Copepods

[Nrapp33]

Ok this sounds dumb, at least it does to me. Are too many pods a problem?
Now I know the benefits they give as a scavenger and a food source.
As the attached pics shows a very small part of how many are in my 2-3 month old 55g. I have 60lbs of LR and 60lbs is LS plus what's in the 10g fuge with the Cheato. If I want clean front glass I have to mag-float them off.
The question is will the population maintain? Get out of control if possible? Harm the chemistry of my tank?
I have snails and 2 false percs.

Thanks

 

[carey]

I've noticed periods of mass pods and then the population dies down again.

Nothing to be worried about, they won't be all over like they are now in probably a few days.

 

[Nrapp33]

They have been like this going on 2 weeks now.

 

[carey]

Really? I always find mine calm down in a few days. Guess you have a nutrient and happy filled tank.

 

[Safloore]

I say that its time to get a new fish to eat some of those pods.

 

[Nrapp33]

Yeah I'm going SSSSLLLOOOWWWWWW in the additions dept.

 

[Affordable Aquatic]

You really cant have too many pods in your system. The amount of food availability will dictate how large your population grows to. Once they exhaust the food supply, the population will diminish. If you continually over feed the system, you will obviously have a larger pod population. Since pods don't do any harm, and put an insignificant bio load on your filtration, I don't think there is much to worry about.
What I have found, is that as a system matures, the species of pods and their concentrations will fluctuate. Initially on some systems I have built, there were tons of copepods all over the glass, and were easy to see, as the system matured, they were replaced by large numbers of amphipods. Eventually they attain "homeostasis".

 

[Gregcoyote]

Agreed. They fluctuate. Having a lot is a good thing. Indicates good conditions. A angel fish or two will clean them up pronto and result in fat angel fish.