ID this

[elweshomayor]

Amphipods? yes? or are there something different... They are kinda HUGE.
I saw them in my refugium but I am assuming that they are also in the DT.

I've read that a lot of people say that the will eat zoanthids and others claim that they are harmless. Which is it?

I can always get a mandarin Goby and let it go to town in the DT. Though those bigger ones will probably need a tang or something with a bigger mouth lol

Incoming is a terrible quality picture but.. HERE:
Ill try to get better ones if these arent good enough to ID.

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy274/elweshomayor/150%20G%20fish%20tank/0c62167d-7176-45d4-9c63-b4aa269c8c6d_zpsweytbecm.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy274/elweshomayor/150%20G%20fish%20tank/20170303_182417_zpssxwifth6.jpg

[garethwood]

check out pictures for amphipods. they kinda look like mini shrimp and tend to move about in circles . ive got loads in my fuge and they were the 1st signs of life in my original setup. ive never noticed them on my corals they tend to stick to areas under rocks. if you get to the point when your over run with them i had a yellow wrasse that liked them for breakfast. i wouldnt suggest a mandarin unless your prepared to heavily supplement its diet.
as far as i no they are a good thing to have, like i say ive always had them and never found them to be an issue : )

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[elweshomayor]

check out pictures for amphipods. they kinda look like mini shrimp and tend to move about in circles . ive got loads in my fuge and they were the 1st signs of life in my original setup. ive never noticed them on my corals they tend to stick to areas under rocks. if you get to the point when your over run with them i had a yellow wrasse that liked them for breakfast. i wouldnt suggest a mandarin unless your prepared to heavily supplement its diet.
as far as i no they are a good thing to have, like i say ive always had them and never found them to be an issue : )

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To me they look a bit more like transparent/white marine rollie pollies. They seem to be the size of them too! just the ones on my fuge though. Google images kinda shows them (similar) but all small crustaceans look the same to me lol:hmm4:

[elweshomayor]

Im just a little worried because I had another colony of zoas that basically disappeared. I originally blamed it on the porcupine puffer that I had. I have since returned the puffer to the LFS and got clownfish and some other things instead.
I bought another colony and when looking at my fuge i found these. A lot of people in forums swear that amphipods, at least the species in particular that they had in their tank, ate their zoas. Which made me wonder if maybe the puffer was innocent and the pods are to blame.

Zoas still look ok, going on day 3. I'll keep an eye on them. Hopefully the pods are just a good sign and not the problem.

[garethwood]

silly question but have you checked your zoas for nudis? i lost a colony to these things before! hence the purchase of the yellow wrasse he ate them all up : ) tbh ide suggest a yellow wrasse for most unwanted pests, they grace all day long and eat anything that moves but will also eat pre prepared foods so wont starve once the pests are gone. if you do decide to go down the wrasse route you will need a lid, i learnt that lesson to late : (

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[CrayolaViolence]

I'm pretty sure they are amphipods. I've had them up to almost 1/2 inch long. I often catch them and feed them to my green spotted puffer who loves them.

[heathlindner25]

Ampipods , not harmful.

[elweshomayor]

Are you guys sure? They sure look like theyre bothering the zoas. Maybe even eating them. Otherwise zoas look healthy. The just close up whenever they get crawled on by these buggers. I've been reading the forums and many people seem to say that these are bad, others say theyre not. Should I be worried about it?
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy274/elweshomayor/150%20G%20fish%20tank/20170307_144402_zpstsvkdx6x.jpg

[elweshomayor]

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy274/elweshomayor/150%20G%20fish%20tank/20170307_144327_zpsqzw1biue.jpg

[elweshomayor]

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy274/elweshomayor/150%20G%20fish%20tank/20170307_144300_zpstwiabsey.jpg

Other than the few zoanthids that are closed, the colony is generally healthy.
Should I be looking to get a wrasse? or a mandarin goby to eat these things?

[Sugar Magnolia]

They're harmless and a beneficial part of a healthy ecosystem.

[mcgyvr]

They are not bothering your zoas but simply crawling on them eating matter off them..

They are 100% normal and harmless..