Colonial Polyp?? id please

Jim_Barry · 09-16-2004, 03:15 PM

I aquired a piece of live rock a few months ago and it came with a family of polyps that are brown in color. and very feather like. Now it is spreading like crazy all over the rock and sandbed and even attaching to the powerheads. The polyps break off and the individual stems float around and attach to other area of the tank, causing it to multiply and spread very rapidly.

I now have it everywhere and I don't know how to get rid of it. I have tried pulling it off the rock but the pieces breakaway and reattach themselves making it even worse.

Here is a picture (blurry) and I hope someone can tell me how to control it. I really don't want to take the rock out of the tank and scrub it.

I have been told it is a colonial polyp or hydroid of some sort.

Thanks,

Jim

pdlman · 09-16-2004, 03:17 PM

dont see the pic??

pdlman · 09-16-2004, 03:18 PM

cut them and trade them??

Jim_Barry · 09-16-2004, 03:19 PM

blurry picture

Jim_Barry · 09-16-2004, 03:20 PM

I can't cut it... it grows like clover, hundreds of individual stems attached to the rock

Jim_Barry · 09-16-2004, 03:35 PM

another picture...... you can see it in several places in the tank (including the powerhead)

pdlman · 09-16-2004, 03:46 PM

WOW I have no idea-is it anthelia? Are there waving arms?

Jim_Barry · 09-16-2004, 03:50 PM

The tops are like small flowers.

JohnO · 09-16-2004, 03:56 PM

Do they look like any of these?

http://www.masla.com/coral/colonialpolyps.html

John

pdlman · 09-16-2004, 04:00 PM

sound like anthelia or xenia-spreads like weeds you can frag them and sell them or cut them off at the base and put the part of the rock that it was in-in boiling water -if you dont it will come back. Scrape it off real good with a knife, then dip it in BW-dont do the whole rock you will kill it. Good Luck. I cant tell much from the pics!!