Isopods in refugium. What should I do?

[noobreefer2]

I know that there has been a lot of discussion about these guys but I am just wondering if they are good or bad. Whenever i turn on the refugium light they skitter under a rock they look like this:

They are about the size of a grain of rice. I do not have corals. If they are bad, what do they do that is bad? How do I remove them

Thanks

 

[brmreefer]

Looks like the typical copepod that populate a fuge as it matures. They are good for the system. They are harmless and serve as another food source for some inhabitants. I have tons of them after seeding them in my system a while back. Good thing to have.

 

[noobreefer2]

Cool thank you!

 

[Tired]

Those aren't copepods, those are munnid isopods. Munnid isopods are harmless algae-eaters and detritivores. They're good fish food. You'll probably have a lot after awhile.
Copepods are much smaller and look like little dots skittering around on your glass in a jerky fashion. Copepods are great. If you see something that looks like a shrimp half-curled on itself and is running around, those are amphipods, which are usually harmless. Amphipods, though, will feed on sick corals, and in large numbers can bother corals enough for the coral to qualify as "sick" by their standards. Any fish in the tank usually keep them under control.

 

[noobreefer2]

Those aren't copepods, those are munnid isopods. Munnid isopods are harmless algae-eaters and detritivores. They're good fish food. You'll probably have a lot after awhile.
Copepods are much smaller and look like little dots skittering around on your glass in a jerky fashion. Copepods are great. If you see something that looks like a shrimp half-curled on itself and is running around, those are amphipods, which are usually harmless. Amphipods, though, will feed on sick corals, and in large numbers can bother corals enough for the coral to qualify as "sick" by their standards. Any fish in the tank usually keep them under control.

Thanks, your right they aren't copepods. I think that they are amphipods because they are about the size of a grain of rice, I think I will get a 6 line wrasse soon to put in my display. They hide when I turn the light on, can they get into my display from my refugium?

 

[Tired]

Are they little half-curled shrimpy things, or flat bugs with legs that look like pillbugs? Shrimpy things are amphipods, flat bugs are munnid isopods. They're about the same size.

Whether they get into the display depends on how the display and 'fuge are plumbed together. You're pretty much guaranteed to have amphipods in a reef tank, anyway.

Be aware that adding a sixline wrasse means you probably won't be able to add any fish after it. They're aggressive. If you just want pod control, possum wrasses are much less aggressive and will also eat loads of bugs. Really, most fish will happily eat amphipods.

 

[noobreefer2]

Thanks for the info, it makes me feel much better. I am just wondering if a 6 line wrasse would be okay because my tank is 75 gallons. They also said that you just have to look at the right fish to pick out a non aggressive one. I also know more about 6 line wrasse then the possum wrasse. I would probably have to make a decision because I dont keep two wrasse in a tank like mine.
Current fish:
2 ocellaris clownfish
2 firefish
1 court jester goby
1 cherub angelfish

If you think the possum wrasse would be a good choice then i'll chose that one. Thank you so much for your help again

 

[Tired]

I would suggest the possum wrasse instead, in general. A sixline could work as the last fish introduced, but they do tend to be pretty aggressive. The downside is that a possum wrasse can be hard to find for sale, they're less common.