Copepods

clockwurk · 08/04/2007, 11:07 AM

I read online that some copepods are parasitic. I recently noticed tons of them growing on my tank. They must have been hitched on the seaweed I added to the tank.

How do I know if this is the parasitic kind? Are there signs to look for to know whether they are bad?

I know Mandarin Gobies like to eat them, and I would love to get one. My tank is full of copepods, but since Ive never owned a mandarin, I am unsure whether the amount I have is ample enough to sustain him or her.

I have a 24G JBJ btw.
below is a pic i took of teh copepods in my tank...

chris_uk · 08/04/2007, 11:17 AM

Not much help to you I know but I have the same problem, there are pods all over the glass on my tank - more and more everyday. I would like a mandarin but since theyre main diet is pods once they are gone or if they go then i'm worried it may starve. My 4 stripe damsel seems to eat some pods but they are still increasing in numbers every time I look....

billsreef · 08/04/2007, 12:41 PM

Those are harmless copepods. The parasitic ones you will normally only find attached to fish. So any free swimming copepods you find are the good ones

clockwurk · 08/04/2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by billsreef
Those are harmless copepods. The parasitic ones you will normally only find attached to fish. So any free swimming copepods you find are the good ones

What doe this look like?
Does it look like ICH?

Cause my clown seems to have something like ICH attached to his fins...
I was gonna put him in a hospital tank and use ick meds,
but now im thinking maybe its the copepods....

billsreef · 08/04/2007, 03:05 PM

Parasitic copepods typically look like a small stick attached to the fish. Can you take a picture of the clown and post it?

bertoni · 08/04/2007, 03:05 PM

A search on cirolanid isopods should turn up some pictures. They are one of the more common categories of parasites we see from time to time. Also:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/index.php

08/04/2007, 11:07 AM	#1
clockwurk Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ft Lauderdale Posts: 887	Copepods I read online that some copepods are parasitic. I recently noticed tons of them growing on my tank. They must have been hitched on the seaweed I added to the tank. How do I know if this is the parasitic kind? Are there signs to look for to know whether they are bad? I know Mandarin Gobies like to eat them, and I would love to get one. My tank is full of copepods, but since Ive never owned a mandarin, I am unsure whether the amount I have is ample enough to sustain him or her. I have a 24G JBJ btw. below is a pic i took of teh copepods in my tank...

08/04/2007, 12:41 PM	#3
billsreef Moderator 10 & Over Club Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Long Island, NY/North Miami Posts: 36,538	Those are harmless copepods. The parasitic ones you will normally only find attached to fish. So any free swimming copepods you find are the good ones __________________ Bill "LOL, well I have no brain apparently. " - dc (Debi) Current Tank Info: Far too many tanks according to my wife, LOL.

08/04/2007, 03:05 PM	#5
billsreef Moderator 10 & Over Club Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Long Island, NY/North Miami Posts: 36,538	Parasitic copepods typically look like a small stick attached to the fish. Can you take a picture of the clown and post it? __________________ Bill "LOL, well I have no brain apparently. " - dc (Debi) Current Tank Info: Far too many tanks according to my wife, LOL.

08/04/2007, 03:05 PM	#6
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	A search on cirolanid isopods should turn up some pictures. They are one of the more common categories of parasites we see from time to time. Also: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/index.php __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/04/2007, 11:17 AM	#2
chris_uk Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hampshire - United Kingdom Posts: 51	Not much help to you I know but I have the same problem, there are pods all over the glass on my tank - more and more everyday. I would like a mandarin but since theyre main diet is pods once they are gone or if they go then i'm worried it may starve. My 4 stripe damsel seems to eat some pods but they are still increasing in numbers every time I look....