Just how common are parasitic isopods? Paranoid about new LR

[Candi]

I'm setting up a little 8g biocube, decided since this is my last new tank for awhile I'd go ahead and get some fresh from the ocean LR shipped next day air from FL. Only bought 7lbs (using rest from my 70g's sump).

Was pleased when it arrived, very colorful, little feather dusters, macros, starfish, tiny urchin, snails, etc. Been doing a soft cycle (lots of water changes to keep the critters alive). Anyways decided to toss in a shrimp pellet to see if anything else emerged, waiting and saw movement. I flipped on my flash light and.. huh? That's not like any normal pod I've seen in the past 4 yrs, thats :::flashes to horror posts here::: an isopod!!! It was a small little guy, very fast and sort of hopped but obviously some sort of isopod.

I remember reading about people with TBS rock getting them, and my rock wasn't from to far away from what I believe (from sealifeinc). I feel like I'm probably being silly and paranoid but this tank will house a couple of very small gobies (both currently in my QT and smaller then my pinky fingernail) who wouldn't last long if there was a fish killing isopod in the tank.

I'm thinking of pulling the rock/sand, putting it in another small QT tank and going ahead with setting this tank up from existing LR & LS from my systems for the fish and then waiting however long to be sure nothing bad is in the new LR... is that silly or smart? I'd hate myself if one of my little guys died. I also did pull a couple (2 dead 1 alive) tiny tiny little crabs from the paper the rock was in (black claws, bad guys right?) so figure their might be more in the rock... tiny now but grow quickly.

What would you do? Am I being smart observing the rock for several months, or silly?

 

[Chibils]

At least he's not one of these guys!

That said, better safe than sorry. If you can positively id them, I'd say you're best off either observing them or trying to actively remove the pests. I definitely wouldn't hesitate to just observe if you're in no hurry, patience is a virtue. Especially in this hobby.

 

[Candi]

LOL Scott, I knew someone wouldn't be able to resist posting that!

I did the transfer today (ie moved the sand & new LR out of my aquapod into a 5g observation tank and moved the stuff from my qt into the pod. I found 2 more tiny little crabs with black claws during the move so that made me feel like I made the right choice... though given how small they are they might have just become free fish food LOL

 

[mastou]

Do you have the opportunity to take a picture, because not all isopods are bad...munnid isopods e.g. are harmless grassers. That being said I have my self had the doubtful pleasure of one of these bad guys:

I tried to attach to my yellow tang, which panicked and scratched it of on a rock luckily I saw it and caught the isopod with a net. I hereafter watched the aquarium carefully the following days, without ever seeing another bad isopod.

/Magnus

 

[Tennyson]

Chibils-thats thing is AWESOME looking. Are they for sale anywhere?

 

[VengefulNemesis]

I would see them come out at night in my tank, and attach themselves to a fish. I saw others roaming the sandbed at night. So I got out my net and a flashlight and caught them over the course of a week. I though I only had one it ended up being four.

 

[Candi]

Wow guess they are pretty common, wonder how many people actually have them and are losing fish but don't realize since they hide during the day. No idea if the isopod I saw as a bad one or not but it was really small... dont think I could get a photo of it, it was also FAST. How long does a tank need to be w/o fish for them to die off?