Digitate Hydroid Pic FYI

[jonboyb]

When I started my tank I worried about these and there is not a real good picture floating around that I could find. Just a drawing on XtalWorld for the most part.

I just so happens that I recently bought a zoa cluster that had one in the substrate attached to it, and I placed it at the glass to photograph before removing the hydroid. I thought I'd post it up as I see people asking about these alot, and they concerned me when I got started. This one is about 2" long extended. Moderators might want to move this...I didn't know where to post it. Thanks.

 

[melosu58]

Great pic. We will leave it here in the ID forum since you are helping us to ID something. I added to your reputation points Thanks again.

 

[roka64]

Jon, contact the folks at xtalworld and see if they will use it.

 

[jonboyb]

Jon, contact the folks at xtalworld and see if they will use it.

Will do.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

That is an awesome photo!

Just curious how you removed it?

 

[jonboyb]

It was in a chunk of "calcified" sand attached to the zoas and I just removed the entire chunk.

 

[Fluff]

Great pic!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

It was in a chunk of "calcified" sand attached to the zoas and I just removed the entire chunk.

Wow! Got lucky with that one, didn't ya!

 

[jonboyb]

Wow! Got lucky with that one, didn't ya!

Not so much One of my hermits walked over this zoa cluster last night and all the polyps closed. There is at least 2 more in the mix I hadn't seen. All in the attached substrate so removal should be easy.

HOWEVER, this zoa cluster came from one of the most beautiful colonies I've ever seen, probably 500+ strong. I begged the guy to sell me a chunk which he did. His 150 gallon tank has better than 200 corals, most of which very hard to find, and all beautiful. His tank HAS to be littered with digitate hydroids if I've found 3 in a small zoa cluster. However, they don't seem to affect his tank??? I've now watched them swing and attach to the zoa centers with no noticable affect to the zoa. A few references on digitate hydroids state similar things, people have them with no ill effects. I'm starting to wonder just how "bad" they really are.

Not that it was smart, but I've purposely manipulated the cluster with bare hands while the digitate hydroids were extended and once I would touch them, they simply retracted but I felt nothing. Possible a variation in the species, but the 2-3 I have had "relations" with appear perfectly harmless??? (Still going to remove them, just stating some of my observations)

 

[Devilishturtles]

Very cool pic.

I'm assuming they are harmless to you because of your size and skin relative to them. Probably not as harmless to a little fish that swims up against it.

Cool observation though, you have more nerve than me to touch stuff!

 

[jonboyb]

Colonial hydroids I won't touch

Seriously though, it wasn't smart by any means. I just had to know. I don't even clean my glass without gloves....bristleworms scare me...LOL.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Nobody ever got anywhere in this hobby without taking chances.