Too many copepods?

[2g2ner]

Have a ton of copepods and amphipods. I have so many I can see them on everything, lights on or off. They are crawling all over my zoo polyps all day and night. The polyps have been closed for a while, but I know they sometimes close for a few days and then reopen. It has been over 3 weeks and they haven't opened yet. The closed polyps look very healthily though. Could the copepods be the problem?

[hackteck]

copepods are a good thing its a sign of a healthy tank

[craig_will2513]

where do they come from.. did you add them and they just multiplied or did they just appear

[rob_mango]

I wouldn't worry about them they will all go hide in ur rock and sand for awhile then come back its all part of the tank life

[carey]

You'll see spikes every once in while with pods, happens every few weeks in my 125g. Some days theres a zillion some days just a few. But if you really really look at your live rock you'll see bunches...

[2g2ner]

I didn't add them, I guess they came on the live rock and corals and just multiplied. But I'm thinking of getting a mandarin dragonet to keep them under control. Is that a good idea, and what are other fish that eat them?

[carey]

I wouldnt get a mandarin just to get rid of pods. Unless of course you;ve always wanted a mandarin.

Most fish will eat them. You might be going through a pod explosion, it happens from time to time. Then the colony stabilizes and you have less.
Just make sure its a constant thing having the a zillion pods cause a mandarin will eat through through hundred if not a thousand pods a day. Mine literally hunts for pods 24/7. Thats all they do.

[2g2ner]

I just want my zoo polyps to open again.

[carey]

I dont think zooa wouldnt open because pf pods. I have them crawling all over all ,my corals and they are all just fine and open.

[2g2ner]

I'm not sure. But I ran out of my nitrate kit and I'm not 100% sure where my nitrates are so I did a 35% water change to see if that helps.

[hackteck]

if your corals are closing up for an unknown reason the first thing you need to do is a water change so your on the right track

[2g2ner]

I moved the zoo rock from half way up to the bottom of the tank also. Maybe too much light for them. (96w T5)

[carey]

Ikeep my zzoas mosre towards the bottom and if they are on top they are under a brace of the tank. Sometimes zooas just close up though, it happens.....How long have they been closed up? Do they open under the blues only maybe?

[2g2ner]

They have been closed up for a few weeks. When I moved them to the bottom I noticed some of the polyps are gone. I'm not sure what's going on but I hope this doesn't happen to the rest of my polyps.