Whoa!!

[balakoth]

Well my very first 50 gallon tank has been cycling with about 20 pounds of live rock a protien skimmer and some no 10k lighting for about 2 months now. Eagerly awaiting my new lights coming in the mail tomorrow from Hellolights I have neglected to really watch my tank aside from catching the waste cup on the skimmer and turning the light off and on.

I got home from work this morning and turn on my light like ussual but go to check it out, Boom! I got bugs crawling up and down the front of my class swimming to and from my live rock and into my sand. Im like what the!?

I'm going to assume these bugs are good things? If so, my delema comes later!

Looking further over my tank a few mins after I turn on the light on problably the most life oriented piece of LR i got from the LFS dark green small bubble colonies appear over a patch of my live rock and once more on the other side. I will try and send pictures of this later today, what does this sound like?


Here is my problem with the bugs. If they are good for the tank, I was looking to change to a DSB within the next week or so. Cleaning out my more heavy graded aragonite and replacing it with a finer grain of sand. (Its pretty heavy duty right some shells and gravel, a little bit of sand)

My question is within a week I am probably going to take out my hole live whatever population by doing this yes? Is there a way around this or am I outta the door on this one.

Thanks for any help!

[Big Dave]

Hey Balakoth-

Yes, the bugs are very good for the tank. They are some kind of pods. Your future fish or shrimps may use them as a snack every now and then.

About your substrate.... when I changed from crushed coral to sand I worried about losing all my critters too. But there must have been plenty on and in the rocks because they never went away.

Your dark green bubbles may be bubble algae. It is usaully a shimmery dark green. There are various crabs and things that eat that stuff... I think emerald crabs do. The other thing I can think of is that some algae produce oxygen, somewhat like a plant, turn CO2 into O2. SOmething like that. I'm sure TDWyatt - our local biochemist, could explain it much better than me!! lmao I get some cyano slime algae once in a while that produces bubbles in my tank. Until I see a picture I would say it's bubble algae. HTH

-Big Dave

[Doug1]

Pods as a rule)(copepods, amphipods, and the like) are usually good sign that the biodiversity of the tank is starting to flourish, They play an important role in waste reduction by consumption. You can prolly net out some of the larger ones with a fine mesh net, try it while rinsing out he old substrate when you change over. Definatly worth having around, important link in the food chain, both as zooplankton, (adult and larvae) as well as detrial consumers