Population boom copepod

[Lady of Babylon]

I had set up a 20 gallon to raise macro algae, phytoplankton, and breed various ornamental shrimp and feeder species... I kinda forgot about it for a few months while my main tank was in trouble. Now that the big tank has been pretty steady for over a month I got some macro algae to pick up where I left off. The water was super cloudy a few days after I put in all of my macro algae. No oder, but you definitely couldn’t see past 3” it was so cloudy. Some hermits and a starfish seemed to be doing just fine in the water. Perimeters were good. So I did a 50% water change thinking something had gone sideways that I couldn’t test for... after refilling the tank I figured out what made it so cloudy.... it appears the the cloudiness is a copepod population boom! Should I do anything about this? Or will they boom and bust without messing with the tanks parameters?

 

[Rtaylor]

It’s most likely a bacterial bloom. It should clear up on its own in a few days if that’s what it is. You could temporarily try to increase oxygenation as the bacteria will deplete it more than normal.

 

[Lady of Babylon]

I thought it was a bacterial boom too... but all those little white dots and clouds... those are moving! I wish the videos showed up. I forget how to do the really backwards trick to see videos. Here is a closeup.

It’s most likely a bacterial bloom. It should clear up on its own in a few days if that’s what it is. You could temporarily try to increase oxygenation as the bacteria will deplete it more than normal.

 

[Rtaylor]

I thought it was a bacterial boom too... but all those little white dots and clouds... those are moving! I wish the videos showed up. I forget how to do the really backwards trick to see videos.

If there are that many, harvest some and add them to your dt.

 

[Lady of Babylon]

Oh absolutely, that was the original plan. But now I feel guilty for dumping 5 gallons from that tank down the drain.

If there are that many, harvest some and add them to your dt.