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View Full Version : My research meads me to think copepods...


Sean_South
03/25/2013, 06:40 PM
Hello RC,

Long story short I had set up a tank about a year ago, very healthy, a lot of growth, but it crashed when hurricane sandy hit and I was without heat and electric in my home for about 5 weeks forcing me to move. Once I move I reset up my tank which was set up on February 2nd. I do weekly 20% water changes, and the current inhabitants are a CUC of 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 turbo snails, 1 turban snail, and a sandsifting star all added Feb 24th. March 17th added a small purple firefish. All parameters in check. ( 14gl biocube with LED lighting and running filterfloss, chemipure, and purigen in the media basket)

I used the liverock from the old tank had to recure it due to being in ice cold uncirculated water for about two-three weeks before I was able to get access back into my house due to the storm, but I noticed these about two weeks ago http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s362/Sean_South/D1A9A6D4-A459-4B04-9FF6-8E0519634641-14361-000010751909C06B_zps9e7b4f60.jpg From my research it looks like copepods, or some other kind of pod but from my research it looks like copepods. ( small elongated egg shape with a split tail) My question is where could they have come from? hitchhiked on a snail or shrimp? any input would be greatly appreciated thank you!

silleb
03/25/2013, 07:08 PM
That's a good possibility. Are they swimming, or stuck to the glass?

Sean_South
03/25/2013, 07:12 PM
That's a good possibility. Are they swimming, or stuck to the glass?

definitely swimmers, and the firefish (who I originally thought was banging his head against the glass the few times he would come out of his hole) I realized was eating them. I did not notice them until I noticed what I thought was the firefish banging his head against the glass. but there is a large amount of them and they definetly are on the glass and swimming as well.

Thanks for the input/help silleb!

Sean_South
03/25/2013, 07:16 PM
http://s1048.photobucket.com/user/Sean_South/media/28C2D1ED-B6E7-4694-A28E-91CB6C398F8B-14515-0000107DB566B511_zpsb98fd723.mp4.html

here is a quick video

MinnFish
03/25/2013, 08:30 PM
Tank water from your LFS, while transferring LS?

worm5406
03/25/2013, 09:00 PM
I have hundreds of those. On all the glass and the overflows.... Copepods... And hard to say where from. Good sign! It is breathing again.

squishifishi
03/25/2013, 09:34 PM
my poplation exploded after adding a snail with a few riding on his shell.
they cleaned every speck of algae off my glass, so yup the're good!
they distract me when Iwant to actually look INmy tank, but i think the pop will naturally die down soon.
no worries!

whiteshark
03/25/2013, 09:40 PM
I had soooo many in my qt, until I added a firefish. Then I had sooo many in my DT, until I transfered the fire fish. That fish decimated the copepod populations of both tanks.

Anyway they are good to have. Won't hurt anything. Well unless you get the nasty red kind riding in on an acro.