Banjo Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Those cocoons look like some type of sponge... possibly pineapple sponges. Link to comment
lakshwadeep Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 +1 to pineapple (syconoid) sponges. Link to comment
rok3535 Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 You have a lot of legitimately creepy crap in your tank, Avidity. Link to comment
Avidity Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 You have a lot of legitimately creepy crap in your tank, Avidity. Ain't that the truth! I was able to get a picture this morning of the pod I was talking about. Thoughts? Pod Link to comment
Scottynose Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 when they have those back fins, they are the detritus eating kind. problem is, if you have them, look for the bad isopods. I had both for a good while, i had to wait at least 6+ months before we put fish in. Sphaeromatids are small bugs, generally less than a centimeter in length. They are common scavengers in many shallow marine environments, including coral reefs, and they are harmless to reef aquarium inhabitants. They can be recognized immediately by a couple of distinctive characters. First, each individual has the capability to roll into a ball-like terrestrial pill bug. None of the other isopods likely to be found aquaria will be able do that. Second, when examined with a hand lens or magnifying glass, the last pair of appendages of the males are expanded and extend to the rear, like small rudders or the fins on a 1959 Caddy. Females lack these extensions, but if some of the isopods are seen with them, that is usually a good indication that the rest of them are also Sphaeromatids. use the links. Link to comment
Avidity Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 when they have those back fins, they are the detritus eating kind. problem is, if you have them, look for the bad isopods. I had both for a good while, i had to wait at least 6+ months before we put fish in. use the links. I have read through that already which is why I thought they were Sphaeromatids. I'm still going to keep an eye out for awhile to see if I can find anything else. Link to comment
Scottynose Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 yeah keep the eye out, the kreepy crawlys out of good live rock dont stop with just isopods! Link to comment
ThePhilosopher Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 If I remember well, they only harm fish. On another note, did you collect your live rock from a recently crashed asteroid? Link to comment
Avidity Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 If I remember well, they only harm fish. On another note, did you collect your live rock from a recently crashed asteroid? It would appear so I almost want to pull all the sand/rock out and start over. Link to comment
kgbenson Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 I would build an entire tank just to keep one of those giant isopods. Just be sure to chill it. Otherwise they are easy keepers - they eat like once every 30-45 days. Link to comment
ThePhilosopher Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 It would appear so I almost want to pull all the sand/rock out and start over. Nah. I'm sure that's totally unnecessary. Isopods seem to be able to kill just about any fish, so if you have confirmed that these are the predatory ones, I'd lay off buying fish for now. If you do happen to see an isopod latched on to a fish, most people recommend manually removing the pest with tweezers from the fish's body. But do this very carefully to avoid harming the fish. And be careful when handling the isopod itself. I've read about a few cases where they have been able to burrow into human flesh, but these might be myths for all I know. Link to comment
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