Hydroids and Peroxide

[Ian Baxter]

I have a ton of hydroids in my tank that have spread like wildfire. I have one giant rock with no corals that I am going to scrub (outside of the tank) and peroxide dip. I believe it's 1:1 w/ saltwater for 5-10 minutes. I also am going to get a sea hare and possibly 2 fringeback nudis. My tank is a 190g. I also have some good sized rocks with mushrooms and a toadstool leather on them. Can I peroxide dip those too? I'm 99% sure they are colonial hydroids. One photo is with the lights off and a flashlight.

 

[BryanM]

Pics under white lights would allow others to confirm.

As for the dip, the coral free rock is fine, but the rocks with corals on them, that strong of a dip will burn the corals.

I also don't think Seahares touch hydroids, and I can't imagine 2 nudis being able to do very much damage in a 190g tank.... And if you have a wrasse, they will likely be a tasty meal for the wrasse.

 

[Ian Baxter]

Pics under white lights would allow others to confirm.

As for the dip, the coral free rock is fine, but the rocks with corals on them, that strong of a dip will burn the corals.

I also don't think Seahares touch hydroids, and I can't imagine 2 nudis being able to do very much damage in a 190g tank.... And if you have a wrasse, they will likely be a tasty meal for the wrasse.

I’ll post a pic in the pain post. I finished the big rock. I have a melanurus wrasse I can get next Thursday. I was reading that some seahares eat hydroids which is why I was considering them.

 

[EnterName]

Yes, looks like hydroids to me...

I'm not entirely sure, but if they come out of tubes they might be coronate polyps (class Scyphozoa instead of Hydrozoa). Either way, they are treated pretty much the same by the reef tank community and besides a biological curiosity there is no need to distinguish them as far as I'm aware.

 

[Ian Baxter]

Yes, looks like hydroids to me...

I'm not entirely sure, but if they come out of tubes they might be coronate polyps (class Scyphozoa instead of Hydrozoa). Either way, they are treated pretty much the same by the reef tank community and besides a biological curiosity there is no need to distinguish them as far as I'm aware.

Thanks. I think they come out of the tube but the tubes or stalks are so small it’s hard to tell.

 

[BryanM]

Yeppers, looks like dreaded hydroids to me as well.

If the other locations aren't terribly large they can be covered with kalk paste with the flow off. If they are larger patches this isn't a very good option, or you'll just need to treat smaller areas, as it can increase ph and alk.

 

[BryanM]

Yeppers, looks like dreaded hydroids to me as well.

If the other locations aren't terribly large they can be covered with kalk paste with the flow off. If they are larger patches this isn't a very good option, or you'll just need to treat smaller areas, as it can increase ph and alk.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Are you even sure that peroxide will kill the hydroids? I know that scrubbing the rock won't kill them, they root deep in the rock. I've tried many ways to kill them, they always come back.

 

[Ian Baxter]

Yeppers, looks like dreaded hydroids to me as well.

If the other locations aren't terribly large they can be covered with kalk paste with the flow off. If they are larger patches this isn't a very good option, or you'll just need to treat smaller areas, as it can increase ph and alk.

I've never used Kalk paste, so not sure how it applies on the rocks. Would it just be like spreading cream cheese? LOL If it's like that, then I might be able to do it. Just won't be able to get some the are inbetween small spaces of corals.

 

[Ian Baxter]

Are you even sure that peroxide will kill the hydroids? I know that scrubbing the rock won't kill them, they root deep in the rock. I've tried many ways to kill them, they always come back.

From everything I've read, it says it works. But some people said they come back depending on the type. I'm on the fence with adding a melanurus wrasse because of the amount I have, and it would be way too much for him to power out. But, if I can get them to a much smaller area, then he could probably help keep them in check. I don't really want to try the worm killer stuff because of my corals. I will end up just getting new rocks if it comes to that.

 

[BryanM]

I've never used Kalk paste, so not sure how it applies on the rocks. Would it just be like spreading cream cheese? LOL If it's like that, then I might be able to do it. Just won't be able to get some the are inbetween small spaces of corals.

This dude is using kalk paste for aiptasia, but you'll get the idea:

 

[EnterName]

Why not just nuke the rock with a longer hydrogen peroxide + RO/DI bath, maybe even followed by bleach?

Nuking one or two rocks won't kill your nitrogen cycle and you will get rid of a lot of detritus/organics this way.

 

[BryanM]

Why not just nuke the rock with a longer hydrogen peroxide + RO/DI bath, maybe even followed by bleach?

Nuking one or two rocks won't kill your nitrogen cycle and you will get rid of a lot of detritus/organics this way.

The other rocks he wants to treat have corals on them :)

 

[Ian Baxter]

Why not just nuke the rock with a longer hydrogen peroxide + RO/DI bath, maybe even followed by bleach?

Nuking one or two rocks won't kill your nitrogen cycle and you will get rid of a lot of detritus/organics this way.

Not worried about the large rock, but it's the others with corals.

 

[EnterName]

The other rocks he wants to treat have corals on them :)

Yes, sorry I meant the one without corals.

Not worried about the large rock, but it's the others with corals.

I would nuke the rock without the corals, and the other one will require a localized treatment.

Something corrosive like Kalk paste (just as BryanM suggested) sounds good, but colonial hydroids can regenerate from just fragments of the original colony. A piece of stolon (basically the rootlike mat the colony is sitting on) is enough to recover.

You might need to actually attack the surface of the rock a little bit to make sure everything is gone. This would require an acid. The thing is you can't work vinegar or dilute muriatic acid this into a paste... Citric acid however is available in crystalline form and could work. Otherwise you could slowly drop a weak acid on the stolon. You can rinse it off with RO/DI or tank water before returning it to the tank. You don't have to be too careful getting everything off the rock as many people have treated Aiptasia with citric acid in their tanks before, so it's not very dangerous. After dealing with a strong base, a RO/DI rinse, and an acid with another rinse the cells should hopefully be all dead.

Disclaimer: I did not use this treatment for hydroids before. I acid treated rocks to remove bound phosphate though