Is this a pod? Good or Bad?

[TeeJay87]

Most likely a hitchhiker from my live rock/sand from the Gulf (added 3 months ago). I recently started spotting these climbing around macro algae after dark. Helpful hitchhiker or pest?

 

[blaxsun]

Shrimp of some kind?

 

[TeeJay87]

Interesting. I do have a single peppermint shrimp.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Most likely a hitchhiker from my live rock/sand from the Gulf (added 3 months ago). I recently started spotting these climbing around macro algae after dark. Helpful hitchhiker or pest?

Looks like a gammarid amphipod. Hit that up in google and compare images. On my phone, so hard to actually be sure.

If it is, they are good guys. Eat micro algae, left over food and pick through detritus.

Edit: Also a tasty snack for most fish.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

that is an amphipod also known as a scud, they are usually benefical althugh a couple species are predatory to corals, they are rare though. if ti just came on your live rock, it shouldnt be a problem. i have a lot of those in my tank & they are very fast so i cant catch them.

 

[TeeJay87]

Looks like a gammarid amphipod. Hit that up in google and compare images. On my phone, so hard to actually be sure.

If it is, they are good guys. Eat micro algae, left over food and pick through detritus.

Edit: Also a tasty snack for most fish.

The image comparison is pretty spot on with gammarid amphipod, or it is atleast somewhat closely related. Though I couldn’t figure out which part was the tail vs head for the longest time. I think I spotted an eye near the two curly protrusions, which I’m guessing are antennas. On the opposite side lengthwise (presumably the tail), the legs went all the way to the end of the body and the tail end of the body was able to curl atleast 180 degrees under in on itself.