[bpatrick]

So I have an isopod problem and I am 95% sure they are the bad ones. I have been trapping these things as per this article.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/bp/index.php

I wanted to know if anyone knew of an isopod predator that I could employ. Also, any tips on trapping would be appreciated.

 

[ibanez2k]

Do you have any fish in your tank? If you do and you do not see any visible signs of damage they probably aren't a bad kind. I've had some different isopods that haven't caused any problems before. Not saying it wouldn't happen though. If you don't have fish you can bait them pretty easily. What I did to trap some that hitchhiked in on the LR when I set up my new tank was wait until the night (they come out and forage in the open like crazy after dark). Turn ALL the lights off, not even any moonlight and leave a small piece of raw shrimp in the open where you can get to it easily. Sneak to the tank with a flashlight a couple hours later and you'll find quite a few of them. I would just sneak up behind them with a turkey baster and suck them up one by one and remove them from the tank. There are alot of varieties of isopods though, most of which are harmless. It's rare to come across bad ones but it can happen. I hear it's expecially common if you have Florida LR (which mine is).

 

[bpatrick]

I have no fish so i have no way of knowing for sure but, they do look like the isopods from the article I posted. I too have Florida live rock which I really like for the amount of life on it. I have been using the turkey baster method and it seems to be the most effective at least for the small ones.

 

[ibanez2k]

yeah, the life was why I bought mine. It's amazing! Lots of color too, some of the coralline faded a bit during the cycle but alot of the color is picking back up now. Did have a few isopods I found around the tank though. I was able to get them all out, at least I think so. One large one evaded me for the longest time. Took me 2 or 3 weeks to catch the blasted thing. He was just a tiny bit bigger than I could suck up very well with the turkey baster. WOW, they swim away fast when they find out you are onto them! But I eventually got him! HAHA! I've had a clown in the tank for the last 3 weeks though and he's in perfect condition with nothing attached and no damage so either I must have got them all, or they weren't actually bad isopods. Either way, I'm happy.