Pods?

[Lorna]

Okay I am set up and introduced a clean up crew. When I look really close I see little bug like things crawling around the substrate. I think these are different sorts of pods that came on the live rock. There is one type that is quite a bit larger and looks similar to a grain of rice? it remains stuck to the glass side, and I am hoping this is a good pod not a bad one. The others are very small about the size of a flea and seem to hop around much like a flea. I sure hope these are good things and not bad........

 

[lordroad]

Copepods and amphipods. Very desirable. The larger ones are amphipods, and if you look at them up close, they resemble shrimp. Also isopods are another large species, also very beneficial.

 

[FishGeek]

Is it bad if you dont have any? I cant seem to get any. How do you get them?

 

[lordroad]

No, it's not bad per se, but they are desirable because they eat algae, detritus, etc, and are great for fuges.

They will probably show up for you in time. Check the tank out at night with a small pen light flashlight. Look close and examine the sand, glass, and rock.

Mine didn't really boom in population for a couple months after I set up the tank.

 

[FishGeek]

Thanks lordroad. Sorry to take over the post Lorna.

 

[Lorna]

no problem though I have been reading about some isopods that are basically sea lice (at least that is what we called them when we caught salmon with them on it) I don't want to introduce fish into the mix and have them attacked by parasitic pods.........

 

[FroggyFox]

I wouldn't worry about it...