Microfauna What Is It And What Is It Good For?
- Thread starter the sherm
- Start date
murph
Active Member
Just a fancy word for all of the small inverts that inhabit tanks with live rock and live sand. Worms, amphipods copepods etc. Your fish will feed on them given the opportunity and the vast majority are harmless or having reef tanks would be next to impossible.
Some also serve to keep sand beds stirred and cleaned. If your tanks more than a few months old and you have a powerful enough magnifying glass you should be able to spot some copepods crawling on your glass. Look closely, they are as small or smaller than the period at the end of this sentence and can go unnoticed unless one happens to be moving.
Now imagine trying to spot these macrofauna on your rock work. Pretty much impossible but trust me they are on and in your rock in great number. I have seen some larger reef tanks with such an established micro fauna population that outside feedings by the hobbyist occur rarely or even never. Larger lagoon systems where the emphasis is primarily on corals often include a yellow tang or two for algae uptake and the fish go otherwise unfed.
Some also serve to keep sand beds stirred and cleaned. If your tanks more than a few months old and you have a powerful enough magnifying glass you should be able to spot some copepods crawling on your glass. Look closely, they are as small or smaller than the period at the end of this sentence and can go unnoticed unless one happens to be moving.
Now imagine trying to spot these macrofauna on your rock work. Pretty much impossible but trust me they are on and in your rock in great number. I have seen some larger reef tanks with such an established micro fauna population that outside feedings by the hobbyist occur rarely or even never. Larger lagoon systems where the emphasis is primarily on corals often include a yellow tang or two for algae uptake and the fish go otherwise unfed.
tang_fame
Member
So fish will feast on the copepods? I have a ton in my tank and I've noticed my mandarin keeps a fat belly but the Tangs seem to always be hungry during feedings.
Originally Posted by Murph
Just a fancy word for all of the small inverts that inhabit tanks with live rock and live sand. Worms, amphipods copepods etc. Your fish will feed on them given the opportunity and the vast majority are harmless or having reef tanks would be next to impossible.
Some also serve to keep sand beds stirred and cleaned. If your tanks more than a few months old and you have a powerful enough magnifying glass you should be able to spot some copepods crawling on your glass. Look closely, they are as small or smaller than the period at the end of this sentence and can go unnoticed unless one happens to be moving.
Now imagine trying to spot these macrofauna on your rock work. Pretty much impossible but trust me they are on and in your rock in great number. I have seen some larger reef tanks with such an established micro fauna population that outside feedings by the hobbyist occur rarely or even never. Larger lagoon systems where the emphasis is primarily on corals often include a yellow tang or two for algae uptake and the fish go otherwise unfed.
Originally Posted by Murph
Just a fancy word for all of the small inverts that inhabit tanks with live rock and live sand. Worms, amphipods copepods etc. Your fish will feed on them given the opportunity and the vast majority are harmless or having reef tanks would be next to impossible.
Some also serve to keep sand beds stirred and cleaned. If your tanks more than a few months old and you have a powerful enough magnifying glass you should be able to spot some copepods crawling on your glass. Look closely, they are as small or smaller than the period at the end of this sentence and can go unnoticed unless one happens to be moving.
Now imagine trying to spot these macrofauna on your rock work. Pretty much impossible but trust me they are on and in your rock in great number. I have seen some larger reef tanks with such an established micro fauna population that outside feedings by the hobbyist occur rarely or even never. Larger lagoon systems where the emphasis is primarily on corals often include a yellow tang or two for algae uptake and the fish go otherwise unfed.
dogstar
Active Member
Many fish are not carnivores and will not eat pods......most all SPS feed from nutriants produce thru photosythesis from light energy and minerals thru water absortion.....some SPS and many other types do benifit from micro( need a microscope to see it )fauna. Fauna is ALL animals present in an enviroment and many, many different types are present, hopefully, in healthy tanks...all like a food chain supporting each type from micro bacteria right up to large fish that are not microfauna but still fauna....some micro and macro fauna may not benifit pets for food but helps in filtering water and bio-load.....all good...