itty bitty bugs

[krrector]

I recenty have noticed what seems to be hundreds of microscopic whiteish looking bugs crawling all over the glass in the tank. They are so tiny that if you were not looking at the tank very closely and have excellent eye sight you won't even notice them. But there are a lot of them. Are they good for the tank and what would like them for lunch due to the population of them? Thanks for all info. Kelly

 

[karlas]

i have these in my tank to they are scavagers whenever any extra food hits the bottom they are all over it. i even put sinking pellets in the tank and in about a day they have them gone. they also eat any extra waste you don't want. sand sifting stars and fish like sleeper gobies eat these little bugs but they will keep your sand just as clean. so it's up to u which one u want to use

 

[flydan]

Hey,
Those are copepods which are tiny crustaceans. They are a great food source for fishes that eat them because they are high in fatty acids. If you want to keep a manderin fish, for example, you must have a high population of these for it to survive.
Bottom line is, they are VERY good to have your tank.
Dan'l

 

[bentrue]

how do you get copepods into your tank, as well as other sandbed creatures?

 

[texasreefrat]

Copepods usually come in on liverock or in livesand. They are so small you can even get them when you buy a piece of coral and not even know it. I seeded my new tank with a cup of sand from my old, and the copepods bred very quickly and are at high concentrations in my tank.