Copepods

[loghauler79]

I’m new to saltwater aquariums. Can I use copepods to eat away the diatoms or should I let them disappear naturally

 

[fishski13]

Yes I would put copepods in right after the cycle finishes to help build the system up. They help with the ugly stage and just overall are a pro to add into a system to help it establish.

 

[CasperOe]

Stick them in! It's a great way to get underway, your tank will thank you down the line!

 

[JamesTh]

Oh this is good advice! My tank cycled two days ago, and I bought some copepods and Rotifers, which should be delivered tomorrow.

Will Rotifers also keep on top of the ugly phase? Or are they more food for the fishes?

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Oh this is good advice! My tank cycled two days ago, and I bought some copepods and Rotifers, which should be delivered tomorrow.

Will Rotifers also keep on top of the ugly phase? Or are they more food for the fishes?

Rotifers are a direct food source for your fish as in direct feeding . They won't re produce in your system as they get cleared out by filtration quickly

 

[JamesTh]

Rotifers are a direct food source for your fish as in direct feeding . They won't re produce in your system as they get cleared out by filtration quickly

Ah thank you! I ordered some copepods and Rotifers, and put both into my tank, about 30 mins ago. I’ve noticed my 2 clown fish busy munching, so figured that that’s what they were upto!
Many thanks for your clarification

 

[BetterJake]

Copepods are fantastic to have in the tank no matter what.

As for Diatoms, these will naturally go away once all the silicate is used up in the tank, just make sure top off water and water to make saltwater has 0 TDS

 

[JamesTh]

Copepods are fantastic to have in the tank no matter what.

As for Diatoms, these will naturally go away once all the silicate is used up in the tank, just make sure top off water and water to make saltwater has 0 TDS

Thanks! Is there a way to measure silicates in the water at all please?

 

[BetterJake]

Thanks! Is there a way to measure silicates in the water at all please?

There are no really good ones, you could do an ICP test or buy a Hanna checker. However, silicates will naturally deplete, it usually comes from new rock and sand. Eventually the diatoms will consume it all and then the diatoms will die off without it. As mentioned before, if you are using 0 TDS water it's not something you really have to test for after the tank got through the initial ugly stage

 

[PotatoPig]

What type of pods did you add?

If you added tigger pods these are great for culturing to feed fish as pretty much every planktivore in these tanks loves them, but they’re the one pod species that tends to not last. They swim in the water column rather than hide on rocks, so get heavily predated on, and IIRC the tank temps are typically a little high for them and it hinders their reproduction.

Tisbe pods (very small, but a lot of planktivores still eat them) and a few other commercially available strains do much better long term.

If you’re adding things like live rock, coral, or even hermits/snails these will all bring random pods into the tank that should also do quite well.

 

[JamesTh]

What type of pods did you add?

If you added tigger pods these are great for culturing to feed fish as pretty much every planktivore in these tanks loves them, but they’re the one pod species that tends to not last. They swim in the water column rather than hide on rocks, so get heavily predated on, and IIRC the tank temps are typically a little high for them and it hinders their reproduction.

Tisbe pods (very small, but a lot of planktivores still eat them) and a few other commercially available strains do much better long term.

If you’re adding things like live rock, coral, or even hermits/snails these will all bring random pods into the tank that should also do quite well.

I had a look and they’re Tigriopus californicus. I’m not sure that I did the right thing with them. When I got them I acclimatised them by floating the packet in my reef tank. After that I simply just emptied them directly into my tank. I have a WB 25 peninsula, so no sump or Refugium, it’s an AIO. I also forgot to remove my filter sock. The next time that I order them, would it be better for me to add them directly into my filter area after switching off my filtration, and let them kind of colonise my AIO area for say 15-20 mins before turning my pump back on?

do I need to feed them phytoplankton to keep them going too, btw?

many thanks!

