Large pods nipping at zoas Help appreciated!

S

Smork81

In Memoriam
I seem to have a pod problem in my tank. It is being over ran with a very large population of iso's, amphi's and copepod's. Iam not really sure if all three of these are "good" to have but there are a few of them that are rather HUGE. They are eating the skirts or "nipping" on them and making my zoos look very bad. What fish, inverts or anything else will eat the large pods and keep the population down? You can see the specs of my tank in my SIG. I am talking about the 55g mixed reef tank with the sump and refugium. I only have 4 fish in it: Flame angel(3-1/2"), 4-stripe(1-3/4") damsel, blue velvet damsel(2") and a soldier fish(almost 4") that will be moved to another 55g if and when i can catch it. Can I add another fish to my tank or is this enough bio-load allready? I just need something that will eat pods and also be allright on my bio-load.
Any help or advice would be appreciated!
Nika
 
Do you have a refugium? If so, then a Green Mandarin would do the trick. . . only a large one will eat large 'bugs' though, and once they are eaten it may starve . . . I have a lot of live rock (100+ lbs in 55g) with a refugium for growing pods and mine is fat and happy and pods are in check. Another option might be a Six Line Wrasse.

Are you sure the pods are eating your HEALTHY zoos? I've seem mine eat dying ones and bits of detritus between the polyps . .

Tony
 
Sixlines are Great fish, i have had mine for about a year now (nearly 3.5inches) and he is a PIG for pods. Although they become VERY teritorial they get the job done.

As for Mandarins.... if your going to get one for large pods then u are going to need to get a large one.
 
I do have a fuge and over 100lbs of good porous rock and a bit of really dense base rock. The pods are just all over everything in my tank and it drives me nuts to look at my tank and see all these darn bugs on my glass!! Plus they are nipping at my zoas! So you guys are saying my only options are a 6 line wrasse and a Large Dragonette? And by "large" how big do you mean in inches? oh forgot to ask also will either of these two fish be too much with my allready established bio-load?

Emitti...As far as me knowing that they are nipping at my zoas..I watched them do it one night while observing my tank under the new lunar lights! heh

nika
 
I had the same pod problem you had before I added my Mandarin. Let me just say that my mandarin does not eat flakes or mysis/brine when I feed my tank but he's getting fat. I have a Six Line as well. I had a flat worm problem 4 months ago when I didn't dip a new zoa rock I had bought (Shame on me). The Six line decimated the faltworms within one week of being in my tank. As far as bioload goes, I guess that depends on your current condition. If I were in your situation and had to pick just one fish then it would be the mandarin. One bigger than 2 inches should do the job. I've been told that the Spotted mandarin is better than the green mandarin about eating frozen food when the pods are gone. I don't think you will have that problem with that fuge of yours.

here you go:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1635
 
Um... so you buy good live rock, and good live sand... and it BOTHERS you to see pods all over the place? Those bugs are the entire reason you get liverock. They are detrivores. Frankly, if you have so many that you see them 24x7 all over everything, you overfeed. Or, you DID overfeed, and now that there are millions of them everywhere, and you cut back on the food, or got more fish to eat it, they are hungry.

Its also pretty funny that you have a refugium. Becuase the entire purpose of a refugium, is to provide a fish free place for bugs and algae to grow without being eaten. The bugs from that refuge... yup. Headed to tank-fu for some new sights and tastes.

Do I believe that they go all t-rex and eat zoanthids... I'm still 50/50 on the whole deal. I've had plenty of zoanthids, for plenty of years, with as many pods/sq inch as I could raise or borrow, and never seen any such thing. I have seen some reasonable evidence on this forum that it may happen in isolated cases.

And something to keep in mind. Pods eat detritus. Generally. And that stuff collects around the base of our corals. So if I'm a big ol pod, digging into some nice yummy poo-dirt at the base of your prized zoanthid colony, is it my fault that the zoanthids might react by closing up? Myself, I've never claimed to see the mouthparts of these pods to know exactly what they are consuming at the zoanthid colony. Just a thought.

Simple solution, get a sixline wrasse, and the pods will stay mostly in the sump/refuge. The ones that don't will get eaten.

S !
 
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Thanks Kiran523 for the info!

Python-
1) dont be so judgemental towards me. I do not appreciate it.
2) I by LR for LR to put in my tank not for pods. You are stupid and ignorant if you buy LR for PODS ONLY at anywhere from 6-10 bucks a lb why not go out and buy you some live pods from your LFS or off the net. MUCH cheaper!
3) I made a refugium to house macro algea and marine plants. Not to grow pods. I have recently purchased some chaeto and with it cam lots-o-pods "ooh ahh". That is the reason for the explosion of pods in my tank.
4) you are not in my house and you are not looking at my "t-rex" size pods....lol at the t-rex comment you made! anyway it doesnt matter if they are just eating detrivore on the skirts-they are messing up my zoas and i do not like it!
5)I got the new manderin today I hope it does well and solves the small pod population i have. I don't like the 6-line wrasse so i chose the madarin instead.

