What is this mysterious stuff?

[Bryant1380]

On my glass, on the inside of the tank, there are small ...... dang, I don't even know how to describe it. Well, they are white, they wave in the current, and if I'm not mistaken they must be some kinda algae. If I wipe it with my finger, it's kinda slimy, and it comes off. I've heard you guys talk about green algae, blue-green algae, black algae, hair algae, pink, puce, chartreouse algae, but never white algae. What is this stuff?

And what will eat it? (10 gal tank)

[joe schmoe]

Hydra.

[Bryant1380]

Ho-kay. Thanks.



Now. What is hydra?

[joe schmoe]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=64543&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

[Bryant1380]

Dude, are you sure? All the links I read and pictures I looked at don't really sound the same. These things I thought were algae. Sure it's not? These white things are all over the glass, but the biggest ones are tiny. You gotta squint to see them. If there was just one, I wouldn't notice it, it's just the wave of all of them in the current that attracts attention. Plus, those posts said that they feed on brine shrimp and fish fry. Heh, the white things on my glass look like something that a brine shrimp would sneeze on the glass.

Thanks for the links, though. Any body else got any ideas/comments/tips/suggestions/advice/wisdom/flames/putdowns/degrading remarks?

Thanks.

[MrGoodbytes]

You could get a gourami and find out. I heard they have a taste for hydra.
Maybe it's some kind of bacteria, but I haven't heard of it before.
Graeme

[joe schmoe]

Get a magnifying glass and take a look. Do a Google search on freshwater Hydra (or similar) if you need an idea of what one may look like

[Andy16]

I thought it looked like a very small anemone. I had it and i went away on its own.

[SimonWoodstock]

I had some similar things on the glass and plant leaves of my tank. They were very tiny and waved with the currents. My pleco seems to have a good time cleaning it off and if im not mistaken the feeder guppies that i decided to keep seem to be eating them.

I dont know if its the same stuff, but since you brought it up, it does look like shrimp flim. ha

I wiped it off the front glass by hand once and i guess by that time my pleco got a taste for it. I also took and hour off of my light cycle and cut feeding down just a bit.