Bug of the Week - Cirolanid Isopods

S

saltfreak4

Guest
Originally Posted by jarvis
As if there wasnt enough bad things that can be in your tank. Theres all sort of strange stuff climbing out of the rocks. I just won the apetisia battle. Now I am leaving the sixline wrasse to make meals of piramid snails. Im hearing small clicking noizes some during the day, but mostly at night. No deaths known so far, hope its just a pistol shrimp.
I just ordered some leather corals. I belive that I read somewhere that there is some type of critter that can hitch a ride with them that likes to burrow in the base of the coral. Anyone know what I am looking for? Or was it just one of the latenight message board searching times when all the stories seem to run together?
Sorry for the big bump guys, Jarvis, that clicking resembles that shrimp they have been discussing lately. Have you seen the video?
 

mygatt

Member
Sorry to bring back a bad subject, but I got some live rock from my LFS, which is a bigger and well known fish store and I believe I have these dreaded creatures. I just took one off of my seahorse and it turned a dark reddish brown from the blood it sucked from the seahorse - poor thing - Does anyone know what to look for to see if they are spreading, do they lay eggs? ect... Thanks

 

mygatt

Member
Hi bang guy, thanks for your info. - what do you mean by live bearers? Also Would you recommend leaving on the lights for 24 hrs? It is only a 7.5 gallon tank, so I am thinking about getting rid of the rock and starting over again, sand and all. Its the only way that I'll know that they are gone. I checked last night during the dark but didn't really see much, what do I look for? Do they glow when you shine the light in there, because they are pretty much clear other then that. The seahorse doesn't seem to be doing so well either - so who knows if it has an infection or whatever.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
random piece of info I live five blocks from steven king (really) maybe I should drop that pic off in his mailbox and see if he writes a story about scuba divers getting mauled by underwater bugs.
 

mygatt

Member
Good Idea, Just share the millions he'll give you for giving him the idea. I have found 2 more of these things, I'm telling you, I haven't slept right knowing these things are in my house. I am thankful that I saw the one on the seahorse - these bugs are so small and so damaging - the seahore just started eating again after this tramatic experience, poor thing
 

devilboy

Member
Originally Posted by TexasMetal
It may have been "Fish Lice"... if you want to google that phrase...
My girlfriend and I purchased an orange Erectus Seahorse about 2 months ago, and while we were acclimating it she found what appeared to be a parasite... sure enough it was. It was small, round, and flat. Kind of a dirt brown color. 2 weeks later we bought a bright yellow Erectus out of the same tank at the same store, same story.
I used tweezers and removed them with no ill effects.
Side note- seahorses sure don't feel delicate.

Cirolanid Isopods are the same thing as "fish lice" they are referred to in both manner
 

texasmetal

Active Member
Originally Posted by DevilBoy
Cirolanid Isopods are the same thing as "fish lice" they are referred to in both manner
Actually this is Fish Lice Argulus japonicus, the same one we found on our Seahorses. It was NOT a Cirolanid. Thank goodness, because Cirolanids are a whole lot nastier.
 

arod268

Member
do these isopods swim or does it look like it runs on the rock cause at night i see these little bugs in my tank that look like roaches and are really fast
 

t316

Active Member
Originally Posted by SteeliaThunder

popped off when i put fish in bucket. swims very fast. hope there are no more.
That is wicked...and from what I understand, very bad. I think it slowly sucks the insides/blood out of your fish. Outstanding pic....
 
Top