Any Idea What Killed All Of My Pods?

joeychitwood · 06/30/2006, 08:33 AM

I used to have thousands of pods in my 54 gallon corner tank. For some reason, they have completely disappeared. I haven't added any new fish. The tank inhabitants include two small Oscellaris Clowns, a small Lawnmower Blenny, a Black Molly and a Royal Gramma. I have three clams, two Skunk Cleaner shrimp, four Turbo snails and about a thousand Collonista snails.

Do you have any idea which of these creatures might have decimated my pod population?

DJ88© · 06/30/2006, 08:42 AM

Joey,

I have noticed that my pod population is cyclical. Peaks and troughsof population sizes. Most likely dependant on food availability..

that's one possibility..

boomsticks · 06/30/2006, 09:10 AM

They joined a cult and commited mass suicide?

Travis L. Stevens · 06/30/2006, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DJ88
Joey,

I have noticed that my pod population is cyclical. Peaks and troughsof population sizes. Most likely dependant on food availability..

that's one possibility..

I completely agree. The population of small organisms such as isopods, amphipods, and copepods has a direct relationship with their food source. If their natural food source is not present, their population begins to starve and then it's a matter of survival of the fittest. I wouldn't worry about it unless you dosed with something like copper or Interceptor

joeychitwood · 06/30/2006, 09:29 AM

I don't know where the food supply went, unless perhaps the Collonista snails ate it all.

I've thought about trying to remove many of them, but I think I'd have to pick snails daily, as there are so many of them.

Sk8r · 06/30/2006, 09:41 AM

The gramma would be a possible suspect; so, I'm told, would an emerald crab be, but I can't see them making too much of an inroad: they're not as fast as a mandarin. I have a lot of little strombus grazers, but again, not fast enough, and I have a pretty good pod population. I'm told, too, that a uv sterilizer can take down the pods, either doing their young in or doing in their food source.

I feed phyto nearly daily to sustain my pod population against my mandarin and sand-sifting goby and several other fishes who wouldn't turn down a pod if they saw it.

Your one inch sandbed might have a small part to do with it...maybe. Our tanks are about equivalent, and I have a 4 inch dsb. I did take a big pod hit when I had cyano this spring, either from the cyano or from Chemi-clean. I started supplementing and feeding pods then, because, of course, I'd just brought home a mandarin. I started out with 4 bottles of Tigger-pods a month. I'm now at 4 every 6 weeks. And they are breeding in the tank. My sand is back to crawling every night with both amphipods and copepods. I'm looking with interest at the Arcti-pods they're advertising.

As I understand it, the pods breed in the interface between rocks and sand. They eat micro-algae and phytoplankton.

I used Reed Mariculture's tiggerpods to supplement my community, I put cheato in my [very] cramped sump, in the downflow area, because that was the only room I had, turned a light on it, and when I supplement pods, [I use the 4 bottle deal] I toss one bottle into the quasi-fuge, and the rest to the main tank after dark. Lots of phyto-feeding. My clam thrives and the sponges have run riot. And I now have the sand crawling at night.

Note: if you do have a pod-predator, the pods 'learn' not to come out during the high light cycle. But try phyto.

PrangeWay · 06/30/2006, 09:52 AM

Your Cleaner Shrimp will eat any pods (co and amp) they can get their claws on

Sk8r · 06/30/2006, 09:55 AM

I wonder if that's why my sole surviving peppermint is approaching table-sized.

06/30/2006, 08:33 AM	#1
joeychitwood Schrödinger's Mod Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,488	Any Idea What Killed All Of My Pods? I used to have thousands of pods in my 54 gallon corner tank. For some reason, they have completely disappeared. I haven't added any new fish. The tank inhabitants include two small Oscellaris Clowns, a small Lawnmower Blenny, a Black Molly and a Royal Gramma. I have three clams, two Skunk Cleaner shrimp, four Turbo snails and about a thousand Collonista snails. Do you have any idea which of these creatures might have decimated my pod population?

06/30/2006, 08:42 AM	#2
DJ88© Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: BC. Canada. Posts: 14,351	Joey, I have noticed that my pod population is cyclical. Peaks and troughsof population sizes. Most likely dependant on food availability.. that's one possibility.. __________________ Darren Beauty fades.... Stupid is forever...... Current Tank Info: 34 Gal Solana with some lights.. and pumps that make water move. And fish...

06/30/2006, 09:10 AM	#3
boomsticks Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Good ol NH Posts: 547	They joined a cult and commited mass suicide? __________________ Don't take life too seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway. Current Tank Info: 55 gal reef, 24 cube

06/30/2006, 09:41 AM	#6
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	The gramma would be a possible suspect; so, I'm told, would an emerald crab be, but I can't see them making too much of an inroad: they're not as fast as a mandarin. I have a lot of little strombus grazers, but again, not fast enough, and I have a pretty good pod population. I'm told, too, that a uv sterilizer can take down the pods, either doing their young in or doing in their food source. I feed phyto nearly daily to sustain my pod population against my mandarin and sand-sifting goby and several other fishes who wouldn't turn down a pod if they saw it. Your one inch sandbed might have a small part to do with it...maybe. Our tanks are about equivalent, and I have a 4 inch dsb. I did take a big pod hit when I had cyano this spring, either from the cyano or from Chemi-clean. I started supplementing and feeding pods then, because, of course, I'd just brought home a mandarin. I started out with 4 bottles of Tigger-pods a month. I'm now at 4 every 6 weeks. And they are breeding in the tank. My sand is back to crawling every night with both amphipods and copepods. I'm looking with interest at the Arcti-pods they're advertising. As I understand it, the pods breed in the interface between rocks and sand. They eat micro-algae and phytoplankton. I used Reed Mariculture's tiggerpods to supplement my community, I put cheato in my [very] cramped sump, in the downflow area, because that was the only room I had, turned a light on it, and when I supplement pods, [I use the 4 bottle deal] I toss one bottle into the quasi-fuge, and the rest to the main tank after dark. Lots of phyto-feeding. My clam thrives and the sponges have run riot. And I now have the sand crawling at night. Note: if you do have a pod-predator, the pods 'learn' not to come out during the high light cycle. But try phyto. __________________ 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%.

06/30/2006, 09:52 AM	#7
PrangeWay Duke of Monte Fisto Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 722	Cleaner Shrimp Your Cleaner Shrimp will eat any pods (co and amp) they can get their claws on __________________ Dumbest Quotes Ever..... "Great color, great growth" closely followed by "all water parameters fine"

06/30/2006, 09:29 AM	#5
joeychitwood Schrödinger's Mod Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 3,488	I don't know where the food supply went, unless perhaps the Collonista snails ate it all. I've thought about trying to remove many of them, but I think I'd have to pick snails daily, as there are so many of them.

06/30/2006, 09:55 AM	#8
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I wonder if that's why my sole surviving peppermint is approaching table-sized. __________________ 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%.