little white specks.

r0bin · 05/31/2006, 08:22 PM

I have litte white specks all over the glass of my new 75 gallon tank. Hundreds of them. Some are round like eggs and some look oval. Are they copepods or what. If so could my tank support a mandarin.

PatMayo · 05/31/2006, 08:32 PM

Most likely a tpe of copepod. How long has your tank been up and do you have a refugium?

In my humble opinion mandarins should only be attempted by a tank that has been up several years with a fully functioning fuge even then they are a most difficult animal to maintain long term.

Regards,

Pat

Sk8r · 05/31/2006, 08:40 PM

It can be done, if you're willing to spring for bottled pods until your own population is stable. I also feed a lot of phyto, to be sure the pod population stays up.

r0bin · 06/01/2006, 07:04 AM

My 75 has been up for 2 months, but the thirty I converted from was up for over a year. I was just curious about the mandarin thing, I have no plans to get one. But then again I seem to have so many pods that I may need to get something to control them. My glass is FULL.

Paintbug · 06/01/2006, 07:35 AM

are these "specks" moving?

r0bin · 06/01/2006, 08:17 AM

yes if you look really close they appear to be

Paintbug · 06/01/2006, 08:39 AM

by moving i mean darting around the glass, not just swaying with the current. copepods will dart around several inches at a time. you will notice it easily.

r0bin · 06/01/2006, 08:40 AM

ok yea they are swaying in the current, do you know what it is?

Paintbug · 06/01/2006, 09:33 AM

they could be snail eggs. do you have any Nerite or Nassarius snails? do these things in question have legs? if so they are probably hydroid jellyfish.

r0bin · 06/01/2006, 09:44 AM

they dont have legs and i dont have any snails

mitlik1 · 06/01/2006, 09:59 AM

I have those too. Not sure where they came from. They are on my live rock (dead rock) and glass. They are hard, really small, and white like calcium deposits. I just set up the tank about 2 months ago two. Are these normal?

Paintbug · 06/01/2006, 10:41 AM

are the in a small sprial shape? you may have to look real close. but if it is they are Spirorbid Worms. harmless filter feeders. heres a pic of them

r0bin · 06/01/2006, 10:51 AM

with just the naked eye some are round with could translate to spiral shape if I had a microscope or something, but the others look long, with possible two tenacles at their head area. BUt they are very tiny smaller that the copepods I have seen before in my tank, they are easy to spot.

Paintbug · 06/01/2006, 10:53 AM

sounds like the are Spirorbids they start out small. i would just wait on them to grow. whatever they are they dont sound harmful.

05/31/2006, 08:22 PM	#1
r0bin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,132	little white specks. I have litte white specks all over the glass of my new 75 gallon tank. Hundreds of them. Some are round like eggs and some look oval. Are they copepods or what. If so could my tank support a mandarin.

05/31/2006, 08:32 PM	#2
PatMayo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,843	Most likely a tpe of copepod. How long has your tank been up and do you have a refugium? In my humble opinion mandarins should only be attempted by a tank that has been up several years with a fully functioning fuge even then they are a most difficult animal to maintain long term. Regards, Pat __________________ 90 AGA Megaflow (Setup 1-24-06) 120 Lbs. Liverock EuroReef RS 100 Skimmer 2 X 150 MH 2 X 96 watt PC Actinic 2 Clarki Clowns (31 months old) 1 Niger Trigger (Owned 6 months) 2 Tunze 6055 PH Current Tank Info: 90 AGA Megaflow To Be Mixed Reef

05/31/2006, 08:40 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	It can be done, if you're willing to spring for bottled pods until your own population is stable. I also feed a lot of phyto, to be sure the pod population stays up. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/01/2006, 07:35 AM	#5
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	are these "specks" moving? __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently

06/01/2006, 08:39 AM	#7
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	by moving i mean darting around the glass, not just swaying with the current. copepods will dart around several inches at a time. you will notice it easily. __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently

06/01/2006, 07:04 AM	#4
r0bin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,132	My 75 has been up for 2 months, but the thirty I converted from was up for over a year. I was just curious about the mandarin thing, I have no plans to get one. But then again I seem to have so many pods that I may need to get something to control them. My glass is FULL.

06/01/2006, 08:17 AM	#6
r0bin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,132	yes if you look really close they appear to be

06/01/2006, 08:40 AM	#8
r0bin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,132	ok yea they are swaying in the current, do you know what it is?

06/01/2006, 09:33 AM	#9
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	they could be snail eggs. do you have any Nerite or Nassarius snails? do these things in question have legs? if so they are probably hydroid jellyfish. __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently

06/01/2006, 09:44 AM	#10
r0bin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,132	they dont have legs and i dont have any snails

06/01/2006, 09:59 AM	#11
mitlik1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Oswego, IL Posts: 349	I have those too. Not sure where they came from. They are on my live rock (dead rock) and glass. They are hard, really small, and white like calcium deposits. I just set up the tank about 2 months ago two. Are these normal?

06/01/2006, 10:41 AM	#12
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	are the in a small sprial shape? you may have to look real close. but if it is they are Spirorbid Worms. harmless filter feeders. heres a pic of them __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently

06/01/2006, 10:51 AM	#13
r0bin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Earth Posts: 1,132	with just the naked eye some are round with could translate to spiral shape if I had a microscope or something, but the others look long, with possible two tenacles at their head area. BUt they are very tiny smaller that the copepods I have seen before in my tank, they are easy to spot.

06/01/2006, 10:53 AM	#14
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	sounds like the are Spirorbids they start out small. i would just wait on them to grow. whatever they are they dont sound harmful. __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently