Hydroids-HELP!

[Whatigot]

Originally Posted by BlueAbyss

Leave them alone, they will go away... or not. Hydroids are like algae, if you put something into the system that occupies their 'niche' or outcompetes them, they will recede and maybe even disappear. And as was said above, as reef tanks mature they seem to go through a bunch of stages where you are guaranteed to deal with algae, cyano, and a host of other nasty stuff... maybe this is something to be expected in our little tanks filled with incomplete ecosystems?

every tank is going to experience different "stages", what might have worked for you to just leave to sort itself out, might wind up an epidemic for someone else.
I can't agree that hydroids are like algae...they are a pest like algae, more like Aiptasia in that hydroids give a nasty sting to anything they touch (like your finger) and I have seen them kill a 5 inch sps overnight.

You should see how my red and gold zoas compete with my hydroids, it is incredible how much something can accelerate their reproduction in order to get the last word in their "niche".

I would deal with hydroids immediately if at all possible, wished I had when I had the chance.