PODS: Should you see them in your tank?

[revhtree]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

 

[NoahLikesFish]

my scorp exclusively eats them so not as often as id like and when i might get leopard wrasse, probably never.

 

[Gtinnel]

1. I rarely see pods in my display tank, but I suspect that is because my mandarin and melanurus wrasse eat them pretty quickly.

2. I do care about having pods in my tank because they're a good food source for the mandarin. Although he will eat frozen too.

I know I have pods in my system because in my sump where there are no predators I can see a lot of them

 

[Cool tangs]

In my main display not often.

In my sump fuge, theres is so many! I always have the crawling all over my hands when cleaning!

 

[reptireef]

I have huge explosions of copepods during/after cycling but cannot keep them after the tank has settled no matter how many I add and how much I attempt to feed them. Though I do have a healthy amount of amphipods at all times.

I love having them when possible for the fish' sake and to watch them do their thing.

 

[LRT]

I just recently went through another war with my krill size amphipods eating my wife's favorite rfa. They found a taste for its skirt last year and remembered this year.
No natural predator and population was left to boom and get out of control again.
There's absoloutely nothing anyone can say to convince me that rfa was unhealthy this time. Fact is if you have amphipods that scavenge meaty foods(carnivorous) when you feed your fish.
If the population is left to boom out of control. They will start eating your corals when no other food source is available especially if you keep a tight ship.
Anyhow was able to get wrasse in system and by the next day rfa was free of pods and a week or 2 later perfectly good, sprawled out, skirt growing back and healing itself.

 

[KeepSwimming12]

I have so many it’s almost crazy it’s like a population bomb. I doubt very much even a Mandarin could put a dent in my copepod population it’s a swarm

 

[Just4giggles]

I seed my tank at least once a month, no sump and I never see any. But I do have a thriving mandarin who is always picking at the rocks so I am sure they are there.

 

[homer1475]

I voted "Other" as I never actively see them, but do know they are in there as I have 5 wrasses and a very fat mandarin.

I do feed live phyto daily, and often times see pods in my filter socks. So even though I do not see them, I know their population is strong.

 

[bReefedBaker]

I do my best to catch them roaming around. They’re fast little critters but I enjoy seeing them.

I often catch more sweeping the rockwork around night with no lights than I do during the day. I’m happy to say I see them as a mandarin is an ultimate goal of mine. #happyreefing

 

[Bruce60]

I have trouble seeing copepods in my refugium. I have seen them in the containers when I add them so I know they are there. My refugium is a translucent HDPE container with an open top. How do I see them best?

 

[threebuoys]

My sump is full of them. I occasionally see them in the display tank. I assume the ones that escape the sump are eaten in short order.

I don't know what type of pods they are. I did seed the tank with a jar from Algae Barn about a year ago, so they could have gotten in the tank then, or as hitchhikers with coral frags since. They didn't show up in the sump until 4 or 5 months ago and the population has grown steadly since.

 

[Treefer32]

It's funny how these topics come up just after I purchase or think about purchasing something related to the topic. I just purchased phyto plankton to boost my food sources for pods. I run an Algae turf scrubber and whenever I clean it I usually see a few pods make it into the sink. . I try to save some of them, but, if there's enough to be there and they're always there... They come back after I clean the screen. . .

I want to boost my food sources for pods in my display because I see my Copperband butterflyfish hunting constantly at night for pods. I see him poke his nose into a rock and come out munching.. I'm He finds a new one every 5-10 seconds, he munching something else. He could give a mandarin a run for its money in pod hunting. Sure a 350 gallon aquarium should have more room for pods than I can possibly imagine. I want to burst the pod population with phyto to ensure there's good healthy food sources for my CBB and for my corals and reading a lot about Phyto there can be a lot of benefits including growth of pods that consume nitrates and phosphates.

It shouldn't hurt and I'm going to give it a try. A half ounce per day to see what happens....

Now... That said, since we're nearing halloween, I think it's worthy time to dispute the statement "All pods are beneficial." That statement is far from reality unfortunately. I've researched this in the past when I treated fish for ich for 90 days. The tank was fallow and within two days after 90 days of ich treatment and fallow display. My fish had two white spots on it.

I did research on "white spots" And discovered there are tens of thousands of species of parasitic pods in the ocean that can look exactly like ich, many of which have high tolerances to ich treatments including copper.

Some of the pictures and information is terrifying. . . . There's more than what I found below, but it's a start. . I don't know how many parasitic isopods, copepods, and amphipods make it into the aquarium industry, but something to keep in mind!


Here's a few articles for fun:
Whale Sea Louse (amphipod family)

"Both amphipods and isopods include parasitic species that live on other aquatic animals. Parasitic amphipods can be found on jellyfish, while parasitic isopods can live in the gills and fins of fish."
Parasitic species of Pods

 

[LuizW13]

I have so many amphipods in my nano, it creeps me out. I have a pink-streaked wrasse, and he doesn't stand a chance reducing their numbers. I've been thinking about adding a Scooter Blenny.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Today let's talk copepods, amphipods, pods in general and more specifically should you see them active in your reef tank! "Let’s just get this straight: Copepods are always a good thing to have in an aquarium. First, they do absolutely no harm. In fact, because their favorite food is stuff like suspended particulate matter, detritus, and film algae, they add punch to your clean-up crew. They are also an excellent, natural, nutritious food source for corals and small reef fish." - AlgaeBarn

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?

image via @alex.mccann99

I see a lot in the sump but almost never in the tank. I’m pretty sure my wrasses or mandarin keep them in hiding.

 

[Buckster]

I can only see pods on my glass when the light is on. Amphipods are only noticed when I'm cleaning my socks. My Melanarus Wrasse is quite plump!

 

[hllb]

I have a large number of amphipods in my fuge and enough in my display that I can see them if I look at night (though typically only a few in the DT). I have never seen any copepods though, even before I had my wrasse.

 

[Wyvern]

I run sockless so I'm trying to seed my 2 month old system, and have sand, blocks, cylinders in the refugium area of the sump for a place for them to live and reproduce.

Unfortunately I almost never see them, I think my wrasse and clowns keep the pouplation down to nothing despite dosing with phyto.

 

[zoaprince]

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?
No copepods. A ****ton of amphipods as I have no predator for them in the tank.

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?
I do care that I have so many amphipods as I swear they have eating some of my zoas. It's a nano which limits my options for fish.

 

[LRT]

1. Do you actively see "pods" in your reef aquarium? None, a little, a lot?
No copepods. A ****ton of amphipods as I have no predator for them in the tank.

2. Do you care if you have "pods" in your tank or not?
I do care that I have so many amphipods as I swear they have eating some of my zoas. It's a nano which limits my options for fish.

What size tank? Before my recent upgrade I was running 26 gallon shallow water tubs. Plan was to introduce juvenile wrasse and when they outgrew tank, trade them and a downsize back to juvenile. Was working well until wrasse decided to carpet surf. This plan would probably work great for you if your tank is covered. Alot of reefers have issues with amphipods getting a taste for zoas and lots of other corals.