​

 

[PotatoPig]

I had a look and they’re Tigriopus californicus. I’m not sure that I did the right thing with them. When I got them I acclimatised them by floating the packet in my reef tank. After that I simply just emptied them directly into my tank. I have a WB 25 peninsula, so no sump or Refugium, it’s an AIO. I also forgot to remove my filter sock. The next time that I order them, would it be better for me to add them directly into my filter area after switching off my filtration, and let them kind of colonise my AIO area for say 15-20 mins before turning my pump back on?

do I need to feed them phytoplankton to keep them going too, btw?

many thanks!

​

These are tigger pods.

They’re hardy things - I don’t bother to acclimate the ones I culture (except when first buying them chilled from the store), just dump them in and they do fine until they get eaten by a fish or caught by the filter sock. A day or so after adding them if you turn room lights off, pause the pump, wait a couple mins and light up the filter sock from the side with a flashlight (if you have access) and you’ll see it’s full of them.

They may last a little while if no predating fish, but ideally try get some more reef/tropical pods (Tisbe is a default, though there are others also) and/or wait for them to ride in on live rock and invertebrates.

Adding a little phyto will help keep them about, but they also eat a lot of detritus and algae too, so if you have either of those it’s probably not that necessary to supplement their diet.

depending on bio load in the tank though it may be a little while before you see a large population of pods (any type) as the nutrients and food sources for them build up.

for the little pods (Tisbe, etc) the only way you’ll ever see them is by stocking a flashlight against the glass and looking at the rear side (from a corner or above) and you’ll see the tiny little critters moving about.

 

[JamesTh]

These are tigger pods.

They’re hardy things - I don’t bother to acclimate the ones I culture (except when first buying them chilled from the store), just dump them in and they do fine until they get eaten by a fish or caught by the filter sock. A day or so after adding them if you turn room lights off, pause the pump, wait a couple mins and light up the filter sock from the side with a flashlight (if you have access) and you’ll see it’s full of them.

They may last a little while if no predating fish, but ideally try get some more reef/tropical pods (Tisbe is a default, though there are others also) and/or wait for them to ride in on live rock and invertebrates.

Adding a little phyto will help keep them about, but they also eat a lot of detritus and algae too, so if you have either of those it’s probably not that necessary to supplement their diet.

depending on bio load in the tank though it may be a little while before you see a large population of pods (any type) as the nutrients and food sources for them build up.

for the little pods (Tisbe, etc) the only way you’ll ever see them is by stocking a flashlight against the glass and looking at the rear side (from a corner or above) and you’ll see the tiny little critters moving about.

Yea I bought mine cold from an online store, they were delivered today so I added them to my tank this afternoon.

I guess that if they’re in my filter sock it’s ok to add them back into my tank, or should I just leave them in there?

re: bio-load then I currently have 2 clownfish, 2 hermit crabs, and 2 turbo snails. I can’t see me adding live rock any time soon, as it’s quite a small tank so there’s no room really.

I’ll have a look and see if I can get a hold of some tisbe. Having a variety is a good thing I think.

Thanks to yours, and others, feedback on here about copepods, I might start to culture my own, as they seem pretty important and useful to have in a reef tank!

many thanks once again, much appreciated!

 

[Dinkins Aquatic Gardens]

I had a look and they’re Tigriopus californicus. I’m not sure that I did the right thing with them. When I got them I acclimatised them by floating the packet in my reef tank. After that I simply just emptied them directly into my tank. I have a WB 25 peninsula, so no sump or Refugium, it’s an AIO. I also forgot to remove my filter sock. The next time that I order them, would it be better for me to add them directly into my filter area after switching off my filtration, and let them kind of colonise my AIO area for say 15-20 mins before turning my pump back on?

do I need to feed them phytoplankton to keep them going too, btw?

many thanks!

​

The good news is that Tigriopus will eat detritus, so they don’t absolutely require phyto although they do love it! Phyto helps give them a more balanced diet as well.

 

[floridareeflabs]

Hello,

Yes add copepods and then add some more and get into a montly dosing schedule of adding them! Even if you have a sump and lots of rock and sand you can never have too many and they have so many benefits from eating ditritus, maco algae and other things breaking down in your system. They do "need" life phyto in our opinion dosed on a regular basis though to ensure your copepods are high in nutrients. Copepods that consume live phyto are much more nutritious then those that are only able to eat ditritus for example.