shrinking pod population

[tripleup05]

I will tell ya upfront i have no clue what the difference between amphipods, coepods, and the other critters in my tank are. I know I should learn about them, but anyways I am pretty sure they are dieing off in my tank. the first few months it was established, i would see them scurry all over when the I turned the lights on and they ran back inside the live rock. Now, I dont see near as many. Plus, my sand bed does not seem near as developed as pictures i've seen of beds only half the age of mine. What could be the problem here? I checked my calcium, and it is probably around 550-600. Too high, but could that be the problem? All other levels are excellent. The only fish I have is a firefish (maybe he's eating them?) which i've had about two weeks. Before that, my tank sat dormant for about three months after my first 3 fish died due to ich. What other info could I tell you...oh I try to use purified water from the store, but I do sometimes use treated tap water. I couldnt tell you if there is anything dangerous in it or not It has worked for my freshwater tanks for years though. Oh and I dont have a light timer, so turning my lights on isnt exactly perfect. I get them turned on and off within two hours from the previous day though. I dont know if that would make a difference or not...Anyways, without these critters am I going to have problems with bad water quality as I add more fish and they arent there to eat the detritus and extra waste that naturally comes from the fish? And what can I do to repopulate my tank? I know this is alot, and if you need more info to try and answer let me know! thanks!

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

There's a post in the general forum about this same subject. Check the tank a few hours after lights out and I'm sure you'll see them.

For your reading pleasure:

"Pods" in general - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-08/rs/index.htm
Amphipods - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rs/index.htm
Copepods - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/rs/index.htm
Isopods - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/index.htm
Tanaids - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/rs/index.htm
Mysids - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-02/rs/index.htm

 

[Anonymous]

Tap water contains various levels of Copper, Tin, and Zinc. Sometimes it's a safe level usually it's not. These heavy metals are very toxic to crustaceans.

I'd strongly recomment you buy an RO/DI or buy purified water.

Your calcium is high but pods don't really care about calcium. You should test your Alkalinity though, I have a feeling it's low. If you're adding calcium you should lower the dosage.

 

[tripleup05]

thanks for those links. hopefully the tap water isnt killing them, but from now on i'll be religious about using purified wate to make sure though. I did read after posting that pod levels soar during the first few months, and then balance out, so the case might be that they have simply decreased but to a normal leve. i hope thats it! and my alkalinity is actually ideal according to two different test kits. Alk and pH are two things i've actually never had trouble with in the six months or so the tank has been up. thanks for the help

 

[Anonymous]

If your tank sat dormant for 3 months they probably all starved to death. They do need to eat. Drop some extra food in your tank besides what your firefish eats, maybe some extra flake, frozen preparations, algae, etc. You might even want to seed your tank with a little sand or rock from your LFS.
If you don't mind an additional investment, purchase a small bottle of DT's Phytoplankton, dose the tank as directed and you'll have a booming copepod population in no time.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[tripleup05]

I was worried i starved them to death...it sounds logical