cycling tank question

So, the new 150 gallon tank is in the third week of cycling. I've gone through the cyano algae phase and am now seeing green plant like structures sprouting everywhere. It seems that some of my dry base rock is already getting spots of coraline algae growing. I have 160 lbs of dry base rock and about 40 lbs of live rock from the LFS that has been in the tank for about two weeks. In the past couple of days I've noticed a lot of what I thought were micro bubbles or bits of substrate floating around. I ran the protein skimmer for the first time last night and got some good skimmate. Today, after looking more closely at the stuff floating around, I realized that it's alive. Tiny little white organisms clinging and jumping around on the glass and swimming everywhere in the tank. Are these some kind of pods and if so what kind? They are so small that it's hard to make out the structure of their bodies, but they definitely swim. I'm hoping that I'm starting to see copepods from the live rock, as I am wanting to get a mandarin goby at some point. I'm hoping this isn't some kind of pest that I'm going to have to find a way to get rid of. The only thing in the tank at the moment are some hermit crabs. There was a green chromis a couple of weeks ago, but he disappeared without a trace the day after he went. Anyone have any thoughts about what the little white floaters are?

 

Copepods, good start on your tank. Are you measuring ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Ammonia and nitrite need to be zero and your nitrate heading down before you slowly begin adding to the tank.

 

more than likely copepods. is your cycle done ? what are you water params? IMO if not done cycling , hermits arent needed. theyre usually added after your cycle is done along 2with more of your CUC. chromis arent usually uised to cycle with. damsels are the fish of choice for that. or a piece of raw shrimp.

 

Thanks for the input. Just saw the other post with same basic question. I wasn't planning on the chromis, but was talked into it and the crabs at the lfs. Crabs seem so be happy and doing well grazing on the live rock. They were supposed to be there to clear off any die off from the new live rock. I'll take in water tomorrow to run full tests to see where I am in the process. Good to know things are progressing. I'm tiring of just looking at water and rocks. Sounds like I might be getting at least one fish soon.