Bad Pods

[dsfdbutterfly]

Well I have been everywhere on the internet and can't figure this one out. Someone please help. My reef tank has been going strong. The levels are great and all the stuff I am putting in it looks really good. In fact I'm waiting for the melt down cuz I've never had such first time success although I am taking my time and doing a lot of reading before I move forward.

My question is this. I did get a hitchiker fish which was a lizzard blenny. He's doing great. So is my pepperment shrimp and the other little things in the tank. So well that I thought I would acclimate my very healthy maroon clown and put her in the tank. So I did so. She did just fine with the higher salinity and even had her eye on the frogspawn. The next day however she had these flat white marks on her. I took her out of the tank and did a short fresh water bath and put her in QT. The marks are gone and they looked nothing like ich.

I began examining my tank very closely. I have thousands of pods swimming about which I have been watching with enjoyment for about a month. However on the glass in a few spots are now these weird looking things. I will never be able to get a picture of them they are so small so I will do my best to describe them. They have a center like a brittle star and have 5 legs. They are the size of pinpoint and are on the glass. I reached in and put my finger on one and push against the glass. I didn't feel anything like a pop or even like my finger had touched anything. So I brought it out and it was then gone.

Is this a possible answer or was it just a bunch of pods landing on her and annoying her? I don't think the lizzard blenny is experiencing the same problem because he is not a free swimmer. I can't get him out of the rocks for anything even food. He darts in and out. Since all my pods are still in their swimming freely juvenile stage could this just be the case and I am overreacting? Thanks for any help on this one good or bad or just any ideas. I'm completely at a loss.

Angie

[graphixx]

sounds like a hydroid, do a search on them and see what you find

[JustDavidP]

Look like this?



or this:



Hydroid Jelly Fish. I have HUNDREDS in my fry tanks. They feed on pods, baby brine shrimp, and other micro-crustacean/micro-planktons.

Do you ever see them in the water column? It's harder in a reef tank with 15X turnover. In my fry tanks, which are very low flow, you can easily see them swimming in the water. The typical "umbrella" open and close of a jellyfish.

D

[dsfdbutterfly]

That's exactly what they look like. No I have not been able to see them in the water column. Too much turn over probably. Will these things attach to my fish or are they only going after the pods? If they do go only for the pods does anyone have a clue as to why my fish was covered in something? It wasn't ich I can guarantee you that. I've had my share of that problem and this was different. She was however flicking and acting irritated. She is now in QT with no problems. I tell you though she had stuff on her and it didn't look like the pods that are swimming around the tank. The spots didn't move in position as she swam around.

I did a search of hydroids last night but didn't find much information. I will plug in the specifics that you stated and try again. Thanks for your help.

Angie

[JustDavidP]

Angie,

The hydroid jellyfish would really have no interest in the fish. Again, they feed upon very small prey in the water column. The other parasitic problem (if there is one) you are having is probably unrelated.

The best thing you can do, if you do have a parasite problem, is just as you are doing. Treat the fish in an Isolation or QT tank until you see fit to return it to the display. However....

Did you truly see "something" attached to the fish? or just "spots". In some cases, a fish can discolor in areas and NOT have parasites. My false percs had this happen when I introduced a hammer coral to my tank. Well before I had the BTA, the clowns would literally host on my POWER HEADS. When I introduced the hammer, the female went right for it. It took a week or more before she actually STAYED in the coral. During that transition time, she would just brush in and against it. During that time, she showed small bleached like spots on her body. I assumed (and still do) that it was a reaction to the stings or whatnot from the coral.

What happens, is that the fish develop a tolerance to the stings of corals and anemone. They BRUSH against the coral or anemone in a way that helps them to become kind of "immune" to the stings...building up a tolerance, covering itself with a heavier slime coat etc. After a while, the coral/anemone becomes tolerant of the fish and vice verser. Until then, there is no mutual understanding and the fish is affected by the coral, the coral or anemone is affected by the fish.

Did this make any sense? :D

Dave

[dsfdbutterfly]

That does make total sense to me. At this point because everything went to normal as soon as I did the fresh water dip and placed in the QT tank I won't know if that was the case. In all honesty the fish looked like it had the tiny spots that are on the cord for my temp. gauge. I don't know what these spots are though. They don't move around or anything. My urchin attached himself to the back wall of my tank and went to cleaning these spots and I would say that more than half are gone now. I received my BTA yesterday and he is just beautiful. I figured that I would give it another two days and then try to reintroduce her. I think that if she does decide to host to either the frogspawn or the BTA then if they are just pods landing on her to annoy that will stop.

I've watched her in QT to make sure that there is nothing on her. Fins and body are completely healthy and she looks great considering what I have put her through. I am hoping to get this all figured out. Thanks for your help. I'm at least getting sleep not worrying that I stuck her in a tank of parasitic animals to devour her. By the way, how long does it take for pods to grow? They are getting bigger to the point that I can tell body shape and which ones they are but most are still free swimming. Maybe I should wait until this settles? The thing is I know the BTA will do better if a clown does host to it although not neccessary.

Thanks again. Your knowledge has helped tremendously.

Angie

[JustDavidP]

Pods will reproduce at amazing rates if given the right conditions, to include lack of predation. After there is a 'sizeable' population, they can take predation. I have a 26 bow with 4 seahorses, a mandarin, and a pipefish in there and I have SCORES of mysid, isopods, and copepods. The fish can't keep up with them.

Granted, I have a HEAVY fish load for a 26, but I also do weekly (or at least every two weeks) water changes and skim like heck. Furthermore, I'm adding a 75G sump-fugium to my system this weekend :D

Dave

[JustDavidP]

Oh..and tiny spots on chords, temperature gages etc could be either

small feather dusters..they pop up EVERYWHERE

calcium carbonate precipitation - tends to like moving or warm parts like heaters, ph's etc.

coralline algae - same as above, tends to start in areas where precip takes place..makes sense.

If your urchin is chowing, I would guess coralline.

Dave