[Buckshot]

Tank is about 7 weeks old and this week I have discovered tons of tiny white bugs does any one know what they are called? They are about .5 to 1mm in size. I assume they are normal and good to have around. any feedback?

 

[cmpenney]

Can you discribe them in more detail? There are a lot of white bugs that may be in your tank.

 

[PaintGuru]

Most "bugs" that exist in your tank are fine. Apparently there are red "bugs" that will attack corals or clams or something like that. However, white bugs are usually just pods that are normal in reef aquria.

 

[ofblong]

They are copepods. lets just say they are the main staple of any tank =]. very good to have. the more the merrier.

 

[PaintGuru]

FYI, fish such as dottybacks, wrasses, butterflies, and dragonetts will much on them. Typically tanks with sand beds have more of them than those that dont. For example, mine has a limited number of them.

 

[camelot]

Take a flashlight at night and look over your live rock and you will see so much alive it will really baffle your mind.

 

[jmuscat2]

Are they definatley bugs or could they be tiny bubbles?

 

[ofblong]

Are they definatley bugs or could they be tiny bubbles?

I would say im 99.9% sure they are copepods based on color and size mentioned above. bubbles are more opaque than they are white.

to add to what will eat them seahorses eat them also. not as much as dragonettes or dottybacks but they do. I have a gazillion in my tank after my green mandarin died(died at the hands of a starfish not from being underfed). I loved that mandarin =[. nice fat and 3" long. over a year old.

 

[cmpenney]

I have a Coepods, Amipods, Mysid shrimp, Margaritta snails, and nassirius snails all mulitply in my tank. I haven't seen as many of the mysid around lately. But I The others are still out in force.

 

[Buckshot]

bugs

definitly not bubbles, they are very active especially in the morning after i turn on the light then they cruise on down to the sand bed for the day many do stay on the glass all day.

 

[jmuscat2]

OK just a thought

 

[cmpenney]

do they look like:

http://web.odu.edu/sci/biology/jrh/whatis.htm

or like this

http://www.mov.vic.gov.au/crust/mov1665i.html

or possibly like this:

http://www.mov.vic.gov.au/crust/copbiol.html

 

[skibum]

Bugs are good. I have a "seed" tank that I help keep 4 manderins alive 2 of witch for over 2.5 years. I keep trays of sand/gravel I rotate in and out of my seed tank.(seed tank has no fish just coral and live rock) It works great. My manderins know to get to a fresh tray first. They are very fat and happy.

 

[Buckshot]

Thanks Chad,

They are definitly copepods, thanks to your pictures it is solved. Thanks everyone for your input you all were a big help.