I found something like this in my shrimp tank on the plants and a few snails. I had to draw it because they are too small to get pics of. They are an off white color and no bigger than a pin head. Does anyone know what the heck that is???

Hey CT it looks familiar to me but i just cant click it dumb dumb i think i have seen them in swamps.

It could be a good thing. When i had my SW Refugium i got all sorts of goody insects and stuff.

Maybe its a caddisfly larvae, mosquito larvae or some sort of larva Hmmmm

Yeah I've seen it before too, but I just can't remember! I know it's not mosquito larvae, as they aren't in season here right now. Hmmmm

Possibly a hydra? Does it sway with the water current? There's a picture of one here: http://www.fishpondinfo.com/

I kinda looks like that but it's smaller and no tenticals off the sides. It doesn't sway in the water but the thin finger like things at the top do, it seems that the base is a solid "stick" part.

I've heard them (hydra) described as tree trunks with tentacles. The one in that link could just be more developed than yours.

Here's another picture of a lesser developed one that is extended without the side buds.
http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol/cnida...00/hydvir02.htm

I don't know if what you have is a hydra, but when I saw your picture, that was what came to mind and I have heard of people getting them in their freshwater tanks through plants or snails. :ph43r:

Have you heard of how to get rid of them??? I have never had these before!

I don't know how to get rid of them. blinky

Do you think that's what they are? Are there many of them or just the one?

I'm sure now that's what they are! There's alot of them on one large plant that I can't vacuum around. I found this site to be really helpful once you told me that's what they were.

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/inve...tes/hydra.shtml

They sound like they are can be harmful to little fry and hard to get rid of as well. yikes

Do you have a treatment in mind that you are going to try?

I was thinking about going to a plant auction on Wednesday night, but there sure seems to be a variety of creepy crawlers that you can inadvertently pick up along with your plants. Maybe I should stick with the plastic.

Good luck with whichever treatment you try!

I'm going to try not feeding for a few days and borrow a guppy from my neighbor and see what that does. Guppies will eat the hydra but won't eat my shrimp. I could do a copper treatment but I would have to take out all my shrimp and I don't want to do that considering both my females are berried (have eggs).

I think these hitched hike with some moss that came with the shrimp but I'm not sure. I never saw them before I got the shrimp so...you know. Anyhoo with any plant you can do a bleach/water bath before introducing them to your tank. What that ratio is though I'm not sure.