Amphipods

falesdk · 06/22/2006, 01:25 AM

While doing more aquascaping tonight (didnt mean to do it, one rock got pushed over, putting it back I couldnt stop myself from moving everything) a bunch of the dust got stirred up and my Emperor 400 went into over-drive...

I waited until the water cleared and went to clean the filters (I do this about once a week in between changing the pads) and I noticed a bunch of Amphipods sitting in the pads, I wiped them off back into the tank and watched them swim to the sides and corners...I noticed that in the top corners of the tank there are little amphipod skeletons on the glass above the water line. Is this normal dieoff, a result of evaporation, or what?

Parameters are Ammonia and Nitrite 0, Nitrate about 5 (tank went through a mini-cycle when I put in my new rock a couple weeks ago, I think from sponges dying while moving from curing to display) So I don't think water quality is part of their demise.

Also I noticed some people take the biowheels out of their emperors...whats the purpose of this, does something undesirable build up on them?

bertoni · 06/22/2006, 04:21 PM

The little amphipod shells could be molts or normal die-off. I wouldn't worry.

Sometimes, the bio-wheels contribute to higher levels of nitrate in some tanks, so I don't run that sort of media.

06/22/2006, 01:25 AM	#1
falesdk Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Midland, MI Posts: 498	Amphipods While doing more aquascaping tonight (didnt mean to do it, one rock got pushed over, putting it back I couldnt stop myself from moving everything) a bunch of the dust got stirred up and my Emperor 400 went into over-drive... I waited until the water cleared and went to clean the filters (I do this about once a week in between changing the pads) and I noticed a bunch of Amphipods sitting in the pads, I wiped them off back into the tank and watched them swim to the sides and corners...I noticed that in the top corners of the tank there are little amphipod skeletons on the glass above the water line. Is this normal dieoff, a result of evaporation, or what? Parameters are Ammonia and Nitrite 0, Nitrate about 5 (tank went through a mini-cycle when I put in my new rock a couple weeks ago, I think from sponges dying while moving from curing to display) So I don't think water quality is part of their demise. Also I noticed some people take the biowheels out of their emperors...whats the purpose of this, does something undesirable build up on them? __________________ Its an obsession when you can't buy a new fish, because last month you bought a new coral instead of shoes, and they won't let you back in barefoot. Current Tank Info: Biocube 32

06/22/2006, 04:21 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The little amphipod shells could be molts or normal die-off. I wouldn't worry. Sometimes, the bio-wheels contribute to higher levels of nitrate in some tanks, so I don't run that sort of media. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni