Little White Bugs

[disdominican]

Today as I looked into my tank I saw many little white bugs all over the glass. i was surprised and very happy to see life finally in my tank. AS I already posted before, I hade tube worms on a piece of life rock, did these critters also come on the rock. The are very tiny and white/clear with like to little attennas behind them.

 

[aggie05]

Pods, amphipods and copepods. They are a good sign and any fish you have will eat them as well. They will multiply very quickly if they are not getting eaten. But don't cause a problem, they are very beneficial.

 

[cboyfan2020]

pod heaven. I need some can you spare a few hundred

 

[cjpaske]

I have these to, I can clean the front of my glass and an hour or later there are hundreds. They look like little lice and crawl all all over real fast. You guy's say these are ok?

 

[cboyfan2020]

yep.. pods are what eat all the detritus on the sand and stuff. They are like your tanks garbage men. Get a mandarin or a sand sifting star if you want to reduce their population but most people dont want to.

 

[cjpaske]

What about hydroids? I have these also, look like little stars.

 

[cboyfan2020]

do they have 6 legs? If so these things are harmeless from what I hear but they multiply like horny rabbits and will take over your tank if you dont watch them. Not sure how to get rid of them other then scooping them out.

 

[cjpaske]

Yea they have 6 legs, there are almost as many of these as there are pods. Kinda irritating little guy's can't keep the front of the glass clean.

 

[cboyfan2020]

My LFS had them appear in his show tank. He was very mad because he could't get rid of them. I wonder if there is a fish that will eat them?

 

[cjpaske]

I don't knw, but if you find out let me know.
I herd they show up in new tanks, something about they like the silicates or something and they will start going away as the tank matures. My 55 gal is only a little over two months old.

 

[cboyfan2020]

they never showed up in my tank and the LFS tank is really mature(maybe you are thinking of diatoms ) I would scape em and chuck em

 

[cjpaske]

Aren't the Diatoms the brown stuff that shows when the tank goes thru the cyclind stage?

 

[cboyfan2020]

diatoms are a brown algae that shows up for about the first six months of your tanks life. Fades off into a green algae when all its food is gone.

 

[disdominican]

Well, I want the pods to continue multiplying. And as soon as i get money i am going to that same LFS and buy some more of their live rock (a couple pounds) and more base rock. I would like my tank to be the home of a mandarin one day.

 

[cboyfan2020]

he'll love it......smorgasbord