White Stringy Mucus

Schmitty

Schmitty

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Well, looking for answers yet again. Been noticing some white string coming out of rocks similar to vermetid snail, but I’m not seeing any of the snail shell. I saw something online called white slime? Anyone have ideas what it is and how to terminate? It appears to come out even more when lights out… I’ll try and get a photo. The tanks semi new so it could be almost anything
 
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Looks like digitate hydroids. I have a few in my tank as well, they don't seem to cause much trouble at my population level. They can apparently irritate corals if their numbers grow. Fenbendazole may work, but research treatment as it will kill lots of other stuff!
 
PizzaOven said:
Looks like digitate hydroids. I have a few in my tank as well, they don't seem to cause much trouble at my population level. They can apparently irritate corals if their numbers grow. Fenbendazole may work, but research treatment as it will kill lots of other stuff!
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Not saying you’re wrong, but what makes you think that’s what you’re seeing?
 
PizzaOven said:
These look identical to the ones I have my tank. I had the same question when I first saw them and my research led me to digitate hydroids. Unlike vermetid snails, they have a whitish mass towards the end and tiny hair like structure.
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Interesting. These seem longer and less dense than what I’ve encountered before and thought were hydroids. Could be a more zoomed in image than I’m used to. Again, not saying you’re wrong. Not sure.
 
Could be spoinard worms similar to vermitids except a web like vermitids they send out a single sting. They also build tube like things but they remain soft and crumbles easy with the slightest pressure. They often settle inside sand beds but can move up to rocks as well.

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On rocks they don't normally make a longer tube like they do in the sand you just see the single stream waving about.
 
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Schmitty said:
I think they look a lot like spooned worms… do bumble bee snails eat thems?
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They do. I had thousands of them in my sand in when I first started reefing again. I had to go bare bottom and bumblebees got the ones on the rock.

A few aren't a problem but at plague level portions like I had they just piss off corals and make them stay closed.

Feed the tank and within minutes the streamers were literally waving everywhere.
 
They do look like the digitate hydroids I had years ago in a new tank that mostly appeared when I turned off the lights ..They appeared for a couple months then disappeared..They have rows of little fern like hairs that they feed with which looks the same in one of your pics.. If they retract probably a good guess..
 
I'm definitely not saying they are 100% spoinards just a possibility.

One way to tell they get excited shortly after food hits water. Kinda like nassarius if you are familiar with how they pop out after they taste food.
 
After looking it up, I too think they are Digitate Hydroid... UGH. Do you think bumble bee snails would take care of em, or some type of wrasse? I read possibly limpets???
 
Schmitty said:
After looking it up, I too think they are Digitate Hydroid... UGH. Do you think bumble bee snails would take care of em, or some type of wrasse? I read possibly limpets???
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Is the population large enough to cause problems for you? I was able to significantly reduce these (and vermetid snails) by stopping broadcast feeding and running filter floss to reduce their food supply. I’ve also tried bumble bee snails, wrasses and reef snow (calcium carbonate) but I didn’t notice much difference.
 
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