Unknown Hitchhiker

chicken_parm · Aug 27, 2023

These guys are all over my tank. I have looked everywhere and asked many people, and no one seems to know what these are. They seem more active at night and when trying to touch the tentacle it retracts. I know it is definitely not a bristle worm or vermitid. And I do not think these things move. They might move but I could never tell. Any help would be appreciated because they may be stinging or irritating some of my corals. The tank has been up for almost two years. Thanks for the replies!

blaxsun · Aug 27, 2023

Very weird...

vaguelyreeflike · Sep 17, 2023

Almost looks like some kind of hydroid? Not sure though

ISpeakForTheSeas · Sep 17, 2023

vaguelyreeflike said:
Almost looks like some kind of hydroid? Not sure though

Yeah, it's most likely a Candelabrid (taxonomic family Candelabridae) hydroid species, though I'm not sure which species, and good photos of them are pretty difficult to find. That said, the link below has pics of a Candelabrum sp. (tentatively ID'ed as Candelabrum frichtmanii) that look pretty similar to this:
https://reefs.com/magazine/aquarium...uter-space-or-a-hydroid-for-liberace-s-piano/