Hmmm..... should I be worried about these tiny creatures???

[hawaiiguy]

My 65 gal reef tank has been cycling with live rock for about a month now. There are no fish yet, just crabs and snails. I just noticed that there are thousands of tiny little critters swimming about in my water. If I had a microscope I could describe them more thoroughly... they are smaller than a grain of sand. They look like some kind of rotifer (not likely since I don't think you can see rotifers with the naked eye). Perhaps copepods... Anyone have any idea what they coud be? Will they parasitize fish if I add them?

 

[Anonymous]

I would guess Copepods. The numbers will decrease as the fish eat them.

 

[Meloco14]

Not possible to be 100% sure based on that description, but I'd say its a 98% chance they are just copepods, and they are a good sign. If they are smaller than a grain of sand they arent the parasitic isopod that is occasionally found in our tanks. So I wouldnt worry. HTH

 

[hawaiiguy]

copepods... whew! I figured that's what they were but I thought I'd be sure. I read about those scary isopod fish parasites once and panicked when I saw these little guys.

Hey seven, what do you mean the best is yet to come... what should I be watching for? Oooo I'm sooo excited! (not just because copepods are good but also because I just bought a Remora Pro off e-Bay )