I think it’s an amphipod?

[pmaquarium]

Hi! I’ve referred to this website for help since we got our marine tank but I’m just now making an account to ID this creature. I’ve done some slight googling and think it could be an amphipod but I’m also so unsure. It seems pretty big to be one of those. Initially I honestly thought a bug crawled in my tank but it likes to stay at the bottom of the cup and moves along the bottom.
I’m not sure if it matters but we have 2 ocellaris clownfish, cured live rock, live sand, 2 cerith snails, 2 trochus snails, 2 blue legged hermit crabs and a red bubble tip anemone. Last thing we added was the BTA and the 2 cerith snails in May I think, so it’s been a while since anything new has been added.
I appreciate any help!

(The brown dots are food for my clowns. I noticed the creature while I was feeding them)

 

[Avalon]

Hi there! This certainly looks like an amphipod to me. They actually can get a decent size compared to other "pods", but they are harmless. They are good clean up crew and snacks for your fish!

 

[shakacuz]

agreed with the above post. amphipod

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

Yup, amphipod.

Edit: I have thousands of these, and I am pretty sure they are 100% the reason my GHA stays in check. Also, they make the sand up against the glass of my tank look like an ant farm. They get in big enough numbers they help aerate the sand some, i think they knocked out a bunch of hot pink cyano that was in the sand up agains the glass.

I have noticed lately they burrow all over the sand, if I turn on the light at the right time at night, they are all over the sand bed in lower flow spots, and pop back into the sandbed. They let me overfeed so I am a big fan.

Every time I change my filter socks and hand wash them, I lose like 20 of them down the sink and it makes me feel bad

 

[pmaquarium]

Yup, amphipod.

Edit: I have thousands of these, and I am pretty sure they are 100% the reason my GHA stays in check. Also, they make the sand up against the glass of my tank look like an ant farm. They get in big enough numbers they help aerate the sand some, i think they knocked out a bunch of hot pink cyano that was in the sand up agains the glass.

I have noticed lately they burrow all over the sand, if I turn on the light at the right time at night, they are all over the sand bed in lower flow spots, and pop back into the sandbed. They let me overfeed so I am a big fan.

Every time I change my filter socks and hand wash them, I lose like 20 of them down the sink and it makes me feel bad

Thanks! So I should probably put the dude back! I actually have had a red cyano and dyno issue going on and the past few days I’ve noticed it’s gotten a ton better. I wonder if this little dude, along with other possible friends, made that happen. Do you know how they get in tanks? I moved the rocks around about a month ago to scrub them, and I didn’t see any creatures and I haven’t added anything other than food and water in there.

 

[CallMeChris]

Thanks! So I should probably put the dude back! I actually have had a red cyano and dyno issue going on and the past few days I’ve noticed it’s gotten a ton better. I wonder if this little dude, along with other possible friends, made that happen. Do you know how they get in tanks? I moved the rocks around about a month ago to scrub them, and I didn’t see any creatures and I haven’t added anything other than food and water in there.

Gammarid Amphipod would be my guess, based on an ID I received of one in my tank. Here’s a vid of it, put it back in after the ID


Came in on my gulf live rock or gulf live sand