white bugs

[warrior]

I have been noticing little white bug looking thing all over the place on the rock & on the glass where any signs of algea are, was wondering what these are & if they are harmfull or how to get rid of them if need be. 8O

 

[Bleeding Blue]

Don't get rid of them. You love them. They are amphipods, isopods, and other fun loving crustaceans that will clean detritus, eat algae, and serve as a nice meal for any food or corals that you might want to keep. Not to mention the little guys are pretty fun to watch scurrying around the tank. You might want to have a look at the hitchhiker's form faq guide. It will tell you about all kinds of really neat things that you will find have found their way into your tank. Sometimes they are the most fun part.

Mike

 

[danmhippo]

Welcome to Reefs.org! You will find answers to many of your questions regarding saltwater and reef tanks under the FAQ and Hitch Hiker's FAQ on the top. Click on the "Library" to access the archived articles. In the Hitchhiker FAQ, you will see Pods under http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/main_p ... _rock1.htm

Happy reefing.

BTW, many organism falls into the tiny white bug category. But grazing on algae pads may indicate yours maybe pods. However, if you can snap a few pics for us, we can make surer identification for you.

 

[Gaffes]

I am trying to get those established in my tank. Does anyone have an suggestions on how? I do not have a DSB or refugium, but would like to encourage *pods in my display tank.

I have an 80g with about 70lbs of live rock. I have had the tank for about 2 years.

 

[investigator1]

Gaffes -

You will first see an copepod explosion in the first few weeks of your tank life whether you like it or not. Then they will seem to disappear. About the six month marker you will have more copepods than you ever dreamed.

 

[Gaffes]

hmmm....but like i said, my tanks is 2 years old and I have hardly any!

 

[investigator1]

Doh didn't catch that sorry. Maybe your tank is too clean. I have lots of junk hanging on the sea floor and I always seem to have tons of copepods.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Yeah, some pods would be nice for my tank. I do have crap on the floor but no DSB-what should I do? :?

 

[investigator1]

Get a dsb. Maybe that's what they need to survive? Don't know for sure but that sounds right.