PODS: Should you see them in your tank?

[Seamore2001]

I've got tons of pods in the refugium, of course. And in one of the tanks I see them swirling around in the burrows created by the pistol shrimp. After lights out at night, if I check with a black-light flashlight, I see them scooting around in the main display. I have a good amount of genuine live rock in all my tanks, so there is plenty of hiding places for them to hang out in during the day.

I like having pods in my tank, as an additional food source for wrasse and mandarin and others. Pods also give me a bit of an insurance policy in terms of keeping my fish fed, when I'm out of town for a few days. As well, they (along with bristle worms) are useful as an additional augment to my clean-up crew, keeping the crevices clean of uneaten food and otherwise helping to break down waste.

 

[SaltyDuggz]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

1. I do see pods in my display tank.... generally on the glass with the lights on. I have an AIO tank but plumbed an external refugium with some chaeto from Algae Barn and saw the population explode. I have since disconnected the refugium and am growing the chaeto and mangroves in there. I still see pods in my tank.

2. I am happy to have pods. Means a healthy environment and food source

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Definitely care that pods are in my tank. They provide food for my spawning mandarins. They’ve been with me through two tank builds in 3 years. Also my CBB is up early and then all day long pulling live food from the rock.
Re: Should we see them?
YES! Obviously not during the day, but when the lights just go on in the morning they are visible all over my rockwork.
For those wondering? No I don’t reseed pods every so often. The pods I have are out breeding the crazy appetites of those three fish. My personal conclusion is….. if you have em, you have em!

 

[Jubei2006]

If I look for them I can find them. Easily found in my refugium and sump. I believe they are necessary as they are an integral part of the clean up crew, and they feed everything else in the tank. I hope at some time to have a pair of mandarins, and hopefully will have enough doversity to feed them if I cant get them on a prepared diet.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Yes if being fed a quality food source i.e daily phyto dosing. A good way to tell what you have is let some film algea build up on the glass copepods love it . I'm just happy this post separated Copepods and Amthipods lol

 

[Isaac_Tang]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

I’ve seen them throughout the rockwork and I see my clown go after them from time to time, when I clean out my filters ofc that’s when I see the mother load but I love to them around and after cleaning is done I dump them back into the display and let them hid or get eaten lol

 

[Appoloreefer]

I have not put any pods in my tank and I am not sure if I have any for I do not see any. My snails have had little ones and I see a ton of those on the glass. In previous tanks after the cycle and I added live stock I would see them on the rocks but not this time. I have thought about getting some and seeding the tank.

 

[rhostam]

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

Yes. I enjoy catching them scurrying around at night. I see tons of amphipods. Copepods are more difficult to see unless I turn off the flow.

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

I do care. They serve a purpose. Live food source, for one. A form of CUC, second. I over-feed so I'm sure that is why there are so many of them.

Unlike others, I haven't observed or even suspect them of attacking my corals, though. That would concern me.

 

[Mistahman]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

I have tons in both tanks. Reminds you of fire ants when you kick the mound. Looking in tanks after lights out with flashlight reveals them. When I run filter socks to polish the water I find a dozen or so in the socks.

 

[Buckeye Ken]

I have a healthy population of amphipods in my sump and occasionally see them in the DT. I've tred on 2 occasions to get copepods established, but no go.

 

[NanJ]

My husband adds pods from Algae Barn about once a month. We don’t see many pods at all in our DT or large refugium. With 2 Mandarins and a Dragonette we have to assume we have enough pods to keep them happy. We never see them eating fish foods.

I would like to not spend the money on seeding pods if it isn’t necessary. Can I check water samples for pods by using a microscope a dissecting scope? Any suggestions on an inexpensive scope to use for pod surveillance?

 

[atomos]

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

A little with lights out and on the glass. I anticipate if they are seen by my fishes along the rocks, then they'll get eaten

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

Yes, it's nice to have "pods" in the tank--good for the tank ecosystem

 

[wildbill001]

Hi everyone, this is my very first post. I just found this group the other day through BRS. Unfortunately have never seen any. When I first started the hobby a 1.5 years ago I seeded the tank with Mr. Tim's and tried and failed building a refugium. I think I have ran into every noobe problem imaginable. Lost 100s of dollars in fish so I may have killed them :-(. I am so glad I found you guys maybe I can figure out this hobby after all.

 

[Proteus Meep]

I only see them bloom in the earlier stages of a tank setup, later on when matured and despite daily live planktonic and dried particulate foods I see none in my system during daylight hours....other than an occasional glimpse of an amphipod if removing a rock or coral for any reason like dipping etc


I dont really care as it seems to just be the natural maturing of each of my reef systems I have run over the past 20 years

 

[Seascapes]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

I have so many pods come out at night it looks like ants or roaches. Creepy. My chalices are not doing well. I try to direct feed and they are still receeding. I'm thinking I have so many pods they are eating the chalices.

 

[ReeferGuyAlexK]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

1. I definitely do see pods in my DT but not near as much as in sump and fuge. Well I only really see pods in my DT at night or when i remove a coral and watch an Amphipod hitchhike with it. My Scooter and wrasses keep pods low in DT but at least i know they are reproducing in the sump.

2. I definitely do care as its a great food source for the scooter and the other fish (wrasses) even though they enjoy frozens, and pods are great CUC. I particularly seed my tank with Tisbe pods to keep up with the demanding fish

 

[Javier Leon]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

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Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

i have tons of them, I see them specially at night with red flashlight and my sump is full of them also since is no wrasses there

 

[Indeva]

I used to have copepods but now my tank is overrun by amphipods. The yellow coris wrasse is starting to get control of the situation. However, these amphipods have done serious damage to my zoas, scolly, and acans. Every zoa that couldn't make it to the frag rack is now gone. These things are so bold that I can watch them crawl in and out of the acan mouths during the day. Little pieces of green and red get carried away into the darkness like Christmas gremlins. Somedays I'm tempted to just restart and nuke the entire tank.

 

[BVF]

Bunches…at least I hope that’s what they are.
Probably will drop off when I get to put fish back in the DT.

 

[FFKiwi]

My sump is full of them. I occasionally see them in the display tank. I assume the ones that escape the sump are eaten in short order.

I don't know what type of pods they are. I did seed the tank with a jar from Algae Barn about a year ago, so they could have gotten in the tank then, or as hitchhikers with coral frags since. They didn't show up in the sump until 4 or 5 months ago and the population has grown steadly since.

Wow that's awesome, threebuoys! do you have chaeto in your sump? what do you have down there? i was hoping to just get away with seeding the extra live rock i have down there?