isopod

iplaydafoozball

iplaydafoozball

Large Fish
#1
Sep 12, 2006
186
0
0
37
Algonquin, IL
#1
well, with my luck, something bad was bound to happen, and oh boy it did. after adding my 55 pounds of live rock, i noticed it was very very live. i have uncountable amounts of feather worms, snails, tunicates, macroalgaes, pods, possible sponges, even some coral. i was very excited about my rock and all the fun things i've found. a few days ago, i saw what looked like a white mantis or roly-poly bug in my tank. it was hiding in some crevice on one of the rocks. i just figured it might be good for the tank. went online right after that and found out it probably was an isopod. crap. so i haven't seen it since that one time. that was about 5 days ago. 2 days ago, i added my cleaner crew to the tank. no problems with any of them until this morning. one of my emeralds was dead on top of one of the rocks (the same rock i saw the isopod on) and he wasn't just dead. his carapace was popped off and all of his meat was gone. so, that is the tell-tale sign of an isopod, right? the one i saw was about 1 cm in length, the big black eyes, and pillbug body.

are there probably more of them?
how am i supposed to find this damn thing again?
what are successful methods for finding and catching them?
are traps successful?

i really really don't wanna have to wait 6 months to starve the thing. i probably have to wait longer now that he just had some fresh crab. i plan on catching this and giving it an oh so painful death.

edit: i just thought of two alternatives...my crab may have molted? is that a possible reason for finding a meatless shell? i wouldn't think it would've molted after 2 days in a tank, but maybe? also, could it be a harmless isopod? i've been reading that there are those too. i don't know, someone give me a hand here.
 

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iplaydafoozball

iplaydafoozball

Large Fish
#4
Sep 12, 2006
186
0
0
37
Algonquin, IL
#4
i looked around and could only find one emerald crab, either the other did die or is hiding very well. i'm gonna try the "stinky water trap" and see what comes up. i'm really hoping that there aren't many isopods cuz i was planning on getting a clown pair in 2 weeks :( also, i can't afford to nuke the tank as that site calls it; basically starting all over, throwing out all the rock and sand. buying what i have now really hurt my bank account. if anyone has any other experience or suggestions, please help.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#8
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#8
Chances are pretty good that you have a harmless sphaeromatid which are quite commonly found in live rock. I have read somewhere that 6 line wrasses will eat them.....though your tank is probably too young for one. The crab has probably molted or died from another reason as I don't believe that an isopod would have eaten all the meat from the crab in such a short time without you noticing......though hermits and other scavengers can make very very short work of a carcass.....
 

iplaydafoozball

iplaydafoozball

Large Fish
#9
Sep 12, 2006
186
0
0
37
Algonquin, IL
#9
lorna! thank you. i had been hoping someone would say that, cuz i was thinking it but no one else was saying it. i mean, the crab was only 2 days old, maybe it had trouble with acclimation. and i was gonna ask if hermits would make a meal out of it. the trap turned up empty this morning, so i'm gonna give it one more try tonight. if i don't catch anything, i'm gonna probably get a six-line soon, seeing as i planned on getting one anyway. and my rock actually is pretty mature. i think it cured for a long time in the tanks at the store. my glass is crawling with bugs and you can see tunnels all throughout the sand. plankton floats through the water and yea, i'll proabably wait 1 or 2 weeks, but my next fish will be a six-line for sure. when i get one, i'll watch it closely for bugs, and if it seems okay i'll just assume that i don't have any cirolanids.:)
 

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iplaydafoozball

iplaydafoozball

Large Fish
#10
Sep 12, 2006
186
0
0
37
Algonquin, IL
#10
well! i couldn't find my emerald crab today so i was planning for the worst. i got really worried so i began to move some live rock around because the interior of one of the caves has no viewpoint in it. i took the cave apart and mr. emerald crab came falling out of one of the rocks, alive and well. then to my surprise, i look under one of the rocks and guess what is sitting in the sand. an isopod! and not just an isopod, a cirolanid isopod! i grabbed the net, and guess what, it was dead. it was the same size as the one i saw last week, so im guessing its the same one. it doesnt seem to have a full stomach like ones i have seen in pictures, so i don't think it was the cause of my frist crabs death. it is a cirolanid though, i'm sure of it. same body shape, eyes, tail, and coloring. i have it in custody right now, i might bring it to the shop where i got my rock to show them what they brought upon me. the trap i set last night caught nothing, so i'm gonna try it tonight and if nothing comes up i'll assume i'm in the clear. i am so relieved right now! thanks for the help guys.
 

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