Help with critter ID please - baby shrimp?

[phippsj]

I have about a dozen or so of these things in my fuge... not sure what they are... perhaps baby shrimp or some other bug? They are about 1/8" big right now, very hard to get a photo of. The white you see in the picture is 3/4" gratting, so you can tell I had the camera as close up as it would go. They really seem to like hanging out in the mangrove roots.

Any help with the ID is appreciated

[Paul28]

Gammaridean Amphipod

[Pennies2Cents]

Amphipod!

Excellent to have and food for many wrasses, fish etc..

More than likely you have lots more in your tank, living in your live rock & dark corners.

[Paul28]

http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=125 here is a good link

[jroescher]

They are amphipods. Also look up isopod and copepod. Sign of a healthy aquarium. They are detrivores. Also serve as fish food for some fish.

If you shine a flashlight into the crevices of your rock at night, you'll probably see lots of them.

[Andrew v.s wild]

Defiantly pods good job!

[Big_Pun]

yea they are a good sign things are goin good in your tank, my sis calls them reef roaches lol

[mabel_photo6]

Indeed, amphipods.
I have TONS of them in my 29 gallon's hang on 'fuge.
Population is beginning to grow in the 100.
They're yummy delicious food.

[snfkotara]

I know these are good but can sometime too many of these be bad?

[corruption]

Not really -- the only negative that they could show is an overabundance of nutrients -- though, its not to toxic levels, otherwise you'd see a lot more of them... Its very much akin to what you can expect with Asterinas -- tend to keep themselves in general balance, as long as the tank isn't allowed to become a detritivore feast

-Justin