[poccoe61]

ok so, i'm sure you all hear about this one enough...

but there appear to be little white bigs on my glass. i did my research and identified them as copepods, and was just wondering if thats most likely what they are? if so, are they healthy/or are they pests like aiptasia and what not (still fighting that war)?

sorry for no picture, but theres absolutely no way i could zoom into those little guys.

[ry77]

these pics are a little rough but do they kind of look like this?

copepods are fine to have in your tank and even benifit it as well as adding a food source for your fish(depending on what you have)

[poccoe61]

i do believe that is them. although mine are slightly smaller, i'm assuming they're just going to grow or something. my fish seem to randomly nip at things i can't see in the tank, so i'm assuming theyre eating a few these 'copepods' they see swimming. i only have a yellow tail damsel and a black sebae as i have a nano type set up.

[ry77]

I have a ten gallon nano myself, my pod's are about the size of a flea roughly

[c-c]

If you have the right fish like a mandarine (Dragonets) he would love to feast on your pods. I believe my choc chip star loves them too.


This photo was taken under my microscope when I first became fascinated with the little guys.

[poccoe61]

yea mine are about the size of a flea as well (some bigger, some smaller, of course). i have a sand sifting star and i initially worried about the destruction of a sand bed i read somewhere. but after seeing these little guys, i was a little eased as i figured my sand bed wasn't a total loss (i use 20pounds CaribSea fijipink). he (the starfish) also seems to have actually grown a bit, rather than deteriorate like i've read on other sites.

[rstroede]

I am sorry guys that I am interrupting you, but I would like to see if anyone can help me with my question about pods. I had just started the tank 4 months ago, and cycled the 4 pieces of live rock for a month and a half. then added the 2 mushrooms. One brown, and the other a purple. After my live rock cycled I had a sharp rise in pods I would say the tank was covered. I added a cleanup crew for the hair alge I got at the beginning, 3 blue leg hermit crabs, and 2 snails. The pods kept multiplying. I have just added my first fish two weeks ago, a Ocellarus clown fish who has not been eating any of the food I have been offering. He seems to be just nibbling at it one or two bites each feeding, but I have suddenly noticed that my pod numbers are decling. Do anyone know if this clown fish will eat pods or if he is living off of my pods.
Thanks Randy

[poccoe61]

depending on the size of your clown, he might just be eating when you're not there (on algae, pods, or whatever appears tasty in your tank).

[rstroede]

I think he is around an inch. I have seen him nip at the wall and what ever else is floating in the tank. I have also seen him go potty as we use to tell my little boy. So he has to be eating something.
Randy