Which isopod is this guy?

[Lady of Babylon]

I love weird things in my tank. But I do like to know what they are and what they eat before I let them run loose in my tank.

Arrived in a package of pods.

 

[JosephM]

Does it look like this with big black eyes? If so it’s a bad guy. If they’re small eyes they’re good. If you wanna separate it from the pods. A good isopod will roll up like a pill bug when disturbed... bad ones wont

 

[taricha]

I don't like the look. Weird body shape and size to be a normal harmless herbivore pod.

 

[king aiptasia]

Does it look like this with big black eyes? If so it’s a bad guy. If they’re small eyes they’re good. If you wanna separate it from the pods. A good isopod will roll up like a pill bug when disturbed... bad ones wont

yeah you can never trust shallow water isopods with big big eyes because they are usually hunters. yours seems to have tiny eyes and depending where it came from may be an herbivore or scavenger.

If you want to test him put him in quarantine, predators never eat vegetable matter and dont consume detritus

 

[Lady of Babylon]

I got some better pictures of it. It is quarantined with some bristle worms and some of those starfish that multiply like crazy that everybody hates, but they never seem to multiply in my tanks. it sometimes pulls up and sometimes doesn’t. I’m half tempted to find the cheapest saltwater fish I can find, and put it in the quarantine with them to see what will happen.

 

[JosephM]

That’s a big bugger. Looks good IMO, doesn’t have those huge devil eyes. The bad ones would latch onto your skin too.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I got some better pictures of it. It is quarantined with some bristle worms and some of those starfish that multiply like crazy that everybody hates, but they never seem to multiply in my tanks. it sometimes pulls up and sometimes doesn’t. I’m half tempted to find the cheapest saltwater fish I can find, and put it in the quarantine with them to see what will happen.

Sketchy looking isopod there... But I'm no expert. That's awesome though that you have no fear of picking it up!

I say get a damsel fish in there and let's see where this goes

 

[JosephM]

Sketchy looking isopod there... But I'm no expert. That's awesome though that you have no fear of picking it up!

I say get a damsel fish in there and let's see where this goes

Honestly though. I was scared to even grab an isopod much smaller then this with tweezers. Thought it’d run up and bite me

 

[king aiptasia]

I got some better pictures of it. It is quarantined with some bristle worms and some of those starfish that multiply like crazy that everybody hates, but they never seem to multiply in my tanks. it sometimes pulls up and sometimes doesn’t. I’m half tempted to find the cheapest saltwater fish I can find, and put it in the quarantine with them to see what will happen.

cheapest saltwater surviving fish is either mollies or whatever you find at the saltwater bait shop. your pics look like the ones i always used to see living among barnacles off the piers and docks

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

That’s a big bugger.

That's awesome though that you have no fear of picking it up!

The bad ones would latch onto your skin too.

woh... based on these comments... he'd be flushed i think.... not that cool looking!

 

[JosephM]

woh... based on these comments... he'd be flushed i think.... not that cool looking!

Personally I would flush him but some isopods are good food and CUC

 

[LacViet]

I have a few of them when I bought amphipods. Seems harmless to me, They lives in DT tank mostly crawling on the sand, or in the back sum in the chaeto, and not attacking or latching to any fish. I have pair of clown fish, neon goby, royal gramma, 2 bangai cardinals. They looks like small land pill bugs.