Are there pods in my tank?

[iVgOnMaD]

I have never seen pods in my tank and it has been set up for about 4-5 months is that normal?

I want pods!!!!

Why does everybody have them except me!!!?

[greg97527]

do you have a little pen light? when the lights are out try looking with a pen light or laser pen etc and look for little sand flea like creatures. chances are you have pods, especially if you have LR. also check ur refugium if you have one

[iVgOnMaD]

I have about 50lbs of live rock in a 60g. I've tried a couple of approaches, but still haven't seen them. I have seen what I believe to be some type of pod thing but only in my FW aquarium. They are all over everything when I turn the lights on. None on my SW aquarium though...

I heard on another forum that they sometimes appear until after the first year, is that true?

[dakar]

It really depends on what kind of pods you are looking for... generally if you started with liverock, you have a pod population already growing. Remember, many 'pods' (lumping amphipods and copepods into a collective group here) cam be < 1mm in size, others gowing to 5+ mm.

Get a flashlight with a red lens and hang around your tank about an hour after lights out.... bet you'll see activity, especially around the area where rockwork meets your substrate.

[hummer]

why a red lens? dave

[JustDavidP]

Because the "red spectrum" will not disrupt their behavior. Shine a full spec light or a blue light in there and they will scurry away quickly. They do not sense the red as you and I do.

[Dirt4dinner]

oh this thread reminds me of the good ol' days. I remember the first time I hide behind the couch and jumped out with a flash light to look for live that I hadn't purchased. I jumped out and about midnight...then at 2 am...then again at 4 am...then my wife yelled at me because I kept getting in and out of bed. Don't worry those little mythical "pods" are in there...it's like snype hunting, only they really do exist.

[dakar]

Originally Posted by Dirt4dinner

oh this thread reminds me of the good ol' days. I remember the first time I hide behind the couch and jumped out with a flash light to look for live that I hadn't purchased. I jumped out and about midnight...then at 2 am...then again at 4 am...then my wife yelled at me because I kept getting in and out of bed. Don't worry those little mythical "pods" are in there...it's like snype hunting, only they really do exist.

You actually went back to bed? Geez, Angel and I must have missed several nights in a row watching the marvel of 'life' just appearing out of what seemed nowhere....

What a bunch of nuts we all are.. 2am and instead of sleeping we are up sitting in the dark looking at a box of water, rocks and sand with a flashlight.

[perpetual98]

Dakar, I wanted to double-check your jacket size before I sent you your Christmas gift.

[iVgOnMaD]

hehe