Hydroid Transport Question

[Nate Barber]

Hey all, after a pretty depressing trip to the LFS yesterday for advice, I've decided I have to tear down my 20 gallon nano reef because of an absolutely terrible colonial hydroid infestation which I have been battling for close to six months now to no avail.

I'm going to salvage what corals I can, and start over with a 90 gallon tank which I will be converting from freshwater to saltwater. Not sure I can bring myself to dispose of my expensive corals, so I'm going to set up a 20g quarantine tank and attempt to treat any hydroids that show up for a few months, and then maybe move the corals to the new tank once I'm sure there aren't any hydroids present (if that's feasible).

I also have a 90g corner tank which I've grown to loath (the tank, not the inhabitants) which I will be selling eventually, but I would like to keep the fish for this new build I'm doing (sailfin tang, yellow tang, and a flame hawkfish...I know 90g is borderline for a sailfin, but I bought the tank used and the fish came with it).

My question is this: Can colonial hydroids be transported by fish to a new tank? (Sub question--do you think the coral in a quarantine tank for a few months method is a good idea for this new build, or is it not worth the risk?).

I've searched online for answers, but everything was either too vague, or too specific about an unrelated species or situation.

Thanks in advance, guys.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I doubt the fish will transfer the hydroids over but crazier things have happened. Have you tried something like fenbendazole for the hydroids?

 

[Nate Barber]

I doubt the fish will transfer the hydroids over but crazier things have happened. Have you tried something like fenbendazole for the hydroids?

I tried feeding only pellets twice a week, I tried booking water, I tried aiptasia-x, I tried removing all the rock with hydroids present...the only thing I didn't try was fenbendazole. I've been planning on combining the best of the two tanks into the new 90 for about a year now anyways, and now these little guys have shown up and basically said "unless you nuke your tank and possibly kill all your coral, you have no chance of starting a new tank with your old corals." So I was trying to find a way to save some coral without bringing the "stinging forest" with me.

 

[JGT]

Hey all, after a pretty depressing trip to the LFS yesterday for advice, I've decided I have to tear down my 20 gallon nano reef because of an absolutely terrible colonial hydroid infestation which I have been battling for close to six months now to no avail.

I'm going to salvage what corals I can, and start over with a 90 gallon tank which I will be converting from freshwater to saltwater. Not sure I can bring myself to dispose of my expensive corals, so I'm going to set up a 20g quarantine tank and attempt to treat any hydroids that show up for a few months, and then maybe move the corals to the new tank once I'm sure there aren't any hydroids present (if that's feasible).

I also have a 90g corner tank which I've grown to loath (the tank, not the inhabitants) which I will be selling eventually, but I would like to keep the fish for this new build I'm doing (sailfin tang, yellow tang, and a flame hawkfish...I know 90g is borderline for a sailfin, but I bought the tank used and the fish came with it).

My question is this: Can colonial hydroids be transported by fish to a new tank? (Sub question--do you think the coral in a quarantine tank for a few months method is a good idea for this new build, or is it not worth the risk?).

I've searched online for answers, but everything was either too vague, or too specific about an unrelated species or situation.

Thanks in advance, guys.

Fish won’t transfer them. Coral QT seems fine. Will allow you to remove any that come across before putting back into your new tank.

 

[Nate Barber]

I tried feeding only pellets twice a week, I tried booking water, I tried aiptasia-x, I tried removing all the rock with hydroids present...the only thing I didn't try was fenbendazole. I've been planning on combining the best of the two tanks into the new 90 for about a year now anyways, and now these little guys have shown up and basically said "unless you nuke your tank and possibly kill all your coral, you have no chance of starting a new tank with your old corals." So I was trying to find a way to save some coral without bringing the "stinging forest" with me.

Edit: do we have a list of the corals and inverts that will likely not survive a fenbendazole treatment? I've looked online, but I'm unable to find anything concrete.

 

[Johnboy3886]

I am in the exact situation as you. I have a 28g nanocube that Is 5 years old. I have corals that I have had much longer. I am in the process of setting up a 120 and I really want to keep some of these corals but I fear of infesting my new tank with hydroids. I also have vermetid snails. My biggest concern is the LPS. I have a frag tank that I set up and frag some of the corals but I have large colonies that I don’t want to frag. I am really interested to see if you have been successful in your process. I have been battling hydroids for 2+ years and have had little success. I have try fenbenzole but they all came back. I think I didn’t do a big enough does but, that’s speculation. I’ve done a lot of research but it seems there is little success in a reef tank. Good luck and I’ll share any success I have.
JB

 

[Nate Barber]

I am in the exact situation as you. I have a 28g nanocube that Is 5 years old. I have corals that I have had much longer. I am in the process of setting up a 120 and I really want to keep some of these corals but I fear of infesting my new tank with hydroids. I also have vermetid snails. My biggest concern is the LPS. I have a frag tank that I set up and frag some of the corals but I have large colonies that I don’t want to frag. I am really interested to see if you have been successful in your process. I have been battling hydroids for 2+ years and have had little success. I have try fenbenzole but they all came back. I think I didn’t do a big enough does but, that’s speculation. I’ve done a lot of research but it seems there is little success in a reef tank. Good luck and I’ll share any success I have.
JB

Glad I'm not the only one. I just finished moving my freshwater fish from the 90 gallon tank to their new 55 gallon last night. Picked out dry rock at the LFS and my sand will be here on Sunday. I have to get the cycle going on the 90, and set up my 20g quarantine tank for the zoas, hammers, torch, etc... in the infested tank. I'll let you know how things go, I'm really hoping this works.

 

[Cole.mormon]

Bumblebee snails

 

[Cole.mormon]

They will eat sessile inverts

 

[Johnboy3886]

They will eat sessile inverts

I’ve tried them twice. I still have 2 left in my tank but they do very little for Vsails and nothing for hydroids. I’m not sure if there is more than one kind, but they have not worked for me.

 

[Cole.mormon]

Ok

 

[LiquidEric]

Edit: do we have a list of the corals and inverts that will likely not survive a fenbendazole treatment? I've looked online, but I'm unable to find anything concrete.

I can tell you it killed ALL my snails and it took a long time before any snails would survive again. Most my corals seamed fine. My gonioporas looked unhappy but didn’t die as some have reported.

 

[Johnboy3886]

I can tell you it killed ALL my snails and it took a long time before any snails would survive again. Most my corals seamed fine. My gonioporas looked unhappy but didn’t die as some have reported.

Did it kill your hydroids? How much did you dose?

 

[LiquidEric]

I forget the dosage at this point but it was the dosage mentioned in the largest hydroid thread on reef2reef. I had digitate hydroids vs colonial. It did completely eliminate the digitate hydroids I had.