White tiny creatures in algae

[Jewelle1954]

Hello all,
I have a 30 g Bio Cube. About 5 days ago, I noticed green algae growing on the front of the tank. There wasn't much so I figured I would wait to tackle it when I did a water change. Just now I noticed a lot of very small white creatures in the algae. The smallest ones are the size of a pin head. One of them is large enuf so I can see that it has tentacles and about 10 legs. What are these things? I would take a pic but they're too small. Thanks!

 

[bjohanson1234]

I would bet that they are copepods. They live and breed in the live rock and algea. Think of them as free food for your fish.

 

[Jewelle1954]

AWESOME! So if I get rid of the algae on the sides, they'll still be able to get food from other areas in the tank, right?

 

[Jewelle1954]

As long as I have a knowledgeable person "at my disposal," I want to ask you one more question. I had a real problem with diatoms a couple months ago, but got it under control. I read about how to add live sand to an existing setup and I added about half a pound. Now the diatoms have exploded. Is it because I added the new sand? Thanks!

 

[bjohanson1234]

Diatoms are just one of the phases of algea that a new tank goes through. They come and go for a while. Adding the new sand could have caused it to bloom again. They tend to grow in areas of low flow, so if you can eliminate dead spots, they will have a harder time growing.

 

[bjohanson1234]

As long as I have a knowledgeable person "at my disposal," I want to ask you one more question. I had a real problem with diatoms a couple months ago, but got it under control. I read about how to add live sand to an existing setup and I added about half a pound. Now the diatoms have exploded. Is it because I added the new sand? Thanks!

I wouldnt rely only on the pods in your tank for fish food, but they are a good little snack that the fish will munch on.

 

[Jewelle1954]

No, I wasn't planning on using them for food. I got some bigger shells for my hermit crabs from my lfs and the sales person told me there were a few copepods living it in one of them. I knew they were good for the fish, but I never knew what they looked like. Could all these be from those few that were in the shell I got?

 

[chuck78]

+1 Copepods/Isopods. They're a good thing :)

 

[bjohanson1234]

They do multiply pretty quickly. They could have also been on the live rock too.

 

[Smitty]

+1 bj...