need this id asap..

no fish in tank yet.

also i only plan to keep fish only with live rocks...

so is add copper the better option?

 

Okay so if it is just LR right now I would definitely go with the copper. You can add fish once your sure they are all gone.

 

Just don't touch them while they are alive. they Bite! ...and yes they puncher the skin.

 

Here's a trick I saw on Reef Central done by someone with the same problem.

"I got a vase that has a large middle with a necked down opening; cut off a hunk of raw fish, filled the vase in the tank after lights out then put in the fish.
I sunk the vase into the sand a bit and tilted the opening down to sand level.
wait about 5 to ten min and lifted the top of the vase quick and remove from the tank. As of now after about 2 hr's of this I have caught over 100 large ones not counting the tiny babies. Every one is a cirolanid isopod some are very large!"

NOTE: This should not be done in tanks containing fish.

 

ok thanks so much...

now a few more newbie questions..

where do i buy copper?? something along the lines like this one?? SeaChem Cupramine Copper Medication - 250 mL or is it something different

also how much copper should i be adding? and after i get rid of the isopod how long do i have to wait before copper is completely gone from the tank water?

Thanks again!

 

no problem, glad to help out!

This seems to be a good product. I wasn't sure at first because it says, "medication" which is normally used for ill or diseased fish. The amount to add will be specified on the instructions for use, located on the bottle. This exact amount may depend on the company.

 

hmm i read that live rock will absorb the copper.. and release it over time. so i can't keep any sort of invert. ( i do want a cleaner shrimp in my fish only with live rock setup..)

not even sure how long before they starve out... as i have seen a crab or 2 in the live rocks.

i guess i will try to trap them..

 

Hmm. To be safe I would just go with the vase thing I showed you. This will take a little more effort, but when you're done you'll know they are out. This will have no effect on the rest of your tank. Be sure to wear gloves just in case. I would wait about a month before adding fish, to be sure isopods are all gone. Though you can go ahead and add a few inverts for your CUC if you haven't already done this.

 

Yeah don't use copper, limits your options and you will probably end up like most of us and add corals and inverts down the road...

 

I think copper gets a bit of bad name!

Copper is deadly to inverts which i why i suggested it while you have none in your tank. Most formulas breakdown after about 20 days and the use of carbon abosrbs it out of the system too.
Personally if you used copper now to kill the isopods, i dont think it would be a problem if say a couple of months down the line you wanted to keep coral. The copper should have dissapated out of the system. But that is just my personal belief!