Question About Microfauna

[Joe Tony]

Hello! About 2 weeks ago, I seeded my 45 gallon tank with micro brittle stars, bristleworms, mama mia worms, and amphipods, and they have all more or less vanished from my tank. I can't find them in the rocks or the sand (saver the occasional worm or amphipod that comes up). I have been putting in around a dozen pellets daily to feed my shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, etc and to also ensure enough food to breed my microfauna.

Currently there are 4 fish in my tank, a banggai cardinal, an orchid dottyback and clownfish pair. I feed them once per day, alternating between freeze dried/flakes and frozen.

I already have an established population of isopods, copepods and mysis shrimp, so maybe it's competition with them?

Can you guys explain why my critters have suddenly disappeared? I get fish eat amphipods and that may have kept down their population. But why can't I see the bristleworms or micro brittle stars especially? Is there something I should be feeding them to encourage them to breed more?

 

[BristleWormHater]

They are likely still there somewhere. Microfuana populations will fluctuate in a new tank but they will rarely completely die off. I can garuntee you the bristleworms are still there. Micro brittle stars are extremely elusive. I saw three the week I set up my tank, since then I have seen one when I glanced into the tank around 3am with a red light. You likely won't see them.

 

[Joe Tony]

They are likely still there somewhere. Microfuana populations will fluctuate in a new tank but they will rarely completely die off. I can garuntee you the bristleworms are still there. Micro brittle stars are extremely elusive. I saw three the week I set up my tank, since then I have seen one when I glanced into the tank around 3am with a red light. You likely won't see them.

Ok thanks. Tank has been up for about 2.5 months and I've got some happy corals, fish and starting to see coralline algae. Not sure if that counts as "established" per say but its a healthy tank for sure.

Just wanna know if all the critters I got are in there as I like me a biodiverse fauna in my sand and reef
(even the bristleworms :) )


Do you recommend I keep feeding my tank once a day, or is there anything else that will help them breed more?

 

[BristleWormHater]

Ok thanks. Tank has been up for about 2.5 months and I've got some happy corals, fish and starting to see coralline algae. Not sure if that counts as "established" per say but its a healthy tank for sure.

Just wanna know if all the critters I got are in there as I like me a biodiverse fauna in my sand and reef
(even the bristleworms :) )


Do you recommend I keep feeding my tank once a day, or is there anything else that will help them breed more?

I would feed twice a day at a minimum. If you feed a lot once per day, I would take 2/3rds of that ammount and feed it twicw if that makes sense.

 

[Joe Tony]

I would feed twice a day at a minimum. If you feed a lot once per day, I would take 2/3rds of that ammount and feed it twicw if that makes sense.

Got it, and that might help grow the populations of microfauna?

 

[mcarroll]

Two weeks isn't long. Many may have been eaten. A lot of them are cryptic, so even if they are there, you aren't gonna see em unless you go ripping into the tank for some reason. Keeping a healthy tank is all you have to "do" to keep them happy – they will spread on their own under good conditions. Don't overcrowd the tank. Don't overfeed. Don't do anything that throws off the tank's balance. That's all general reefing advice tho, not specific microfauna advice. :)