Always Something... ISOPODS

F

figuerres

New member
Great, Now this..... I go to feed the fish and what do i see...

Yep, isopods on my tang and 2 of the clowns.....

Time to get some forceps and make up some water .....

and check for more bugs I have not seen yet.....

and start checking for news of any dips that might help.

I know I can do a fresh water dip with some small chance of getting them to release.

but as far as I know this will mostly be a case of manual removal.

Sucks, as in fish lice / leaches :mad:
 
Yes, it is always something

Yes, it is always something

Denny, sorry to hear about the isopods. Keep us posted on your progress of removal.
 
Re: Yes, it is always something

Re: Yes, it is always something

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13231142#post13231142 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by divemonster
Denny, sorry to hear about the isopods. Keep us posted on your progress of removal.
Click to expand...
well step #1 was to go get a 29 Gallon "Biocube"
that will be a fish only for a while as I get the pods off the fish and start traping any remaining pods in the main tank.

I am starting to make some new water and I will be filling the cube tomorow. and I will run some of my 18 and 25 gallon tubs with air stones to hold some of the rock.

with all the rock I have it will take time to catch the fish and move them to the qt tank.

after I get rid of the pods I will use the cube as a nano tank as it has the basics, only lacks a skimmer and I know folks have got small skimers into these tanks.

that's day one...
 
By the way... for the record....

I have been getting rock from tampabaysaltwater for about 6 years now I guess.

I had a 55 gallon, then moved to my 90 Gallon.

this is the first time I have got any of the bad isopods.

so they don not come in every load of rock, you can go thru several loads and not find them.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13236185#post13236185 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by figuerres
By the way... for the record....

I have been getting rock from tampabaysaltwater for about 6 years now I guess.

I had a 55 gallon, then moved to my 90 Gallon.

this is the first time I have got any of the bad isopods.

so they don not come in every load of rock, you can go thru several loads and not find them.
Click to expand...

That's good to know! You had me all paranoid. I had recently introduced blue reef chromis into the tank. I had seen an isopod with Part 1 but haven't had any problems with the creepy pests. That hog of a blenny probably ate it. . .
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13237820#post13237820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by divemonster
That's good to know! You had me all paranoid. I had recently introduced blue reef chromis into the tank. I had seen an isopod with Part 1 but haven't had any problems with the creepy pests. That hog of a blenny probably ate it. . .
Click to expand...

well on the one hand yes, they happen but not all the time.
I think about one time each year I have seen a post about them.
often the post has been some one asking how often they show up :)

the "bad news" though is if they are there they can be nasty.
I have read that they can even bore out of the gut of a fish that tries to eat them :eek2:

I will be moving the fish and making the "stinky water traps" over the next few days.....

I saw the photo in the reefkeping mag article and it's not hard to make, a wide mouth jar -- like a mason jar, a plastic water / soda bottle top and a rubber band.

use the top end of the plastic bottle to make a funnel the rubber band holds that on the jar, take the lid of the bottle and drill a very small hole and attach that to the bottle top.

then put some dead shrimp and nasty shrimp juice in the jar and put at the bottom of the tank such that the bugs can swim in for a bite and can't get out so good.

when I get the pods out and I am ready to move the fish back I think I can use the same trap to catch my mantis and move one to the nano tank at the end of the job.
should also work to trap crabs....
 
NOTE for folks who may need to remove an isopod I found this:

FINQUEL MS-222

is a fish anesthetic you can buy it from the Mfg or from fosters and smith.

from fosters a small bottle is 24.95 plus shipping.

from the mfg larger amounts can be ordered driectly.

Mfg web site: www.argent-labs.com

or

www.DrsFosterSmith.com search for the name "finquel"
 
well got the biocube started up,made new water for it and this morning took some out and gave it some of the water from my 90 gallon tank, then changed the 90's sump filter sock and used that to add some "seed" to the new cube, so a bunch of gunk, good pods and bacteria / alge from the main tank is in the biocube to help get it ready to use.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13244163#post13244163 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by figuerres
well got the biocube started up,made new water for it and this morning took some out and gave it some of the water from my 90 gallon tank, then changed the 90's sump filter sock and used that to add some "seed" to the new cube, so a bunch of gunk, good pods and bacteria / alge from the main tank is in the biocube to help get it ready to use.
Click to expand...

Denny, what an excellent idea! My nano cube could've used this "seeding" but I did not think of doing it. Your experience and contributions to this board are so valuable, especially for novices like me.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13244909#post13244909 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by divemonster
Denny, what an excellent idea! My nano cube could've used this "seeding" but I did not think of doing it. Your experience and contributions to this board are so valuable, especially for novices like me.
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

Yeah over the next few days I will do several water changes and use that to help the cube get ready.

for example I can do a 20 gallon change tonight by pumping the
cube almost empty and then take 20 from the main tank to re-fill the cube. then use the "new" water from the cube to re-fill the 90. the 90 gets a fresh w/c and the cube gets mature water with bactria / alge and any plankton in my water.

I am making up more new water and will send 20 new to the 90 and do 10 gallons of the used water to the cube.

I will also pick very carfully from the 90 a small amount of rock, macro alge and other bits to get the cube going ....

right now the cube has the bio balls and no skimmer so I will be doing a number of 5 to 10 gallon w/c each week as I run it this way.

I found a possible skimmer to put in later but I'm busted for now on the $$$ side :(

the skimmer is not for sale just yet, very new, made to fit right in the bio-ball section of the 29 gallon cube.
 
