Bugs!

[shellynjason]

So, I have 'bugs' in my reef tank. I should be happy I have these copepods and amphipods.

But the thing is my amphipods are getting huge. They are nice sized shrimp looking. And I only see them at night. The thing is what eats these things 'at night' so I keep get them under control? I have a dracula goby but he seems to say in his hidey hole at the sandbed and these huge creepy crawlys are all over the rocks. With the biggest ones way up top by the SPS.

Does any one else have this problem?

 

[Great Barrier Reefer]

Are they causing any actual problems? Copepods and amphipods are super beneficial.....

 

[shellynjason]

Are they causing any actual problems? Copepods and amphipods are super beneficial.....

I don't know yet if they are causing issues ... just that they are growing very large and seeing they are up by the SPS I have my worries if they start irrating the coral.

Obviously too large for any coral to eat.

 

[shellynjason]

If think I have this post in the wrong area it should be in the general thread for MTRC

 

[Great Barrier Reefer]

You could try catching them, I guess......and you could then chop them up and feed them to your corals......if you're inclined that way.

 

[gmoney243]

Tme for a wrasse or mandarin

 

[ohio reefer]

Mandarin. Super colorful and only eats them


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[pickupman66]

the pods are the reason my 6 line wrasse looks like a football, and my Mandarin looks like a beer can.

 

[Dowtish]

What is your fish list now?

 

[ToXIc]

the pods are the reason my 6 line wrasse looks like a football, and my Mandarin looks like a beer can.

Lolz


____________________________
Sent from my iThingy using Tapatalk

 

[shellynjason]

What is your fish list now?

2 clowns, 1 chromis, 1 purple tang, 1 mag. foxface, 1 dracula goby, 1 lawnmower blenny.

I was thinking about the Mandarin - do they eat at night or does it not matter because they will hunt them down?

 

[michael brumit]

Mine is constantly on the hunt for pods day and night.

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[NanaReefer]

My Scooter Dragonet will hunt right up until the moon LED's go off at 11pm. Which works great as the Amphipods start coming out as soon as they turn on at 10pm :)


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

 

[shellynjason]

Is there are truth to "adult amphipods are too large for manderins" ? I have ALOT of live rock and tons of copepods and amphipods, so what I worry about the most is how big those amphipods have gotten because they have no predator in the tank.. Maybe they will die of old age.

 

[shellynjason]

update - I do see some amphipods in the day too and I definately seem then on the Green Birdsnest branches at the bottom.

So I put in an order with Blue Zoo on Wed. for two Yellow coris Wrasse and one Mandarin dragonet and got my shipment in today. Each of these three fish are 'small' so I am not that worried about them taking out my 'pod' population any time soon.

 

[Dowtish]

You will be surprised. Those pods will be no more in about 2 weeks.

 

[islander84]

My target mandarin is on the go day and night. I used to have a large supply of them and my melenurus wrasse and mandarin has gotten the best of them. If you have a refugium they should still culture and time to time spill over. Very good for a (natural) feeding source

 

[shellynjason]

The wrasse and dragonet are very small. Some of these pods are really big so I'm thinking they won't fit in their mouth but will be able to multiply. We shall see.

 

[glb]

Can someone post a pic of these pods? I don't know what they look like. I saw a little tan thing scurry under a rock yesterday but it was too quick to get a pic.


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP
12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

 

[shellynjason]

I usually look at my fish tank with a magnifying glass after 'lights off' with a blue LED flash light so I see lots and lots of copepods, amphipods climbing on the rock and sandbed. A few times a month it seems they hatch new ones and the spawn swim around the bottom of the tank in swarms. I can't capture any pictures with my camera.

Basically they look like BUGS ... with long antenas ...

But here are a few pictures from the internet
FLMNH Ichthyology Department

the amphipods look like smaller shrimp to me.
(What Do Amphipods and Copepods Look Like? - Amphipod & Copepod Pictures)