Amphipod question

[seahorsebill]

I added amphipods to my tank a few weeks back. I used to see them all the time scurrying around my tank. For first ten days I would see amphipods everywhere. Now I’m lucky if I see one every three days or so. Did they die? Did they drown? I have no fish or predators in my tank just a few mollies (used for cycling) and a clean up crew?
Are the amphipods just hiding? Or are they gone?
should I buy more before adding my fish in a few weeks?
I plan to get four fish. A clown a juvenile purple tang a mandarin goby and a juvenile imperator or queen angel.

 

[TessGlo]

I added amphipods to my tank a few weeks back. I used to see them all the time scurrying around my tank. For first ten days I would see amphipods everywhere. Now I’m lucky if I see one every three days or so. Did they die? Did they drown? I have no fish or predators in my tank just a few mollies (used for cycling) and a clean up crew?
Are the amphipods just hiding? Or are they gone?
should I buy more before adding my fish in a few weeks?
I plan to get four fish. A clown a juvenile purple tang a mandarin goby and a juvenile imperator or queen angel.

Try looking when lights off with a flash light, I bet they are there. I don't see them during the day in my tank but with at flash light at night its crawling with them. Depending on food supply may take awhile to build up their numbers and with a new tank you may need to make sure you are feeding enough to keep them going. They are fairly hardy so I'm guessing they are still there, just hiding.

 

[seahorsebill]

Try looking when lights off with a flash light, I bet they are there. I don't see them during the day in my tank but with at flash light at night its crawling with them. Depending on food supply may take awhile to build up their numbers and with a new tank you may need to make sure you are feeding enough to keep them going. They are fairly hardy so I'm guessing they are still there, just hiding.

I put sinking crab pellets in my tank for my shrimp emerald crabs hermit crabs and bumble bee snails

 

[sde1500]

May be hiding, may be dead. I see them during the day in my frag tank, never in my main though I know they are there. I wouldn't bother adding more, tanks eventually reach an equilibrium with them, can only manage to hold so many based on available food etc. They'll get there on their own, I've never once added one, yet have tons.

On a side note, if that tank is your 54 bow, very cool tank but I'd caution some of your fish choices for it.

 

[Idoc]

Good chance the Mollies are picking them off as well.

 

[Sam816]

their population depends on amount of food they have available. try adding planktons (zoo+phyto) and see if you see growth. i grew a considerable amount of pods in 3 weeks by dosing phyto every other day. now i have a happy mandarin in my tank.

 

[seahorsebill]

their population depends on amount of food they have available. try adding planktons (zoo+phyto) and see if you see growth. i grew a considerable amount of pods in 3 weeks by dosing phyto every other day. now i have a happy mandarin in my tank.

I just started tank about 6 weeks ago. Filter took a dump so I had to put a bio wheel filter on it till I could get parts. Running my tank off a large aqua top canister filter which I had to start cycling all over again and now is two weeks in but live rock is 6 weeks in and marineland emperor dual biowheel has about 5 weeks on it so in couple weeks tank should be completely cycled. When I added mollies to cycle tank I added frozen brine shrimp. To allow to dirty tank up some. Now I’m just using flake food for mollies and sinking pellets for Crabs. Mollies have been in tank 6-7 weeks. So they’ve dirtied it up plus there should be plenty of food in there for hermits and emeralds I think it should be enough for pods. I have flame scallops (that are doing awesome) and a candy cane coral so I dose tank with phyto plankton every other day. I’d just like to get a healthy population of amphipods, copepods, and isopods so I can add less food and let tank feed itself as much as possible.