Big Bug

I didn't want to hijack another thread that was talking about pods.

I have noticed in my 29 gallon that I have an influx of pods while recovering from a velvet outbreak. Gazing at the tank I noticed that there are a lot of pods hanging around one particular rock. This rock has some red micro fauna on it and I can see different types of pods on it. Long ones and short ones, all of which I would need to get a magnifying glass in order to identify. There is one though that popped out of a hole in the rock quickly.

This sucker was bigggggggg. It looks like a tick, and its huge IMO, looks like its been attached to a dogs butt for years. Its about 1/2 inch long and about 1/4 wide, almost clear in color.

Its to quick to get a pic, it pops in and out of the holes and I never see it more than a split second at a time. I am wondering if I should just leave it or should I try and trap it while inside the rock and remove the rock. I would prefer not to remove the rock because it has a few zoa's on it.

 

Amphipod?

http://cdn.saltwaterfish.com/6/6f/6fe65199_Amphipod1.jpeg

 

Looks about right... Should it stay or should it go.

 

Fantastic part of the cleanup crew. Population size will depend on excess food.

 

Amphipods can eat and bother corals. Large ones sometimes begin eating LPS and Zoanthids.

To knock down population to prevent damage to some corals you can try Wrasses (if it is appropriate for your cover tank and existing stock), or use Interceptor to treat.

Not all Amphipods are problematic but some can cause the demise of the two types of corals listed above.

 

my coral list is:

Torch
Trumpet
Orange Monti
2 open brain
maze coral
galaxy
GSP
couple different zoa's

no stock due to velvet out break but have two clowns in QT now

what kind of wrasse would I get. I also have a Coral Banded Shrimp that I got to control some bristle worms but he seems scared of them. Every time he gets close to one he jumps in the other direction.

 

Bristle populations are controlled by available food source. Cut down on available food and the population will decline. Bristleworms are an important part of the cuc, I have a large one over 2 feet in length and no others because I feed appropriately and my tank is established.

I imagine your Amphipod population is related to too much available left over food as well.

As to type of Wrasse, I do not know, I have been out of the Wrasse game for along time.

 

A wrasse suggestion that will help in this endeavor and also help by eating some SPS pests such as flatworms are those in the Halichoeres family. The two most common that SPS keepers get is probably the melanarus wrasse and yellow corris wrasse. One caveat is that they will sometimes eat your snails and/or hermits. My melanarus seems to pick on some of my snails at times but is a very active and nice looking fish imo.

FWIW, I have had a few amphipods like you describe in my tank and never had an issue with them.