LovingIT

If anyone can tell me WHAT this is ? Tried to get a decent photo to help id this critter. I found a couple on a piece of live rock right next to my Long Tentcle Anenome

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susitna-flower

WOW! GREAT PICTURE....someone should know...not me, but it is so clear when you blow it up, someone will be able to help soon...

sirdarksol

That is an awesome picture. I would think a shrimp that is adjusting from plankton to adult stage, but I've never actually seen this process. I'm just guessing.

LovingIT

I believe it is a amphipod ? Maybe , if so whats the deal with these little guys?

Peterpiper

Hard to tell the size by the pic, but I would say amphipod too.
They are good, at night they run around the rocks and sand looking for leftover food.

sirdarksol

You're right. It does look like an amphipod (I love Wikipedia). It seems that they're a pretty harmless type of animal that serves as one of the lower rungs of the food chain.

Mike

I have a ton of these in the refugium. There are different types of amphipods with some being herbivores others are scavengers. Overall, they're considered a good thing to have. Shine a flashlight in the tank at night when they like to come out and you might be able to see them scurrying on the live rock in the tank.

LovingIT

Mike thats how I found them , like to look at the tank at night with a flashlight to see whats going on. Ok so a goodthing whew! they would have been so difficult to remove . Thank you everyone for your advise.

Peterpiper

If you cover the flash light with red plastic then shine it in the tank, the creatures wont run and hide as they can not see red light. that way you can sit and watch them.

Jesses89

Copepod. Good thing to have in your tank... they feed off detritus... plus many fish eat them...