Over pod-pulated?

ACBlinky · 12/06/2012, 07:01 PM

Our 150g has been up and running for ~two months, and has a variety of hard and soft coral frags, a maxi-mini carpet anemone, a skunk cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp, 20 hermits and 10 turbo snails.

And then there are the 'pods. Tiny dot-sized white copepods on the glass around the substrate, 1cm amphipods creeping around the rockwork, and 1/8" or so little guys, not sure if they're copepods or amphipods, EVERYWHERE. They're on the glass near the sand, they're covering the overflow, and the rock is lousy with them. There are so many of these creatures that the cleaner shrimp walks over a rock and thousands of pods scatter, and if he's hungry the shrimp just picks some up as a snack. The space where he was walking closes behind him as soon as he moves; there are literally 100 pods per square inch of tank. It's ridiculous!

I'm feeding the tank as though it's full of fish, and there's really no nuisance algae to speak of -- I clean the glass off about once a week, but there's not much there. I'm assuming these pods must consume film algae, and they're having an absolute feast!

So is it possible to have TOO many pods? I've got four fish in the QT right now (which is why I'm feeding the tank as if they're there, to avoid an ammonia spike when they go into the DT in January). Will the fish just knock back the pod population to manageable levels when I put them into the tank? There are so many right now they actually seem to be irritating the corals, but not hugely.

The fish in QT now are two ocellaris clowns, a longnosed hawkfish and a yellow watchman goby.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Fretfreak13 · 12/06/2012, 07:40 PM

IMO, no such thing as too many. Pods are wonderful! My tank is currently fishless too and I have a gazillion as well. They annoy me on the glass, but its just something I have to live with.

Plan on a mandarin down the line. You're tank will obviously be able to support one, ya lucky duck! lol

SuperSaltwater · 12/06/2012, 08:42 PM

pods are sweet. i got a lot of copepods. amphipods and munnid isopods, they are taking over. its only a mini 5 gallon reef but they took over. i also have some chaeto in the tank thats completely flooded with them. im going to get a small goby to feast all day. thanks to the large amount of small rubble, live rock and chaeto they will never run out. + i heavy feed the tank for my corals so they explode in population.

ACBlinky · 12/06/2012, 09:17 PM

Thank you both for the input

I am actually hoping to be able to support a mandarin in the future, it's one of the fish I've always wanted to keep. I can't quite believe the number of pods, I've never seen anything like it. The hawkfish is going to have a blast when he moves in, and I guess I may be able to get a wrasse in the future (I figure wrasses need extra pods, they're such active fish and love to hunt all day long).

Edit: just looked up munnid isopods, that is absolutely what I've got overrunning the tank! Thanks for that, now I know what they are

SuperSaltwater · 12/06/2012, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ACBlinky

Thank you both for the input

I am actually hoping to be able to support a mandarin in the future, it's one of the fish I've always wanted to keep. I can't quite believe the number of pods, I've never seen anything like it. The hawkfish is going to have a blast when he moves in, and I guess I may be able to get a wrasse in the future (I figure wrasses need extra pods, they're such active fish and love to hunt all day long).

Edit: just looked up munnid isopods, that is absolutely what I've got overrunning the tank! Thanks for that, now I know what they are

the munnids are cool. watch them, they fight constantly. play around and never stop boneing down. they have personality. a mandarin will survive easily with them.

the males are the ones with the claws that look like a praying mantis. the females dont have them and are smaller.

cherubfish pair · 12/06/2012, 10:47 PM

Are the munnids also called water fleas?

Look at those little critters as a clean up crew!

jerpa · 12/07/2012, 07:17 AM

Most newer tanks go through a stage where they are "overrun" with pods. The population will generally drop to less noticeable levels once it has become more established and fish are added. I wouldn't assume based on the population now that you can support a mandarin and a wrasse. Wrasse's generally accept prepared foods but they can still put a large enough dent in the population to cause the mandarin to starve.

ACBlinky · 12/07/2012, 11:16 AM

Good to know. Our original stock list included one or the other; maybe even a 150g with a refugium isn't enough for a mandy. My mother will be devastated; whenever she comes over to visit her grandson, he talks about how his 'Nemo and Marlin' (ocellaris pair) are going to go in the big tank soon, and she points to the mandy in our tropical fish poster and says "and mama says some day Grandma can get one of those!"

