new to the hobby

[barnaclegirl]

hello my husband and I are fairly new to the hobby. We were wondering what some little white creatures were that are all over the live rock. They are only about 1/8" at their largest. Does anyone else have these? I'm sure they came w/ the rock.
Barnaclegirl

 

[flamehawk]

Welcome to the hobby. You've taken a great first step by participating on this board. The sharks are as good a group of experiened and knowledgable hobbiest who are worth listening to. As far as the other's( including me), you'll soon make your own assessment.
On to your question....they are most likely pods although 1/8 th of an inchis pretty large for a pod. They are actually a good food source for most fish. Can you post a pic so we can be sure?
Again welcome.

 

[thomas712]

And another Welcome
Yes you probably are seeing Amphipods, copapods, and isopods.
you should be able to look these words up on your browser or from the search button on the upper right of this screen and come up with enough information to identify them.
Thomas

 

[barnaclegirl]

Thank you for the welcome, now I know where to start my research on these things. They are not harmful are they?
There are a ton of them.
Thanks again
Barnaclegirl

 

[thomas712]

If they are indeed pods then no they are not harmful, in fact they are free natural food for the fish. They also serve to clean up fish waste and the waste that the pods produce in turn are eaten by the bacteria.
Thomas

 

[killafins]

Originally posted by flamehawk
They are actually a good food source for most fish.
Pods are probably one of the best things for you tank. Good Job so far... but seirously do the search, i'm sure someone has a picture of one you can relate it to.