LIfe!

[tidefanjam]

My tanks been up a little more than a month just finished cycling, I know it’s a pest but after a month of staring at a tank full of water and rocks this little guy will do for now. I have a question about the second pic, I have tiny white critters all over the glass skittering around, are these pods? Or something else? I started with dry rock and 2 very small pieces of seeded rock from the LFS

 

[Sandroni]

I've had those little white bugs before.... not harmful, as for the pest it looks like aptasia?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

You should still get rid of the aiptasia haha it may be cool to look at now, but trust me, you don't want to give it the chance to multiply.

The little white critters are copepods, some folks wish they had as many as you do.

 

[Sandroni]

You should still get rid of the aiptasia haha it may be cool to look at now, but trust me, you don't want to give it the chance to multiply.

The little white critters are copepods, some folks wish they had as many as you do.

Just had the largest aiptasia in my life! Luckily it moved off the frag plug onto my rock and I was able to take it out of the tank.... I wish the aiptasia x had come quicker.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Just had the largest aiptasia in my life! Luckily it moved off the frag plug onto my rock and I was able to take it out of the tank.... I wish the aiptasia x had come quicker.

I go after them with the full intention of them never being able to see the light of day (or aquarium light) ever again! (I.E. I bury them in epoxy stick.)

 

[Sandroni]

I go after them with the full intention of them never being able to see the light of day (or aquarium light) ever again! (I.E. I bury them in epoxy stick.)

Lol, I tried to glue him shut but his little fingers got through.

 

[tidefanjam]

You should still get rid of the aiptasia haha it may be cool to look at now, but trust me, you don't want to give it the chance to multiply.

The little white critters are copepods, some folks wish they had as many as you do.

Well, maybe it’s a good start because I do want a mandarian in the future when the tanks older.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Well, maybe it’s a good start because I do want a mandarian in the future when the tanks older.

For a mandarin you'll want to maintain the pod population you have now, if not more. You can always add more later on down the line but you need somewhere spacious for them to hide and grow like a refugium. You can create external cultures of rotifers and phytoplankton to feed the pods with as well. My tank is very mature, but I can't keep a pod population to save my life mostly due to the combination of a melanurus wrasse and no sump/refugium.

 

[tidefanjam]

For a mandarin you'll want to maintain the pod population you have now, if not more. You can always add more later on down the line but you need somewhere spacious for them to hide and grow like a refugium. You can create external cultures of rotifers and phytoplankton to feed the pods with as well. My tank is very mature, but I can't keep a pod population to save my life mostly due to the combination of a melanurus wrasse and no sump/refugium.

I have a 20 gallon sump, was gonna put a skimmer in it with a refugium, but don’t have the headroom for a skimmer so I’ll have a HOB skimmer, and the sump will be mostly a refuge, already have rock in it and cheato is on the way.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I have a 20 gallon sump, was gonna put a skimmer in it with a refugium, but don’t have the headroom for a skimmer so I’ll have a HOB skimmer, and the sump will be mostly a refuge, already have rock in it and cheato is on the way.

That should be great then for the pods, when you harvest chaeto, shake it first underwater to get most of the pods off. Maybe through some caulerpa on a piece of porous rock like pukani or reefsaver for them too.

 

[tidefanjam]

Ok, I got some cheato and put in my refugium....and it basically broke apart into a thousand pieces getting blown through the return into the display...very irritating..will these little pieces grow in my display?