Amphipod are they Good Or Bad??? What's your opinion?

saycheessee · 05/21/2008, 07:19 AM

Ok... changed my chemi pure bags this morning and found about 10 of these. Are they good or bad?? What's your opinion. Zoaid has them under predators so I'm like.. hummm.... or do I have these ID'd right?

useskaforevil · 05/21/2008, 07:22 AM

i'd vote good, i have tons of amphipods and no problems with my zoas

Amoore311 · 05/21/2008, 07:43 AM

There are predatory amphipods. However, they really aren't all that common. Those look to me like regular ol' amphipods

I have thousands of those same things in my tank and no problems that I can attribute to them. I've got a colony of watermelon zoos, 3 RPE Polyps, a colony of Green Implosions, and another colony of very bright green zoos all doing fine.

I have 1 colony of platinum green palys that has been closed up the last few days. I've checked the colony for predators for the last 5 nights and found no evidence of predation. I've moved them to a different spot in the tank to see if that helps them.

saycheessee · 05/21/2008, 08:32 AM

any other thoughts??

OneReef · 05/21/2008, 08:39 AM

I have tons of them. I vote for good guys. Amphipods and copepods are good, isopods may be the bad ones, but I can't remember.

Patrick12 · 05/21/2008, 08:44 AM

All things point to amphipods being good. In fact, anything contrary is not only an opinion, but a minority opinion that flies in the face of everything known about amphipods. I might even go a step further and say they are essential to a balanced and healthy reef ecosystem.

sunfish11 · 05/21/2008, 08:45 AM

They are very good and help keep your tank clean and healthy as well as provide the fish with food. Copepods and Isolpods are also good. There are some predatory Isolpods that prey on fish but they are fairly large and uncommon.

Lisa

saycheessee · 05/21/2008, 09:04 AM

shooo.. I didn't know to be affraid or happy.

thank you!

Amoore311 · 05/21/2008, 09:22 AM

Be happy.

Consider them free food for your fish and corals.

LeslieH · 05/21/2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Patrick12
In fact, anything contrary is not only an opinion, but a minority opinion that flies in the face of everything known about amphipods.

Well, to tell the truth, most reefers don't know a whole lot about amphipods or other inverts.

Judging by what people post they seem to think there's only a couple of species when there's really thousands with a wide variety of feeding methods & favored prey items.

The common animals - both store-bought and hitch hikers - in tanks are a tiny percentage of what actually exists in a reef. The amphipods coming in on live rock are usually micro-predators, herbivores, detritivores, filter-feeders - generally harmless and overall beneficial. Species that are predators on larger organisms tend to be rare in tanks but they do exist. Some people have been quite unlucky & experienced outbreaks of predatory amphipods which have severely damaged zoas or other corals. Going through old posts it seems that only a few people have had problems with amphipods so the chance of getting hit is less than 1%.

Paul B · 06/14/2008, 08:41 PM

This is what I collected today and dumped in my reef. Have been doing it for 3 decades. How bad could they be?

sunfishh · 06/14/2008, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LeslieH
Well, to tell the truth, most reefers don't know a whole lot about amphipods or other inverts.

This is very true. Most hobbist consider copepods beneficial, amphipods risky and isopods a terrible plague in their tank. However there are about 1700 species of parasitic copepod. Check out the following link.

http://web.mala.bc.ca/goatert/PARASITE/PARACOP.HTM

05/21/2008, 07:19 AM	#1
saycheessee Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 350	Amphipod are they Good Or Bad??? What's your opinion? Ok... changed my chemi pure bags this morning and found about 10 of these. Are they good or bad?? What's your opinion. Zoaid has them under predators so I'm like.. hummm.... or do I have these ID'd right? __________________ Where Reefs and Corals reach new Levels.... Kentucky Reef Society

05/21/2008, 07:22 AM	#2
useskaforevil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: kent, ohio Posts: 1,012	i'd vote good, i have tons of amphipods and no problems with my zoas __________________ "and the delicate mechanism stripped its gears" Current Tank Info: 80gallon bowfront

05/21/2008, 07:43 AM	#3
Amoore311 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ulster County, NY Posts: 2,521	There are predatory amphipods. However, they really aren't all that common. Those look to me like regular ol' amphipods I have thousands of those same things in my tank and no problems that I can attribute to them. I've got a colony of watermelon zoos, 3 RPE Polyps, a colony of Green Implosions, and another colony of very bright green zoos all doing fine. I have 1 colony of platinum green palys that has been closed up the last few days. I've checked the colony for predators for the last 5 nights and found no evidence of predation. I've moved them to a different spot in the tank to see if that helps them. __________________ 30 Gallon FOWLR 2004-2006 90 Gallon LPS Reef 2006-2008 180 Gallon SPS Reef 2008-20012 100 Gallon Custom Rimless Mixed Reef 2012-2014 29 Gallon Biocube Reef! Current Current Tank Info: 29 Gallon Biocube, StevesLED Upgrade, Neptune Apex

05/21/2008, 08:32 AM	#4
saycheessee Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 350	any other thoughts?? __________________ Where Reefs and Corals reach new Levels.... Kentucky Reef Society

05/21/2008, 08:44 AM	#6
Patrick12 Crypt Assassin Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 761	All things point to amphipods being good. In fact, anything contrary is not only an opinion, but a minority opinion that flies in the face of everything known about amphipods. I might even go a step further and say they are essential to a balanced and healthy reef ecosystem. __________________ The enemy of good enough is BETTER!! Current Tank Info: 60 gallon reef and 150 reef

05/21/2008, 08:39 AM	#5
OneReef Reef Guru Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: the great South Posts: 3,218	I have tons of them. I vote for good guys. Amphipods and copepods are good, isopods may be the bad ones, but I can't remember.

05/21/2008, 08:45 AM	#7
sunfish11 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Weyauwega, WI Posts: 2,365	They are very good and help keep your tank clean and healthy as well as provide the fish with food. Copepods and Isolpods are also good. There are some predatory Isolpods that prey on fish but they are fairly large and uncommon. Lisa

05/21/2008, 09:04 AM	#8
saycheessee Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 350	shooo.. I didn't know to be affraid or happy. thank you! __________________ Where Reefs and Corals reach new Levels.... Kentucky Reef Society

05/21/2008, 09:22 AM	#9
Amoore311 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ulster County, NY Posts: 2,521	Be happy. Consider them free food for your fish and corals. __________________ 30 Gallon FOWLR 2004-2006 90 Gallon LPS Reef 2006-2008 180 Gallon SPS Reef 2008-20012 100 Gallon Custom Rimless Mixed Reef 2012-2014 29 Gallon Biocube Reef! Current Current Tank Info: 29 Gallon Biocube, StevesLED Upgrade, Neptune Apex

06/14/2008, 08:41 PM	#11
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	This is what I collected today and dumped in my reef. Have been doing it for 3 decades. How bad could they be?