Please help ID weird thread-like tentacles

[Kate6789]

Hi. I’ve just spotted a biggish patch of waving, thread-like ‘tentacles’ in my wildlife pond. They appear to be attached to the roots of a marsh marigold. They are about 6 inches under water and wave and weave continuously. Whatever are they?! Can anyone help ID them, please? My pond is about 8 years old and I’ve never seen them before. I’ve never had fish, but I do have water snails, tadpoles and frogs and once glimpsed a newt. I’m afraid the photo isn’t very clear but the ‘tentacles’ are one middle.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

Could it be a mass of roots?

 

[j.w]

@Kate6789
So hard to tell but I'm thinking roots just flowing in the water movement. Maybe pluck a piece out and take a look-see?

 

[addy1]

Looks like roots

Welcome to the forum!

 

[JRS]

Perhaps Nitella algae?

Stonewort (Genus Nitella)

Nitella is a genus of charophyte green algae in the family Characeae. (Source: Wikipedia, '', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitella, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) Rob Palmer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Rob Palmer)

uk.inaturalist.org

 

[Kate6789]

Hi. Thank you all very much for your suggestions. I’m afraid I didn’t give enough info - they are definitely some kind of creature, not a plant, definitely something alive and moving with intent to catch prey. On researching further, I think they must be hydra - probably brown hydra polyps (Hydra oligactis) attached to roots of marsh marigold. Does this seem feasible?

 

[Mmathis]

I have had hydra pop up in an aquarium before, but those were super tiny. But that sounds like a good guess.

 

[j.w]

Hi. Thank you all very much for your suggestions. I’m afraid I didn’t give enough info - they are definitely some kind of creature, not a plant, definitely something alive and moving with intent to catch prey. On researching further, I think they must be hydra - probably brown hydra polyps (Hydra oligactis) attached to roots of marsh marigold. Does this seem feasible?

So did they come maybe on new plant roots like the Marigold? Sounds like they are not the best thing to have in there for fish and other living creatures. Wonder how you get them gone?

 

[GBBUDD]

looks like medusa worms

 

[Jhn]

Hydras are usually very tiny and have a distinct foot and body. Looks like a type of aquatic worm what kind….who knows, but these guys are most likely beneficial. I have all types of worms and fauna in the roots of the plants in my pond, all helping support the food web in there.