ID the parasite! help!

[vt_snowman87]

recently found this new bug, white flea-like tiny bugs crawling on my tank walls (inside). there were few at first, now there seem to be easily 30 of them! some have big perky butts. they are about less than 1mm, oval in shape, with 2 feelers.. what are they?????

i had fishes died, so now waiting for my tank to cycle first.. about 2weeks old.. currently has 2cleaner shrimps, 1 baby occ. clown, noticed the clown eats the flea-thing.. btw, 15G.

help!! what's that???

[vt_snowman87]

okay, after doing some research, realised they were some sort of isopods and copepods, but are they harmful?? should i remove them? how?

[Reefscape]

pods are not harmfull, they are another living item of your tank that will colonise on the live rock and are also a food source for pod eating fish...

Niko

[vt_snowman87]

thanks niko again! what kinda fishes eats these pods? most fishes?

[mamasky]

mandarins will eat pods but they ONLY eat pods so unless you have a big enough tank with lots of rockwork, it's hard to keep one. 6 line wrasses will eat pods. I've seen my firefish picking some off the glass also.

[Reefscape]

thanks niko again! what kinda fishes eats these pods? most fishes?

Yes, most fish will pick at pods.....Good point to note above about the mandarin..

Niko

[Germanman]

just to keep in mind some isopods are harmful...but form the description u gave they should be the harmless kind of pods.