How to get rid of Amphipods

[TheMysticGriffin]

So I've got a problem with amphipods, there are thousands of them in my reef tank literally everywhere is blooming with amphipods and I want to get rid of them. They irritate my corals so much that my corals are nearly retracted during most of the day because of them, my acantho was normally retracted I took it, turned it upside down and shook it before putting it back in its place and it got huge expanded nearly 3x its size, I'm convinced these bugs are bothering my corals which are nearly all LPS corals. Is there any way I can get rid of them? I cannot place any fish in the tank because I have marine ich and I am on a fallow period, I've got a skunk cleaner shrimp that does not seem to be hunting them often. I need to get rid of them somehow they are bothering my corals as I have seen the acantho that never expanded expand extremely well after I got rid of the amphipods on him.

 

[Lavey29]

You can add a yellow coris or 6 line wrasse when fallow is over but amphipods are beneficial to the tank and not harming your corals.

What are your current tank parameters during fallow?

 

[TheMysticGriffin]

You can add a yellow coris or 6 line wrasse when fallow is over but amphipods are beneficial to the tank and not harming your corals.

What are your current tank parameters during fallow?

Magnesium is 1380 ppm, Calcium 400 ppm, pH is 8.1, phosphate test kit is outdated but the phosphate levels are pretty high causing a relative amount of algae. But I'm certain it's the amphipods, the corals are all fine after the amphipods leave them alone, they crawl all over them especially the acantho hates them, he opened up after I threw around 25 amphipods off his skeleton.

 

[Lavey29]

Magnesium is 1380 ppm, Calcium 400 ppm, pH is 8.1, phosphate test kit is outdated but the phosphate levels are pretty high causing a relative amount of algae. But I'm certain it's the amphipods, the corals are all fine after the amphipods leave them alone, they crawl all over them especially the acantho hates them, he opened up after I threw around 25 amphipods off his skeleton.

Nitrates, alk, salinity? If you are having algae issues and corals struggling then the algae is able to get in the corals. Amphipods eat algae and detritus not corals.

 

[TheMysticGriffin]

Nitrates, alk, salinity? If you are having algae issues and corals struggling then the algae is able to get in the corals. Amphipods eat algae and detritus not corals.

I've heard there are some coral eating types as well, that's why I'm afraid of them harming my corals. Can algae harm corals?

 

[dandi]

Do you have a pic of the amphipods

 

[Lavey29]

I've heard there are some coral eating types as well, that's why I'm afraid of them harming my corals. Can algae harm corals?

If corals are stressed and in decline thier immune systems and natural abilities to keep algae at bay are compromised so algae can get into their skeletal structure.

Amphipods are herbivores and detrivores they don't eat living corals.

 

[TheMysticGriffin]

Do you have a pic of the amphipods

I can't currently take a pic of them, but I will as soon as I can. They basically look like this.

 

[TheMysticGriffin]

If corals are stressed and in decline thier immune systems and natural abilities to keep algae at bay are compromised so algae can get into their skeletal structure.

They all seem fine in terms of skeletal structure from the outside, so from the inside I presume?

 

[dandi]

What fish do you have in your tank?

 

[Slocke]

You are experiencing a population boom. These are caused by an excess of food and/or a sudden lack of predation. When this happens the food source tends to suddenly decline forcing the population to either starve or seek a different food source. Those amphipods are probably desperate enough to eat anything including presumably your corals.

This is fairly common occurrence in an isolated, small environment like a tank especially if some big change has happened. Perhaps the lack of fish predators.

@ISpeakForTheSeas you got anything interesting to add about amphipods?

 

[TheMysticGriffin]

What fish do you have in your tank?

None, I have to go fallow due to marine ich.

You are experiencing a population boom. These are caused by an excess of food and/or a sudden lack of predation. When this happens the food source tends to suddenly decline forcing the population to either starve or seek a different food source. Those amphipods are probably desperate enough to eat anything including presumably your corals.

This is fairly common occurrence in an isolated, small environment like a tank especially if some big change has happened. Perhaps the lack of fish predators.

@ISpeakForTheSeas you got anything interesting to add about amphipods?

I don't think they are starving, if they do eat algae there is a ton of algae in the tank, if they don't there is also lots of detritus present. But again there are a lot of them, so I'll try to freshwater dip some of the rocks short enough to kill most of them.

 

[dandi]

You are describing an idyllic setting for a mandarin. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to add one now.

 

[TheMysticGriffin]

You are describing an idyllic setting for a mandarin. Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to add one now.

I would, but marine ich would still live in the tank. I heard mandarins are nearly immune to marine ich but the other fish I will get aren't immune therefore I want to fully eradicate it.

 

[Slocke]

I would, but marine ich would still live in the tank. I heard mandarins are nearly immune to marine ich but the other fish I will get aren't immune therefore I want to fully eradicate it.

Arrow crab(s)?

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

That pic looks different from the amphis I have.

I would work on IDing them, there are concerninc species, though they aren't common in our tanks from what I understand.

 

[dandi]

Sound logic. Ask Jay Hemdal for advice, he is an ace.
Good luck. Hope you get this resolved.
Happy reefing
Dan

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Arrow crab(s)?

This isn't a bad move, but you will need to reset the fallow time if shorter than invert QT time

 

[wattson]

Im on the side where ,,,,I dont like/favor amphipods in my tank,,they have no real benefit outside of being fish food..
Your milage may vary but ,hopefully you can get a Halicoris Wrasse to clean them up. I always hads a yellow or green halicoris wrasse just for this reason,,they are non stop and the best hunters

 

[College_Reefer]

I’d look into a banded coral shrimp. I bet they’d eat them and they cannot carry ich