Hi - this is probably a dumb question, but I'm curious since I'm awaiting part 1 of my package. Could the water that you're transfering from your 90 gallon contain isopods or their eggs and contaminate your BC? I'm wondering how to handle things if I get some of these wonderful creatures. Good luck!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13248957#post13248957 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Melusina
Hi - this is probably a dumb question, but I'm curious since I'm awaiting part 1 of my package. Could the water that you're transfering from your 90 gallon contain isopods or their eggs and contaminate your BC? I'm wondering how to handle things if I get some of these wonderful creatures. Good luck!
Click to expand...

No not a dumb question, as I was taught "the only dumb question is the one you don't ask"

anyway:

well there are a lot of things in the water; mostly good things.
now if I had say Ich I would not use tank water because it spreads thru water.

Now the isopods must have some kind of larval stage just like other critters, and most times the larval stages are swimers.

I do not know what the larval stage for the bad isopod is like but I do know that the feeding adults stay in the sand and rock for the most part.

so as long as I am very careful using the water should not be a problem.

even taking a small amount of rock should be ok as long as I am careful.

once I have just enough I will be keeping the two systems seperate and checking both for any problems.

if you have any of the bad isopods or think you might then start with a tank with no fish, if you keep it fish free for about 2 months they will starve and die.
also you can make a trap and see if any show up.

note that *MOST* isopods are not a problem, only a few of them feed on live fish.

you will find a ton of pods in the rock and sand, 99.9% are good guys.
 
Thanks for the info! I plan on going slow with this new tank to look for other critters anyway. Fortunately, I have a BC29 right now so I have something to play with while I'm waiting for the rock for the new tank. Plus, with all the storms, it could be awhile so I may as well practice patience.

Good luck with catching the little buggers. I've been enjoying your posts.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13250229#post13250229 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Melusina
Thanks for the info! I plan on going slow with this new tank to look for other critters anyway. Fortunately, I have a BC29 right now so I have something to play with while I'm waiting for the rock for the new tank. Plus, with all the storms, it could be awhile so I may as well practice patience.

Good luck with catching the little buggers. I've been enjoying your posts.
Click to expand...

thanks! :)
 
Bear with me, this is my first attempt at posting an image.

Isopods. We were fishing for Mako Sharks 25 miles off of New Jersey using whole bluefish for bait. We had a bait suspended down 45 feet in 35 fathoms of water.

Checking on the bait after a shortwhile, we found that these little pillbox creatures had chewed a hole into the side of the bait and were totally eating it from the inside out. When we brought the bait in the boat, these nasties spilled from the side of the bluefish all over the deck.

Now think:
#1 the bait was in over 120 feet of water drifting up more than 60 feet off the bottom. How did they find it so quick? They were swarming!

#2 We swim in the ocean with these? I thought I should be scared of the Makos! F that! these are scarier than anything else I've seen. Everybody's got their threshold of being absolutley being disgusted. Mine is high, no very high, but this freaks me out.

And they're swimming in your tank? Be very afraid.

If my pic doesn't come through, I'll try again
198654IMG_6225_post.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13255307#post13255307 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hobobob
Bear with me, this is my first attempt at posting an image.

Isopods. We were fishing for Mako Sharks 25 miles off of New Jersey using whole bluefish for bait. We had a bait suspended down 45 feet in 35 fathoms of water.

Checking on the bait after a shortwhile, we found that these little pillbox creatures had chewed a hole into the side of the bait and were totally eating it from the inside out. When we brought the bait in the boat, these nasties spilled from the side of the bluefish all over the deck.

Now think:
#1 the bait was in over 120 feet of water drifting up more than 60 feet off the bottom. How did they find it so quick? They were swarming!

#2 We swim in the ocean with these? I thought I should be scared of the Makos! F that! these are scarier than anything else I've seen. Everybody's got their threshold of being absolutley being disgusted. Mine is high, no very high, but this freaks me out.

And they're swimming in your tank? Be very afraid.

If my pic doesn't come through, I'll try again
198654IMG_6225_post.jpg
Click to expand...

for sure they can be ugly scary critters.

notice that you were using dead bait yes?

if you check the data many of them are scavengers / detrivores.
also they do not like light, during the day they hide in shallow water. or go deep.

also what you did in effect is almost the same as what I will be doing in my tank, a jar with a pice of dead shimp, and a kind of funnel, they will swim in to find the food and be traped there.
then I can pull the jar out and remove them.
also if you think that was bad try this out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_isopod

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeOSXtBCY30

so the ones I am going after are nothing compared to the really big ones.

but when I am removing them for the fish I will be wearing gloves :)

also when I get the fish out and some buckets of water ready I will be wearing gloves as I stir things up.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13256387#post13256387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Melusina
Okay, that's about the nastiest thing I've seen in a long time.
Click to expand...

well now for something not quite so nasty:


http://picasaweb.google.com/figuerres/20080828BioCube29Gallon/photo#5240318912476530882
BioCube%2029Gallon%20002.JPG


the Gorg is one from TBS, the shroms and the brain are from other sources, the rock with the zoanthids is a tbs rock with zoas that colonized it on thier own.

I am not planning on puting any medications in the cube, just using it to keep the fish out of the 90 while I get the isopods dealt with. when I am done I will add more stock and run the cube as a 'real' nano tank.
 
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