Pods good or bad? and why?

[TheSaltiestReef]

I have had a saltwater aquarium about a year ago for about a year. it did great lots of coral lots of fish lots of pods but my girlfriend made me sell it. I recently just got another tank. and until I read this book the other day I always thought pods were good but this book was saying it's some kind of parasites infect your fish in everything else. are they good or bad???

 

[-Logzor]

Normal pods are good, look up isopods, I believe those are bad. Maybe someone with more expertise will step in.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Isopods can be very bad. There are different types. Some will attack fish or corals.

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

idk. this is a lil bit of what the book says.

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

 

[shred5]

Copepods and amphipods thrive on algae and detritus. If you have a lot of pods what is that a indication of?

 

[ritter6788]

What book is that from?

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

idk y it is not workin. but it says" copepods ( crustacean parasite) these are one of several groups of crustacean parasites affecting the gills and body of marine fish. because of their size coke cause or generally easily recognizable on fish. various species of copepods are species-specific, meaning they will parasitize only one species of fish. if other species of fish are present in the aquarium, they will not become infested.

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

copepods are**

 

[ritter6788]

Sounds like the book is describing ich (Cryptocaryon irritans). Copepods and amphipods are a good, free, natural source of food for your fish and corals.

 

[shred5]

Pods is a generic name.. Some copepods are parasitic to both fish and coral. Some amphipods cary parasites that will breed in a fish once the amphipod is eaten by a fish. But it is like bristle worms most are good but once in a while you get a ugly.
What are red bugs that live on acros?
Here is a article:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/4/aafeature




Heavy copepod populations are a indication of a dirty tank.

 

[jservedio]

+1 that copeopods and amphipods are very good and part of the food chain - and most isopods are good as well. Some fish, such as Mandarins, can't live without a very healthy pod population. However, there are SOME isopods that are really large and aggressive and will damage or irritate coral. There are also super creepy isopods that can get inside your fish's mouth and eat their tongue. So if you ever see inside their mouth, their "tongue" will have beady little eyes staring back at you:

 

[Eienna]

Most copepods are perfectly harmless. They eat phytoplankton and detritus, and they provide a food source for many fish. Some isopods or amphipods may not be so benign.

You can even buy bottles of some species to seed your tank with.

If your girlfriend can't appreciate what you love, find a new one.

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

lol eienna. but the name of the book is The Saltwater Aquarium Handbook. by BARRON'S. thanks for everyone input. i hope to here more peoples input as well.

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

the book also says " the obvious sign of infestation is an attached wormlike organism that can be seen on the portion of the fish's body. only the females of the copepods attached to the fish, so the worm is readily recognized by the presence of egg strings. since many species of copepods embed themselves deeply into the host by means of specialized mouthparts, a raised inflamed ring can be seen at the site of attachment. copepods are capable of causing severe damage to the host fish, especially when they attach to the gills. a typical simplified life cycle of a copepod involves the new development of the adult female parasite on the host, with development of the egg strings. these egg strings vary in appearance and can be straight, serpentine, or coiled.

 

[Eienna]

I've been ADDING copepods to my system and I've never seen anything like that.

Perhaps some species are parasitic, but I sure have never had any that did that.

I would say they're somewhat misinformed.

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

idk. this book has been fairly helpful. even with all of my knowledge from my previous tank. This is the exact reason why I put this information out there. i have never heard anything like it and want more input.

 

[Acanholic]

I have had a saltwater aquarium about a year ago for about a year. it did great lots of coral lots of fish lots of pods but my girlfriend made me sell it. I recently just got another tank. and until I read this book the other day I always thought pods were good but this book was saying it's some kind of parasites infect your fish in everything else. are they good or bad???

Did you change of girlfriend? Because if you don't copepods are the least of your problems. Lol

 

[TheSaltiestReef]

very funny. lol.

 

[mcarroll]

It's a big ocean, so there's pretty much good and bad of everything if you wanted to break it down like that. If you google a little you can find pics of a deep water arctic copepod that's the size of a dog! BAD FOR YOUR TANK!

FWIW, it sounds like you are talking about parasitic isopods. Practically unheard of in the hobby -- not to worry about.

-Matt