COPEPOD and critters INVASION 3wk tank

[HeyImEugene]

I just setup my second tank and used some live sand and about 25 lbs of Live Rock from my other well established tank... this week I noticed the tank is overrun by COPEPODS and all sorts of critters even some critters the size of potatoe bugs... 2cm long . The look like giant pods.

 

Anyhoo, I put a Mandarin Spotted goby (male) and I see him eat a few and swim around but the population of pods and critters has gone CRAZY.

 

In the morning when I turn on my lights the entire sand floor looks like its moving.

 

Anything I shouldbe worried about, its been like 3 weeks since I started the tank and I have my diatom bloom I think or a brown algae bloom... odd I have no pods or critters in my fuge...

 

hope for the best, I was worried the pods might all die and I'd get some sort of crazy Amonia spike or something.. an

 

 

Any insights?

[cornstar]

How big is your tank? The population will stabilise in time. Most tanks have an initial boom in pod numbers to begin with which then falls to normal levels. Will your mandarin eat foods other than live pods? If you have a nano, when the pod population drops he may starve.

 

Cheers

 

P.

[doody]

Yeah try feeding that guy some frozen stuff like blood worms and mysis

[HeyImEugene]

My tank is a 29 gallon with a 20 gallon sump... the mandarin eats the pods no problem and he eats freeze dried brine. Just worried the pod invasion might crash my tank ?

[EtOH_is_good]

hmm, a pod invasion won't crash a tank! be prepared for the mandarin police.

[doody]

I got one in a 5g minibow. I feed him bloodworms, mysis, brin, and chopped krill. I feed him as often as possible, and as slow as possible. Sometimes takes a half hour. At first he gobbled all the pods till I rarely seen them, but now the pod population is back on the rise. I'm not sure if he's just getting enough frozen foods that he leaves the pods alone or what, But I never really see him picking at the rock or glass.