update on what may be hydra

[cocoa_pleco]

well, remember i though i had hydra on my java moss?

Its startin to look like it more.

I remember hobbs suggested it was root hairs, but now im seeing little bunches on like 4 or five white hairs on the strings of moss, about .65 cm long.

Is this hydra now?

[Incredulous_Ed]

Do the white hairs have more white hairs sticking out of the end?

[cocoa_pleco]

a bit too small to see. Once whatever they are grow a bit more ill be able to tell

[cocoa_pleco]

it starts as bunched hairs in the middle and they spread a bit towards the top, and theyre on the top part of the java moss mainly

[Rue]

...sounds like hydra...

...see if you can look at some under a dissecting microscope...they're actually very cool...and I think they're kinda cute too...

...although I wouldn't want them taking over my tank...

[Incredulous_Ed]

I hate hydra! it ate my fish fry! post a pic if it gets big enough

[cocoa_pleco]

i want hydra. wonder whatd happen if i chucked some in my sw tank

[Rue]

They'd die. The SW would do them in.

[Incredulous_Ed]

Why don't you go and collect some rocks and plants from a wild lake or something? are all the lakes around you frozen?

[cocoa_pleco]

Why don't you go and collect some rocks and plants from a wild lake or something? are all the lakes around you frozen?

yeppers:4:

[kufan]

Ok this may be a stupid question, but what is hydra?

KU

[cocoa_pleco]

its like a wormy parisite that blankets the tank and eats fry. Its cool

[Incredulous_Ed]

its like a wormy parisite that blankets the tank and eats fry. Its cool
Not when it eats all your fry. I sound like a broken record, huh? :)

[cocoa_pleco]

How can it eat fry? are the fry too dumb to swim away from a plant? lol

[AquaQueen]

sounds creepy...why would you want a paracite to take over your tank?:confused:

[cocoa_pleco]

it'd be cool for aesthetic reasons, and i never have fry.

[Rue]

...just for the record, hydra are NOT parasites...they're predators...

[xoolooxunny]

All this hydra stuff sounds pretty interesting... where do I get some? I'm gettin tired of feeding my guppy fry to my buddy's cichlids.

[cocoa_pleco]

you have to take a piece of plant or rock from a natural river, but a lfs used to sell some

[cocoa_pleco]

whatever is growing, my black shark and honey gourami like to peck at it. The odd tetra will also nibble on it

[xoolooxunny]

what do they eat besides fry? will they eat tiny baby snails?

[cocoa_pleco]

maybe snails. just any lost flakes or other tidbits, like bloodworm

[xoolooxunny]

I guess I'll just have to wait for the warmer weather to go get some...right now im in the process of being snowed in

[Incredulous_Ed]

Mine left a small snail alone.