Dust?

[mrmcmasty]

There is something growing on the side of my tank. If it was anywhere else in the house I would think ...dust? But this is all over the sides of the aquarium, and now I am seeing some of these particles floating in the water.

When I look really close these things look like they are attatched to the glass at a single point, and have small thread like arms that wave with the current.

What are they? Can they hurt my fish? How can I get rid if them.

55g planted
amo 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
ph 7.4
temp 78

 

[Darkblade48]

They sound like Hydra to me, do they look like little octopus waving their tentacles?

 

[pl*co]

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/a-z.html has a lengthy list of parasites and photos.

This site also has some parasite photos and a list of other links at the bottom of the page. http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#Lernea

but then, ...these things are on the glass... not on the fish right? I think Orion Girl probably has an idea what these are. She has mentioned tank life other than fish in her posts multiple times. It's the fact that they are on the glass that makes me think they won't bother the fish. The "wavy arms" description has me curious.

 

[mrmcmasty]

Hydra I have seen before... and I have some if them... they are a little bigger and have more structure to them. Their base is a little thicker and they seem to stand up and only their arms move in the current.,, the things on the side of my tank are small and very thin... they are "white-ish in color"

I havent seen any of them on the fish... so I hope they are not.

 

[happychem]

Do they have 4 little 'fingers' at the end of the body? Looking like a fresh water anemony? That would be hydra. They're not dangerous to adult fish but can eat fry and live foods. That's usually how they thrive. Do a search on hydra on these boards, there have been a few threads on them in the past couple months.