To MANY pods?

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Is this possible? My tank only has a "Nemo" and no other fish so no "Pod Eaters" in the tank fish-wise. I've noticed a HUGE explosion of pods as of lately and some of those guys are getting fairly large in size (as pods go). For a long time I could see lots of pod activity at night with the lights off and especially inside my HOB Fuge. But over the last couple of weeks the pods are literally covering the rocks, coral, substrate, and everything else in the tank during the middle of the day with lights on FULL! I mean it looks like fleas, lice, grasshoppers and other "insects" crawling all over the place. And some of them are SO fast you can miss them if you aren't looking in the right place. Tonight as I was looking at the tank right before feeding time there were so many PODS all over the place it looks like some HORROR MOVIE in my tank. The tank was literally crawling from one end to the other with pods.

So will the pod-pulation "stabilize" itself or since they don't seem to have any predators in the tank will they just over run the place and go from pods to pests?

Just wondering if this is an issue or not. Newbie question I am sure but one I need to know either way.

Allen :)
 

prow

Well-Known Member
most will say no, but i think yes you can have too many. of course most also have pod eaters too. but like spaghetti worms or sponges you can regulate their numbers by controlling your nutrient levels. the more nutrients the more pods will come. or get something that likes to eat them.
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
I thought about getting a "pod-eater" but sure enough he would eat like crazy and probably toss the balance the OTHER way. What nutrients are they eating? I have become a VERY stingy feeder as of lately and unless I am over looking something the tank is very under-fed by most standards. hmmmm this is a delima(sp?) in itself..
 

burning2nd

Well-Known Member
hmmm so this is a old tank?
I remember way back in the day when i had a pritty hefty pod out-brake it was kinda like what you explained, "All over the place night and day"

the glass the sand the rocks, Hell they were even fighting each other...

I came to the conclusion that the pod-ulation count was infulenced by something... either food or like said above nutrients.

I would think that its not gonna be a problem if you have something that can clean up after the pods level off... (hermits/snails)

BUT at the same time im thinking that if your tank is like a Pod city like 2million + and for some reason it ballance's it self out quick...

if you lose like a half million in like a night it could hurtcha


so watch the water stats, and let us know what happens with your podulation
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Sounds like a perfect opportunity to get a Mandarin Dragon! I love those little guys... :)

Oh don't get Me wrong... I WILL have one of those guys but that's a LONG way down the road. This is only a 10g tank with approximately 3-4g HOB Fuge. I would imagine one of those guys could wipe out this population pretty quick and then I would be back in the same boat as many others.

The tank is oficially 6 1/2 months old now. I'll just watch and enjoy the entertainment they are providing me and keep a close eye on water params just in case.

Thanks group!!

Allen :)
 

prow

Well-Known Member
copepods eat diatoms and other single celled organisms. isopods are omnivores but their main diet consist mostly of dead and decaying plant matter. just an FYI for whoever. have you noticed any bacterial or algea blooms?

i dout the pods will cause a issue. something will become populated that eats them, after all they are close to the bottom of the totem pole food chain. for a 10gal might want to look at getting a peppermint shrimp, they can take out some of those pods unlike most other shrimps.
 

Snelly40

Well-Known Member
allen, do u still have that office tank???
i'd grab a mandarin or sand sifting goby and add him in ur office tank and just use the supply of pos from this tank to feed him and replenish the other tank if it gets too low :)
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
allen, do u still have that office tank???
i'd grab a mandarin or sand sifting goby and add him in ur office tank and just use the supply of pos from this tank to feed him and replenish the other tank if it gets too low :)

Yeah I still have that tank and it's doing great. The down side is it's kind of "full" bio-load wise. It has a clown and a green chromis in it. That pretty much puts me at the limit (yeah I know I CAN add more but I like to keep it low on these little tanks). That is a good idea. I might look into adding something else to this tank that munches on pods.

Thanks for the help and advice.

Allen :)
 

Snelly40

Well-Known Member
good idea, people like me need them!!
i have a bunch but i would like TONS for my goby and new mandarin!!!!
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
If I thought they could take the trip and I could "rustle em up efficiently" I'd ship some down that way. I think they are somewhat sensitive in that when I bought the "Tigger Pods" they had to stay "chilled" till time for them to be released into the tank. I would dear that the shipping costs would prohibit any benefit to sending them out. I bought a bottle of Tigger Pods at LFS for $20 and I guess way back when that's how my Pod-pulation got started several months ago.

Allen :)
 

johnmiami

Member
where can I see a picture of the different pods because I think I have a similar issue that this thread started with but I don't know what I'm looking at.

thanks
 
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