Algae?

[SparKy697]

I'm starting to see some of these little stalks with little legs show up on some of the surfaces. Mostly on the tank sides but this one is on a leaf of stargrass.

Can anybody tell me what it is?

 

[rich311k]

Looks like a hydra.

 

[JDogg]

Looks like a hydra.

yeap... they are green because they live symbiotically with algae AFAIK they are harmless unless you have small fry :?

they are actually a good sign as they are very sensitive...you must have GREAT water!

EDIT:
Wait a minuet.... I gave you the stargrass sorry, that means i gave you my hydra.... i have them to, but my rubberlip pleco like to eat them so i only see them now and again...sorry!

 

[SparKy697]

Wait a minuet.... I gave you the stargrass

Don't be. They did not start on the stargrass. I noticed them first on the back of the tank a few days ago. I just noticed them on the stargrass tonight. I thought that they might be spreading so I thought that if they were a bad thing I should address it now.

These are worms? I just read a little about them retracting their tentacles when touched. So as you might expect, I had to stick my long tweezers in there and see what happened. Sure enough those little tentacles retracted immediately.

I'm kind of funny about things (and most people) showing up un-invited. I am glad to hear that they are not a bad thing.

EDIT: Sitting here watching and I see my otos cleaning some of them off of a big leaf. Life is good!

 

[Rachelinwy]

Hydra are in the same phylum as regular jellyfish, although they are in a different class. We tried feeding brine shrimp to one in lab just now, but the shrimp was too big.

 

[SparKy697]

Interesting.

I have read that they can be deadly to small frye. I guess that they would have to be almost invisible to the naked eye?