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Culturing Copepods?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Kylie, Sep 15, 2011.

  1. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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    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
     
  2. xroads Veteran Reefkeeper Vendor

    La Porte City, IA
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    Culturing pods is very hard. Few people have been successful at it long term. Alagen is now selling good bottled pods to supplement your tank if you want.

    If you do want to try, here is all the information you would ever want.

    http://www.mbisite.org/Forums/tt.aspx?forumid=117
     
  3. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    Based on Craig's post, I am obviously confused. Aren't pods what we get when we have a nice refugium going? (copepods and amphipods)? I always thought they were the little critters we find in our balls of chaeto?
     
  4. xroads Veteran Reefkeeper Vendor

    La Porte City, IA
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    Im sorry

    Those are for free swimming pods. I saw the plankton post & automatically assumed if was for that kind.

    Then there are the surface pods which live great in your cheato & rubble, very small. There are also Isopods that look like mini shrimps when you lift a rock or something & see them swimming around.
     
  5. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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

    Urbandale, IA
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    To cycle my tank I used Rods Food. I ended up getting a healthy supply of copepods from doing that. Enough so that a year ago I bought my mandarine. He has been fine but like you I was worried there might not be enough so I ordered some from Reefs2go. I think if you have enough live rock and some chaeto and you don't have other fish eating them you are probably good. I think mine eats baby amphipods too. He is not the biggest mandarine I have seen but he seems healthy, nice broad chest area on him. He does scare me every now and then. I don't know if you have noticed yours doing this but mine turns gray when he is sleeping and he looks dead. He has scared me more than once when he is doing this. They really are nice fish!
     
  7. xroads Veteran Reefkeeper Vendor

    La Porte City, IA
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    +1,014 / 6 / -0
    Easiest thing would be to set up a refugium. You dont even have to have it plumbed. Put your water change water in there with rubble, they will start to multiply. A little algae & waste & they are good to go. Then when you want to feed your tank, put the rubble in there for awhile, or shake it in the water.
     
  8. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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    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!!
     
  9. Bela

    Bela Inactive User

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    Kylie,
    Do you have a sump? When I had a sump on my 10g a couple years back I added a little fuge area. It was all of about 6"x6" with a small ball of chaeto and some rubble. I had pods galore. Long as you seed it with good pods you should be good to go.

    If you don't have the ability to add more chamber in the sump, don't fret. You can also just add a little basket made of egg crate (I have seen people use baskets made for showers, but I prefer egg crate) and just drop it in the sump too.
     
  10. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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    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.
     
  11. mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    why trade the sand for rubble? I had some discussion about having LR and rubble in a sump before and something I learned is it can trap unwanted nutrients and cause phophate problems.  I removed my rubble and when i did wow did i find a bunch of  waste that was trapped in that section of my sump.  Just something to think about.
     
  12. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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

    mthomp Inactive User

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    maybe not, what were you expecting it to do? really if you are wanting a fuge chamber all you really need is some macro algae and a light. If your going to use chaeto maybe a spray bar to make it tumble. the thing about using LR or rubble in your sump is the water flow is not enough down there to act as any extra filtration and become a trap. At least thats how I understood the conversation.
     
  14. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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    Ok. I built a spray bar when I did the sump but it doesn't work. Idk why.
     
  15. Zachstankostosmall Well-Known ReefKeeper

    326
    Quad cities
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    i have sand some shells because i feel they make a good little home for the critters then i have algee and little tiny rock pcs
     
  16. Zachstankostosmall Well-Known ReefKeeper

    326
    Quad cities
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    what would you need for a fuge just but its self i have a 10 gal i may play with
     
  17. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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    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.
     
  18. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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    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..
     
  19. ruggerkc Experienced Reefkeeper Board of Directors Leadership Team GIRS Member

    North Liberty , IA
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    +183 / 3 / -0
    Our sponsor Reef Nutrition has a book on the subject. I have not read it so I don't know if it's any good but I bet it is.
     
  20. Kylie

    Kylie Inactive User

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    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.
     

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