Tiny bugs in new cycling rock

20 gallon nano · Oct 21, 2015

So I decided to cycle a new rock in a bucket of water from my reef tank, I left the bucket outside with a clear acrylic for a lid and a small pump to circulate the water. The water gets down to cold washington tempatures with sun light all day long. After a few weeks there was some green algea growing and when I picked up the rock there were tiny white bugs crawing all over the rock. They wernt swimming , just crawing. I have never seen this in my reef tank even after a year. What could they be?

SifuMemphis · Oct 21, 2015

Picture?

Cope pods
amphipods

20 gallon nano · Oct 21, 2015

Do those live in cold waters also? And do they grow any bigger? There too small to take pictures of.

brandon429 · Oct 21, 2015

I'm thinking this might have been live rock that was already fully cycled before attempts to cycle it more? Was the rock white and barren when you started or did it have coralline and animals on it?

20 gallon nano · Oct 21, 2015

I actually got it straight from Cancun Mexican beach when I went on vacation over there. It was completely white though. Now it's becoming green with lots of brown dots.

brandon429 · Oct 21, 2015

that's neat I was wondering if natural pods somehow weathered the new container, that's a neat testament to their adaptability if so

20 gallon nano · Oct 21, 2015

Yea it was interesting to see life come out of nothing. Just using some old water that was from a water change I did with my reef tank. Does anybody know if they grow bigger, I would like to try to identify them.

20 gallon nano · Oct 23, 2015

I looked closer and they look like copapods. Where do they come from?

20 gallon nano · Oct 25, 2015

There are also tiny red bugs crawling on the rock, does Anyone know what those are?

maroun.c · Oct 25, 2015

Most probably pods as stated.most probably they came wIt's your rocks or also with coral additions if rocks were dry rock in a previous tank... They are quite adapatable and can survive tough conditions and reproduce quite fast when conditions are right.
Few types grow a bit larger and some stay quite small.

20 gallon nano · Oct 25, 2015

maroun.c said:
Most probably pods as stated.most probably they came wIt's your rocks or also with coral additions if rocks were dry rock in a previous tank... They are quite adapatable and can survive tough conditions and reproduce quite fast when conditions are right.
Few types grow a bit larger and some stay quite small.

It was a dry rock that I picked up from the Cancun Mexican beach. I never introduced them into the water. All I did was add old water from my reef tank when I was doing water change and they came out of no where after a week.

Eckolancer · Oct 25, 2015

You may have had some free floating pods in the water

20 gallon nano · Oct 25, 2015

Eckolancer said:
You may have had some free floating pods in the water

That's what I think, but I never see any in my reef tank. I wonder if there just too small too see but grew bigger because of the worse environment in the bucket.

Lynn52 · Oct 25, 2015

could be the ones in your tank are getting eaten by your fish. In the bucket there are not predators.

20 gallon nano · Oct 25, 2015

Lynn52 said:
could be the ones in your tank are getting eaten by your fish. In the bucket there are not predators.

Is there anything I can do to make them grow faster and bigger?

James7733 · Oct 25, 2015

If you have a sump or refugium with macro algae in it they will happily reproduce for you.

20 gallon nano · Oct 25, 2015

James7733 said:
If you have a sump or refugium with macro algae in it they will happily reproduce for you.

Idk how clean the water is in where there at. What's the best way of adding them?

domination2580 · Oct 25, 2015

I'd guess the red ones are tigger pods and the white are amphipods...that is just from my experience on having them...and I see them all over my sump but not in the tank mainly due to fish eating them, or they are all on the rocks and in crevices.

20 gallon nano · Oct 26, 2015

domination2580 said:
I'd guess the red ones are tigger pods and the white are amphipods...that is just from my experience on having them...and I see them all over my sump but not in the tank mainly due to fish eating them, or they are all on the rocks and in crevices.

I haven't seen any of those amphapods ,only copopods and the red ones crawing all over the rock and There probably in the water. I'm guessing I would need to introduce them to my tank.