Pods - what are they good for?

[Sage]

Mainly I like to lurk and learn but have kind of a newb question here......

Along with a bit of an algae outbreak I've had a major population explosion of pods. They are thick in the 'fuge and the main tank. This is just a nano - 20 gal with a HOB fuge. So are they feeding off the algae? I just have a couple fish - a damsel and a bicolor blenny - some 'zoos, a candycane, a few mushrooms and a fuzzy stick I got from Charlie - so are some of these eating the pods? Are they an indication of excess nutrients? Seems everyone wants them but when you have them what does it mean? Or should I get some type of pod eating fish?

 

[MarineTeng]

most things will eat them, people really like pods cause then you can have cool fish like mandrins and such, but mandrins aren't suggested in 20 gallon tanks usually 30 gal min, some say 55 or even 80lbs of rock or so, reefcentral has an article on their homepage side column on it, i wish i had the same problem, pods never really took off in my tank

 

[mysis]

Yes, but with mandarins, you really need a refugium, unless you hage a big tank. other wise a mandarin will quickly eat pods and the wont last long. many people are trying to get mandarins eating frozen foods, but proves to be difficult. really if you are going to get a mandarin, you need to know if it is eating frost foods, or you need a reasonable size refugium, with lots of LR in there for the to breed.

 

[CarlaW]

Hey Gina,
The population will level off in the long run. Pods=good!!!!! Take a look in my fuge sometime.
Maybe you'd want to replace that damsel with something that eats them, but then again, I'm not a big fan of damsels.

 

[NaH2O]

From the first link, provided below...

Basically, Copepods are microscopic crustaceans that form an essential link in the marine food web. They graze on phytoplankton, bacteria, and in some cases, detritus. They incorporate the protein and fatty acids from these food sources and concentrate it into a highly nutritious packet of food for consumption by marine fish and invertebrates.

Hope you find these articles helpful!

Pods - Delicious and Nutritious by Adelaide Rhodes

Bitty Bugs: Copepods in the Reef Aquarium by Ronald L. Shimek

 

[Sage]

This little damsel fits just fine in this tank and I do see him eating pods too. I only feed every other day to try and keep the algae down and both the damsel and the blenny are fat and happy so between the pods and the algae they are getting their meals. Charlie the pods came from your fuge - when I got the rock for the other tank I tossed a piece in this one - before that I really didn't have any. I was just wondering if there was someting (NOT a mandarin) that likes pods as a part of their diet and would fit in there (not a 6 line - I like my dusters too much) would the dusters be utilizing them - they are big and look happy too.

 

[DonW]

I was just wondering if there was someting (NOT a mandarin) that likes pods as a part of their diet and would fit in there (not a 6 line - I like my dusters too much) would the dusters be utilizing them - they are big and look happy too.

Almost every small non algae eater will like the pods. psudochromis sp? clowns..................... They may not constantly graze like a mandarine but they will keep the population down, although its not necessary.

Don

 

[snobanker]

The nice thing about pods, I think, is that despite being food for other inhabitants, they seem to be a sign of a healthy tank

 

[Sage]

Thanks all. Just being able to grow pods makes me happy. I'm not worried about a population explosion other than it came with the algae spurt - maybe they can help keep that down. I might try another fish like a pseudochromis at some point - can only have about one more fish in there anyway.