What are they?

[RudeBoy]

I'm still fairly new to the reef community and I'm a little puzzled but what I found in my tank tonight. I turned on my Actinics to admire a new Acropora that I added today and I discovered some clear little bugs running across my substrate. The were pretty quick and they all seemed to hide under the LR when the lights came on. The looked like little centipeeds but about a 1/3 of the size. What are these things?

[Reefland]

Pods...amphipods, copepods and/or isopods. Providing live food and movement on your sand bed makes them a must for any tank.





Congrats on your maturing system.
Scott

[RudeBoy]

Thanks a lot Scott. Looks like I'm doing something right!

[Reinhold]

I have purchased detrivore kits for my tank, but I still have never seen anything like that in mine, day or night. I have seen tiny white worms, and little "water fleas" but nothing like those pictured. I don't have any fish which actively feed on pods (as far as I know.)

Where can I get amphipods, copepods, etc?

[scubadude]

Great PICS Scott

Originally posted by Reinhold
I have purchased detrivore kits for my tank, but I still have never seen anything like that in mine, day or night. I have seen tiny white worms, and little "water fleas" but nothing like those pictured. I don't have any fish which actively feed on pods (as far as I know.)

Where can I get amphipods, copepods, etc?

www.ipsf.com

www.inlandaquatics.com

Reinhold if you have live rocks in your tank then they may be in your live rocks....and if you feed your tank good your POD population will eventually explode and you will get pods ALL OVER!....Refugiums are excellent place to keep pod levels in check too....you may have a Natural predator of the pods....I think some starfish might eat them...Mandarins do...and some gobies....actually I think alot of fish eat them ....just the ones above seem to REALLY like them though