What is in my tank???

[robert]

It is a 3rd or 4th time since I setup my tank (Aug. 03, '02). I have plenty of very little organisms attached to the walls of my tank. It looks like freshly hatched brine shrimps, but a bit smaller. About the size of salt grain. The only visible shrimps I have in my tank are two little cleaners. Must be some kind of other shrimps that I have in my tank I can't see during the day. Or something else.... First I though it is calcium precipitation or something like it. When my tang was going crazy kissing the glass one morning I paid more attention to it. Looking closer I noticed it is alive and it moves.
Any ideas? [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Delphinus]

Congratulations, your tank is well under way. :D Sounds like your 'pods are forming larger populations. Could be copepods, decapods, isopods (sp?), or even juvenile versions of those.

What will happen, is, basically, you will get population explosions of these little guys as your tank matures. Basically what's happened is, some eggs have hatched, the first generation laid eggs, those eggs hatched ... and so on. Eventually, the populations will crest somewhat and the numbers will maintain at a more steady sustainable number.

[sumpfinfishe]

I agree with Tony 100% I had the same thing happen in my reef at about 4 months, then after about 8 or 9 months the populations stablizied. Many fish will help to control any serious outbreaks, my tang and both my skunk clowns use to love to snack on copepods or isopodes. [img]smile.gif[/img]