Brine shrimp: good or bad?

[Anihiel1]

So here's the thing- I've tried from the start to build a sustainable ecosystem with minimal chemical intervention. "Run a dirty tank" so to speak. I wanted colonies of bugs, pods, brine shrimp, right on up the food chain. But now I have hit a dilemna.
No one is eating the shrimp.
They're everywhere.
They're in my sand.
They're in my rocks.
They're crawling all over my corals (corals dont seem to care one bit)
They're crawling all over my hermits.
NO ONE is EATing them.
....I thought these things were supposed to be a delectable treat???????
Thoughts????

 

[James M]

what’s your livestock list ?
Get a wrasse and they will be taken care of

 

[Greg P]

Just an FYI, what I see in your pics are Amphipods.
As mentioned, many wrasses will love to eat them.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

Yeah what Greg said. Another thing is that brine shrimp live in, well, brine. The salinity has to be crazy high for them to live, like in the Great Salt Lake for example.

 

[Billdogg]

What size tank and does it have a lid? Because I'd get a wrasse of some sort as well. My Leopard wrasses would have a field day with them!

 

[Anihiel1]

Amphipods? Geez and I thought they were shrimp LOL. I have not gotten a wrasse bc of my current livestock. I have a foxface, 2 cardinals, 4 clowns. I do have a lid as the foxface sometimes leaps when he's playing. My concern is the male clown is very very small, he was injured and now has no tail. He's survived all this time, but I would fear for his safety with adding any new fish at all. They are all original tankmates, added at the same time. Are there wrasses which are peaceful?

 

[Anihiel1]

Oh and its currently a 55g, upgrading hopefully soon to a 90 or minimum 75. I have a horseshoe crab that needs more space.

 

[Greg P]

Peaceful wrasses I can't list a bunch, but I'll state 1 which is docile and incredibly useful ...
Yellow Coris Wrasse. Hunts all day (in my experience) and got along with all my other non-wrasse fish for over 5 years. Didn't get along with my Melanurus.
Look for 2 spots, not 4.
Many call them Canary Wrasse
https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/386/?pcatid=386

4 spotted yellow wrasses are a different critter and I can't recommend them as I've not had experience.

Also would recommend a Melanurus/ Halichoeres melanurus as they are a true eating machine.
Only drawback is they are territorial and will pick on other wrasses/possibly kill them.

My Yellow coris left everyone alone, but my Melanurus was a wrasse killer.

Your choice

 

[Anihiel1]

@Greg P This might seem like a silly question - I know that some fish will attack fish that are a similar color- do you think the yellow coris would be ok with my foxface?
The foxface attacks his own reflection....

 

[madweazl]

Peaceful wrasses I can't list a bunch, but I'll state 1 which is docile and incredibly useful ...
Yellow Coris Wrasse. Hunts all day (in my experience) and got along with all my other non-wrasse fish for over 5 years. Didn't get along with my Melanurus.
Look for 2 spots, not 4.
Many call them Canary Wrasse
https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/386/?pcatid=386

4 spotted yellow wrasses are a different critter and I can't recommend them as I've not had experience.

Also would recommend a Melanurus/ Halichoeres melanurus as they are a true eating machine.
Only drawback is they are territorial and will pick on other wrasses/possibly kill them.

My Yellow coris left everyone alone, but my Melanurus was a wrasse killer.

Your choice

I believe they have multiple spots as juveniles and end up with a single spot when mature. Sand substrate required.

 

[Paul B]

Why do you want to eliminate those amphipods? They are a great CUC and spawn often creating food for the corals. I collect and add them whenever I can. All larger fish will eat them

 

[old salt reefer]

Why do you want to eliminate those amphipods?

Because one small fresh injury to any other living thing in the tank that can't swimming away and those amphipods will keep at it until they've killed said creature. Your snail falls from the glass and lands on the edge of your Acan cutting open a small wound, kiss that Acan good by if you don't get it to where the amphipods can't get at it. I could go on and on with things they have killed in my tanks over decades.
BUY THE WRASSE, I did and do. The wrasse may not get everyone of them but they sure as hell will be afraid to be seen(the amphipods) for fear of being eaten.

 

[danp01]

they are great for the tank. dont add a fish to just get ride of them.

 

[Anihiel1]

I dont want to eliminate them completely, but i feel the population may get out of hand. They're taking over my sandbed and rocks. Nothing is eating them at all currently. In fact I'm not sure a fish could even make a dent.

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

With a pod population like that I’m shocked no one has suggested a mandarin!!!! It would be in heaven!!! Won’t pick on anyone and if anyone picks on it well... they’ll only do that once because of the semi toxic slime coat a mandarin has. I think this would be a perfect opportunity to add a one!!! And I DO NOT recommend that often! Lol

 

[Anihiel1]

With a pod population like that I’m shocked no one has suggested a mandarin!!!! It would be in heaven!!! Won’t pick on anyone and if anyone picks on it well... they’ll only do that once because of the semi toxic slime coat a mandarin has. I think this would be a perfect opportunity to add a one!!! And I DO NOT recommend that often! Lol

Oohh that would be lovely! I've heard they are difficult to keep alive, do you have one? Any pointers or recommendations?

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

Oohh that would be lovely! I've heard they are difficult to keep alive, do you have one? Any pointers or recommendations?

I do!!! And I waited for years to get one till I had a tank so packed full of pods I knew it would be happy! The problem isn’t so much keeping them alive in a densely pod populated tank, it’s making sure that pod population can support itself with a predator that laser focuses on pods alone. That along with QT. They don’t do well in QT for that same reason.

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

A couple months ago I got a little spotted girl for ORA through @OceanDevotionLA. When I say this little girl was tiny! I mean itsybitsy! Pinky nail sized! While Adam QTed and condition her, he got her to take pellets and brine! Now pellets in my tank are a bit on the useless side due to black sand and higher flow but good regardless. In the time I’ve had her she’s probably tripled in size! I’ve waited years to have a tank that sustains an extreme pod population to finally be able to have my spotted mandarin! I know she will go after brine during feeding time but she absolutely prefers the pods! We haven’t needed to add any pods yet since even with her eating upwards of 30 pods a minute she hasn’t yet dented our in tank population if she eventually does we will pod hotel transfer from the oversized refugium to the tank for sure. We’d also eventually like to have a radiant in there too. So when that time comes we may have to start adding pods. Main takeaway I want people to see is the 30+ pods a minute at times this little girl chomps down! Like I said we have an absolute monstrous amount to begin with so she’s safe for now but monitoring this is crucial! The best way I can make this easy to understand is think of them as the hummingbirds of the sea. Those fins almost never stop! That burns a lot of calories! I believe for a good long healthy life these little ones absolutely need to be able to snack between regular feedings.

I’ve posted this to a few threads about mandarins @Anihiel1 give it a quick read

 

[Anihiel1]

What would you consider a sufficient population? Do you seed also? I regularly use reefbugs, about once a week

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

I have a massive fuge and have yet to need to replenish my pod population but that may soon change. Eventually I’ll get a radiant wrasse through QT and when that happens I may or may not have to buffer my population by adding outside pods lol.