the sun when you were a kid. You would draw a circle and than lines coming out all around. That's what these look like.

Any ideas? Information?

Thanks,
Kathy

 

[RyanG]

They are hydroids(hydrozoa) Kathy, Ive been reading and a lot of people are having the same problem lately there is some speculation that the recent eclispse has something to do with a large worldwide bloom. They are related to jellyfish. Someone with more experience will chime in on weather they are tolerable or able to be terminated.

 

[reeffreak]

Without a macro shot this only a guess.It also sounds like free living hydroids to me as well.Those are usually harmless and tend to die off as the tank matures.

 

[kmckienz]

I found one on another forum that looks just like it. They did confirm them to be hydroids but did not give any detail. Do I need to be concerned? What can you tell me about them?

Thanks,
Kathy

 

[RyanG]

Kathy you should introduce yourself to the group on the welcome thread. Anyways welcome to the reef

 

[yote]

Yep,Those are hydroid jellies.
They'll go away on their own and wont bother anything.

 

[Bifferwine]

Hydroids can sting other animals if there are a lot of them, but like others have said, they usually clear up on their own and don't cause any problems.

 

[kyle]

i had the same things aparently the fish will eat them but i didnt have fish and the just died off

 

[poolshark181]

if they're in free floating form, they may attach to your lr and grow stalks similar to a featherduster. beware of their sting. my hand is still itching and slightly red from a sting that is a month and a half old. im pretty sure it'll be a scar.

 

[reeffreak]

The free living hydroids won't become like the colonial hydroids....but you are right about the colonial hydroids having a big sting.