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  #1  
Old 04/13/2007, 09:01 AM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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Large pods nipping at zoas Help appreciated!

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
  #2  
Old 04/13/2007, 11:10 AM
amutti amutti is offline
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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
  #3  
Old 04/13/2007, 11:36 AM
SitBackAndWatch SitBackAndWatch is offline
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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.
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  #4  
Old 04/13/2007, 01:06 PM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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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
  #5  
Old 04/13/2007, 03:26 PM
kiran523 kiran523 is offline
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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/s...fm?pCatId=1635
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  #6  
Old 04/13/2007, 03:33 PM
Python73 Python73 is offline
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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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Last edited by Python73; 04/13/2007 at 03:39 PM.
  #7  
Old 04/13/2007, 06:21 PM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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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

Last edited by Smork81; 04/13/2007 at 06:27 PM.
  #8  
Old 04/13/2007, 08:06 PM
geoxman geoxman is offline
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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
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  #9  
Old 04/13/2007, 09:12 PM
Python73 Python73 is offline
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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 !
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  #10  
Old 04/13/2007, 10:38 PM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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Thanks Geoxman for the input. I didn't even think about getting a scooter for it! Wish you would have said that sooner!
-Nika
  #11  
Old 04/14/2007, 06:51 AM
Stanton Stanton is offline
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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?

  #12  
Old 04/14/2007, 11:52 AM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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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
  #13  
Old 04/14/2007, 12:44 PM
delsol650 delsol650 is offline
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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/p...cfm?pCatId=304

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...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.
  #14  
Old 04/15/2007, 01:51 AM
Peter Eichler Peter Eichler is offline
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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
  #15  
Old 04/15/2007, 02:54 AM
cutnup cutnup is offline
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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.
  #16  
Old 04/15/2007, 02:19 PM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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cutnup your sixline doesn't even eat them?? Is it just a hit or miss thing with the wrasses eating pods?
  #17  
Old 04/17/2007, 11:57 PM
cutnup cutnup is offline
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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
  #18  
Old 04/18/2007, 01:09 AM
LoudProudNPunk LoudProudNPunk is offline
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my algae blenny eats copods if im not mistaken, and they seem to be in check.
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  #19  
Old 04/18/2007, 09:29 AM
delsol650 delsol650 is offline
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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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  #20  
Old 04/18/2007, 01:04 PM
SAPseven SAPseven is offline
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SIXLINE > Mandarin

sixline have a better appatite for pods .. id go with the wrassee
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  #21  
Old 04/18/2007, 02:26 PM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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I've allready bought the mandarin. I would rather see how she does with the large pod's. She is a larger mandarin i bought the biggest one i could find so it would be able to eat the larger pods now.I'd rather not get another fish for pods cause a mandarin in a 55g plus a sixline to eat pods would probably decimate my whole population and i do not want that to happen. Now since i have the mandarin i take out a clump of chaeto once a week frm the fuge and put it in a corner in my display tank. Trade those out weekly and put the one in the tank back in the fuge and take another clump with pods on it to put in the tank from the fuge. I hope this does the trick for keeping a good suply of pods in my 55g. Could i just shake the chaeto off in the 55g also? Would it get enough pods off of it for my mandarin for a week?
nika
  #22  
Old 04/19/2007, 10:17 AM
delsol650 delsol650 is offline
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Depending on how much pods you already have there that have matured and are breeding... questionable people usually say a years worth of pods that have bred in the tank... and must have matured tank that can keep on producing pods..

You can add live phyto in to your tank to feed the pods and help them breed more.. or you can go the route of buying pods in a bottle every other month to keep your population up.

and when I mean pods " COPEPODS " they will get eaten too I believe by the much larger AMPIPODS... cause when I saw a large bloom of large ampipods my smaller copepods litterally dissapeared... but now with the extreme controll that my mandarin, 6line and a few wrasses have put on the large ampipods, I am starting to see copepods again.. slowly but its a start
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  #23  
Old 04/19/2007, 12:39 PM
Smork81 Smork81 is offline
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Thanks for the info delsol650. I havent had a large population of pods in it since the tank started. its over a year and a half old. The reason i believe it has this large pop. of pods is because of some newly purchsed chaeto and other marine macros that were engulfed with the damn pods. they are cool to look at though. I found a few that are green! all the rest are transparent or white to brown.

I have been thinking of making phyto cultures on my own. Seems to be really easy. Where can i buy a few strains of phyto to start everything out? I havent really seen any online when i do searches for it.
  #24  
Old 04/19/2007, 01:14 PM
delsol650 delsol650 is offline
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DUDE, very easy...

Just make sure your jar, airline, NO air stone " use stiff palstic pipe with holes ", airline tubing, but all must be sanitized... using 75% water 25% chlorine... I soaked mine for a hr. then rinse fully.. let dry... make sure non off the cleaned items touch anything dirty. Make your RO water and mix salt to about 1.024.

I used clean med gloves while assembling jar/airline tubing/tube with holes acting as airstone/lid with hole on top for air tubing to run through.....

put saltwater in.. NO NEED for heater as phyto grows better in cold water ( I keep mine in my basement ).. They use light to grow so I put a desk light a foot from the culture using a 6500K light 10-13 watts white from any hardware store. 12hr photo period..

once culture is dropped in and air is running through... just drop in a couple drops of food ( Schultz liquid fertilizer ) 3-5 drops MAX for the duration of the culture... you start with it looking very clear to slight tint of green. after a week or so when the culture looks very dark green... I take out a cup or 2 and feed direct to my corals. then replenish the saltwater taken out. then every other week add 1 drop of Schultz.

every couple of day I swirl the jar.. grab the jar and motion it to make the water inside the jar to swirl a little bit to keep stuff from sinking into the middle of jar and hardening up.

sounds dawnting while reading, but when you actually do it... it aint.... the hard thing is keeping is sanitary to avoid contamination and adding other organisms in there to compete with the phyto and resulting in it crashing... Its happend to me twice due to carelessness.
  #25  
Old 04/20/2007, 07:16 AM
rabid frog rabid frog is offline
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I bought a 8 line for the same exact reason. I could not be happier with the choice. He eats everything, Pods, Bristle Worms, Little serpant stars and prepared foods.
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