Amphipods

So I have found that I have quite a few amphipods in my tank!!.... there seems to be more than I thought...seems like my long spined urchin was grazing on sum of my branching where I have my green star polyp & the urchin had eaten sum or caused a decent hole in the side of the star polyp & now them amphipods are going in & out of it... I DONT LIKE THAT! Should I get rid of them? What do I get to eat them? What should I do? If anything..thank you.

 

Leave them be. Every healthy tank has amphipods. Their populations wax and wane according to available food and predation.

 

What about them going in & out of hole in my star polyp? It is not opening up now.. again I do not like that part.. thank you..

 

I'm sure the amphipods are irritating it if they are climbing all over it. But their numbers will reduce in time if you aren't over feeding. But there's not much else to be done. I would not recommend introducing a fish just for the sole purpose of reducing the amphipods numbers. Their numbers will adjust in time under the right circumstances.

 

Ampphipods are helpful to help eat detritus etc. If you think there are too many in your tank, I've found that cleaner shrimp skunk shrimp and Mandarin Dragonets help keep amphipod populations in check.

 

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