Copepods, Sign of a Fish Safe Tank?
 

I have read from many different sources that having copepods is a sign of a healthy tank. While they may be an indicator in nature of unpolluted water, in my fish tanks they are not an indicator that the tanks are safe for fish. I know what the numbers mean to me, you decide what they mean to you.

Tank 1 (massive copepod population) thousands of them
Ammonia - .5ppm
Nitrites - 2ppm
Nitrates 100+ppm

Tank 2 (less copepods) hundreds of them at least
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - .25ppm
Nitrates - 80+ppm

Water changed weekly 50%.

Both tanks are in a fishless cycle, tank 1 is 3 weeks older than tank 2. Dosing ammonia and adding small amounts of food to cycle the tanks. Tank 2 was started with seasoned media as an experiment of cycling times.

It won't let me check both.