Paul B · 12/07/2012, 01:57 PM

These guys will pick up the extra's

dml931 · 12/07/2012, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul B

These guys will pick up the extra's

ACBlinky · 12/07/2012, 03:06 PM

Haha Paul, thanks for that! I think I could fill about a quarter of that truck with the population in the tank, it really is excessive. Our hawkfish is going to have a bonanza when he gets into the display

12/06/2012, 07:01 PM	#1
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Over pod-pulated? Our 150g has been up and running for ~two months, and has a variety of hard and soft coral frags, a maxi-mini carpet anemone, a skunk cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp, 20 hermits and 10 turbo snails. And then there are the 'pods. Tiny dot-sized white copepods on the glass around the substrate, 1cm amphipods creeping around the rockwork, and 1/8" or so little guys, not sure if they're copepods or amphipods, EVERYWHERE. They're on the glass near the sand, they're covering the overflow, and the rock is lousy with them. There are so many of these creatures that the cleaner shrimp walks over a rock and thousands of pods scatter, and if he's hungry the shrimp just picks some up as a snack. The space where he was walking closes behind him as soon as he moves; there are literally 100 pods per square inch of tank. It's ridiculous! I'm feeding the tank as though it's full of fish, and there's really no nuisance algae to speak of -- I clean the glass off about once a week, but there's not much there. I'm assuming these pods must consume film algae, and they're having an absolute feast! So is it possible to have TOO many pods? I've got four fish in the QT right now (which is why I'm feeding the tank as if they're there, to avoid an ammonia spike when they go into the DT in January). Will the fish just knock back the pod population to manageable levels when I put them into the tank? There are so many right now they actually seem to be irritating the corals, but not hugely. The fish in QT now are two ocellaris clowns, a longnosed hawkfish and a yellow watchman goby. Thanks for any thoughts! __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/06/2012, 07:40 PM	#2
Fretfreak13 I am not a boy! Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,114	IMO, no such thing as too many. Pods are wonderful! My tank is currently fishless too and I have a gazillion as well. They annoy me on the glass, but its just something I have to live with. Plan on a mandarin down the line. You're tank will obviously be able to support one, ya lucky duck! lol __________________ ~Kali Just keep swimmin'

12/06/2012, 09:17 PM	#4
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Thank you both for the input I am actually hoping to be able to support a mandarin in the future, it's one of the fish I've always wanted to keep. I can't quite believe the number of pods, I've never seen anything like it. The hawkfish is going to have a blast when he moves in, and I guess I may be able to get a wrasse in the future (I figure wrasses need extra pods, they're such active fish and love to hunt all day long). Edit: just looked up munnid isopods, that is absolutely what I've got overrunning the tank! Thanks for that, now I know what they are __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/06/2012, 10:47 PM	#6
cherubfish pair Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Libby, Montana Posts: 7,061 Blog Entries: 1	Are the munnids also called water fleas? Look at those little critters as a clean up crew! __________________ pairo chero Thanks for looking at my build thread and subscribe to it if you already haven't yet! Current Tank Info: thirty rimless

12/07/2012, 07:17 AM	#7
jerpa Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 2,174	Most newer tanks go through a stage where they are "overrun" with pods. The population will generally drop to less noticeable levels once it has become more established and fish are added. I wouldn't assume based on the population now that you can support a mandarin and a wrasse. Wrasse's generally accept prepared foods but they can still put a large enough dent in the population to cause the mandarin to starve. __________________ Jer Current Tank Info: 40b basement sump, 40b refugium, 30g frag

12/06/2012, 08:42 PM	#3
SuperSaltwater Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 154	pods are sweet. i got a lot of copepods. amphipods and munnid isopods, they are taking over. its only a mini 5 gallon reef but they took over. i also have some chaeto in the tank thats completely flooded with them. im going to get a small goby to feast all day. thanks to the large amount of small rubble, live rock and chaeto they will never run out. + i heavy feed the tank for my corals so they explode in population.

12/07/2012, 11:16 AM	#8
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Good to know. Our original stock list included one or the other; maybe even a 150g with a refugium isn't enough for a mandy. My mother will be devastated; whenever she comes over to visit her grandson, he talks about how his 'Nemo and Marlin' (ocellaris pair) are going to go in the big tank soon, and she points to the mandy in our tropical fish poster and says "and mama says some day Grandma can get one of those!" __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/07/2012, 01:57 PM	#9
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	These guys will pick up the extra's __________________ I used to get shocked when I put my hand in my tank. Then the electric eel went dead. Current Tank Info: 100 gal reef set up in 1971

12/07/2012, 03:06 PM	#11
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Haha Paul, thanks for that! I think I could fill about a quarter of that truck with the population in the tank, it really is excessive. Our hawkfish is going to have a bonanza when he gets into the display __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.