Culturing Copepods?

Hello again,
Anyone been successful at culturing copepods? I tried for a while before our move using 3 mason jars, saltwater matching my tank sg, airline tubing, and bottled phytoplankton. The cultures seemed to do well but they were very small and weren't very helpful in supplementing my 65g display for my mandarin. Does anyone have any experience with this or great success with a specific set up? Please describe what you did, how you did it, and a timeline for whatever you did /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif
Thanks!
Kylie

 

Ok eell i should rephrase then. How do I culture surface clinging pods that my mandarin will eat?

 

OMG YES! My Molly did that to me a couple weeks ago when I knew I was low on pods. Was so scared I was too late (as I had just ordered more pods the night before). Luckily, whether or not I'm low on pods, she does looooooove to eat frozen blood worms. I need to try some other foods but I know she eats those like a pig /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif
It would be nice to just have them on hand though in a culture. That way I can always be 100% I have enough in the tank for her and it would be a good natural way to filter my system. Not to mention fishyness and I share a lot of things so she will end up getting any extra pods I have for her lil guys /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif Gotta feed the family!!

 

I do have a refugium portion to my sump. It currently has a small ball of chaeto and a sandbed but I will be trading the sand for rubble soon.

 

Hmm.. idk. Just doesn't seem like my sand bed is doing anything...

 

Ok. I built a spray bar when I did the sump but it doesn't work. Idk why.

 

Ok, well back to topic... Any suggestions for normal copepod culturing? What I did before was with small mason jars but I can't imagine it would be much different in a larger system. I was thinking 2L bottles being fed by my phyto I'm going to culture also. They would be on the same shelf with the same air system so they pods would be getting about 16hrs light and 8 hrs dark cus that's what the phyto wants. One big question I have is how to I concentrate the pods when I'm ready to store them in the fridge? I was thinking about storing them in 1L or smaller bottles that would be easier to transport and that way I don't have a huge population dead if something happens to one of the storage bottles.

 

I'm not sure zwhite. I just have a little portion of a sump that is a fuge that has some chaeto in it. I think you can do pretty much whatever you want. A lot of people to chaeto and either a sand bed or rubble rock. There are other macro algaes you can use, or even mangroves, but some macro algaes will spread to your tank so beware on what you get. Not sure what the names are of the kind that can spread..

 

Do you happen to know the name of the book? Andy L recommended I read a book called 'Plankton Culture Manual'. Not sure if that's the same one.

So here was my plan for the pods. I'm eventually going to have two 2L bottles or 4 1L bottles, not sure which yet, growing the pods. From what I've read online, there isn't really a set 'time' for when you need to split the cultures, you just kind of eyeball it. Once you see a lot more dudes swimming, split it. I'm thinking 4 1L bottles will work better for this that way I don't have to worry about losing half of my culture if one fails. And then I'll hopefully have more to help fishyness (and anyone else who would want to pitch in). I plan on feeding them phyto from those cultures I'm going to be starting hopefully this afternoon. Just not sure what main food source would be best for the phyto at this time. Any suggestions for phyto food? I've had only one or two so far.