-Nika:D
 
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I HATE PODS!! I do everything I can to eliminate them! A scooter and a six line will help-that is what I have.

They will take down you PE's and zoos-I have seen it and I am not crazy.

Do as the python and I suggested and get a few pod eaters. good luck
 
1) dont be so judgemental towards me. I do not appreciate it.

Perception. I am generally a judgemental person, and since this is the internet, you are pretty much free to take what I say however it suits you.

2) I by LR for LR to put in my tank not for pods. You are stupid and ignorant if you buy LR for PODS ONLY at anywhere from 6-10 bucks a lb why not go out and buy you some live pods from your LFS or off the net. MUCH cheaper!

Ah, forgive my stupid ignorance there, perhaps I should have spoken more clearly, and said "the life on the rocks" is why you buy live rocks. I left off that $6-10 per pound is too much for live rock. :)

3) I made a refugium to house macro algea and marine plants. Not to grow pods. I have recently purchased some chaeto and with it cam lots-o-pods "ooh ahh". That is the reason for the explosion of pods in my tank.

Well, perhaps a posted sign in the refuge? "No pods allowed"

4) you are not in my house and you are not looking at my "t-rex" size pods....lol at the t-rex comment you made! anyway it doesnt matter if they are just eating detrivore on the skirts-they are messing up my zoas and i do not like it!

Hmm. You aren't in for much fun in this hobby if you are going to insist on micromanagement of your tank. Wait until you get some aiptasia, that's going to boil your kettle.

5)I got the new manderin today I hope it does well and solves the small pod population i have. I don't like the 6-line wrasse so i chose the madarin instead.

I wish your madarin well. He will have fine eating, and benefit (somewhat ironically) from your refugium's pod production capability.

Also, perhaps lighten up a bit. My post was not intended to attack you, merely point out some inconsistancies in your design. There is a lot of knee jerking and assuming done in this hobby. This board by its very nature seeks to combat both.

Good luck with your tank.

S !
 
Thanks Geoxman for the input. I didn't even think about getting a scooter for it! Wish you would have said that sooner!
-Nika
 
Hey Nika
Hope you get your pod problem under control. They wiped out about 30 or so polyps of rpe's / monster lipps in a month before I got this dude. I have been warned they he will eat my shrimp but so far he has left them alone. Do you want a unicid worm for your fuge?

33994easter07_038_1_.jpg
 
beautiful fish you have there Stanton!! I think I will pass on the worm for the time being and see how my mandarin does..I don't like creepy crawlies! And would probably never put my hand in the fuge again if i knowingly had one of those worms in there..Honestly they freak me out! I don't even like to pick up my liverock when i aquascape cause of the bristle worms..*shivers*..
BUT if it doesn't work out with my new fishy I may take you up on that offer in the future. Thanks!
Nika
 
I suggest a leopard wrasse... they have different types... not aggressive as a 6line and is also reefsafe once it gets a little bit larger...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=304

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=339

or you can also go with most fairy wrasses as they are peacefull look unique and very colorfull..


I've had several colonies of nice zoo's demolished by hordes of large ampipods the took a colony every couple of weeks...they usually go after the brightest and most expensive... how ironic huh.... but ever since adding a mandarin and a fairy wrasse with my 6line... they have really controlled the large ampipods... I no longer see a locust looking swarming of the zoos during night times... now since there isnt a large amount of larger ampipods, the pods no longer are starving from over population and no longer going after different food source like zoo's.
 
Another option in addition to those that people have pointed out is a Pseudochromis. They're constantly scouring the rock for pods to eat and IMO are the best pod predators your can get. Mine will go in the tiniest of crevices or caves if he thinks there is a potential meal inside. Since you have some pretty tough customers in your tank, a Pseudochromis might be a good choice. It's also rather fulling to watch my Springeri grab a larger amphipod and slam it into the rocks a few times before he eats it. After these larger Amphipods nearly decimated a 100+ polyp RPE colony it's sweet justice :lol:
 
i have a six line wrasse and a bunch of big pods. when i turn out the lights and look those "t-rex pods" are everywhere. they hide under the polyps on my zoo colonies. i have not observed them eating my zoos once and never observed my six line eating them.
 
naw ive never notice once that he ate them there is still tons in the tank i may get a mandarin when i set up my refugium but not to get rid of them because they eat zoos just cause i want a mandarin :)
 
I really doubt that about the blenny since they are HERBIVORS and really go after ALGAE note the name, I've had several LMB's through out my reefing and never have seen them eat algae besides flake food or nori. but I believe other blennies that are not more prone to eating alage would.

But hey if yours does then more power to it as I hate those large ampipods.

CUTNUP- I hope your tank is a least 1 yr old with a stable live rock pop with tons of COPEPODS and ampipods ( Small and large ) to sufice the diet of the mandarin... or at least get one that is already trained to eat prepared foods such as pellets, cyclopeeze or other foods besides live pods..
 
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