Copods, lots and lots of copods

[Cookie_Monster]

Well my 20 nano has been up around 4-5 weeks now and is doing great. So I was doing some glass cleaning today and guess what I saw. Yep, thousands of copods, so I'm in a good mood.

[ckreef]

Welcome Cookie_Monster and good deal on the pods.

I do not have any fish or crabs so I too have a huge pod population of all kinds and sizes ranging from the almost microscopic to some as big as brine shrimp.

[Cookie_Monster]

Thx, I have 4 crabs total, 3 unknowns and one small hermit. Planning on taking some pics later when I get more rock for crab id's.

[bon_jon11]

How good are the pods to the tank. I had quite a bit, considering how many crabs i had. But i had a mandarin that died, some say he may have starved but it looked to me that there were plenty of pods in my tank. Do they require a certain size?

[rlbackus]

not sure on the size thing but they 'graze' constantly on them so if there were enough of them he shouldnt have died of starvation. they can wipe out a pod population in a smaller tank without a refugium really quick...

[Cookie_Monster]

Yeah I've heard mandarins need to be in atleast a 55 to survive. And as far as I know the pods are a sign that your tanks doing excellent.

[laddy00]

From most of what I have read I wouldn't try a mandarin with anything that has less than a 100lbs LR and has no other fish that consume large quantities such as some blennies