Help with isopod identification

[geologeek]

Hey folks,

I hope someone with a better eye than I can help with an identification of these isopods that have invaded my tank thanks to my stupidity of not quarantining a piece of rock from my LFS.

 

[BristleWormHater]

They are kinda cute
@ISpeakForTheSeas

 

[geologeek]

Indeed they are, look like woodlice with antennae.......just hoping they are not predators!

 

[ChiCity]

check their eyes and compare to this

 

[geologeek]

check their eyes and compare to this

I've tried my best......they are not easy to catch and my microscope is dead and needs replacing, so have tried with my electronics microscope to get images of the eyes.

They look like little round black balls slightly protruding from the head

 

[ChiCity]

yeah, not entirely sure,
but these look like they’ve got the evil eyes to me
(the one’s with wide spaced eyes are good ones)

 

[Maritimer]

Wow . . .

@geologeek, when you said they look like woodlice . . . These guys look more like common woodlice than they do like any isopod I've ever seen in an aquarium, including Bathynomeus giganteus at the local Public Aquarium!

~B.

 

[geologeek]

Wow . . .

@geologeek, when you said they look like woodlice . . . These guys look more like common woodlice than they do like any isopod I've ever seen in an aquarium, including Bathynomeus giganteus at the local Public Aquarium!

~B.

Well I spoke to the LFS and asked if they had any ideas and they drew a blank.

Told me it was from their sump and only on sale as they were rotating their rock for some new stuff to come.

They only sell live rock which is broken down for frags.......it's near impossible to get proper live rock in the UK now, it's all that purple man made stuff, so whenever I get a chance to add to my 30yr old rock collection I do for a bump in biodiversity.......just was stupid this time to not quarantine.

Research goes on, but so far the fish don't appear to have been pounced upon.

 

[geologeek]

Well, no fish have been bitten, never seen them attached and all fish seems happy, even my angel and lawnmower that sleep deep in the rock work........so for now, I'm seeing these as being the good guys!?