Growing Copepods Question: 10 gallon tank - HOB filter with no sponge/floss, only Seachem Matrix bag - good idea or bad idea?

[Pepper Reefer]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Is it a good idea or a bad idea to use a HOB filter on a copepod culture?

I am starting two cultures for copepods, one for tisbe biminiensis and one for tigriopus californicus (tisbe/tigger)
I planned on using two 10 gallon tanks that I have spare, as I have heard the increased surface area is good [and I'm not using the tanks for anything else!]

I have two spare Tidal 35 HOB filters - could I use these on the copepod culture tanks to provide some biological filtration?
I would not use any sponges or filter floss, only one of the nylon bags of Seachem Matrix that has been seeded from my display [note: my display does not have any copepods yet or any other organisms that could contaminate the Seachem Matrix and crash a copepod culture, knock on wood]

I know that mechanical filtration can reduce nauplii and disrupt the life cycle, making it harder for the copepod population to boom - why people may stop using their filter socks.
However if I'm not using a sponge or filter floss, only the nylon bag of Seachem Matrix, shouldn't the impact on the population / disruption be very minimal?
Where the benefits of using the HOB for biological filtration would outweigh the potential harm / disruption?

I know that copepods prefer (and can thrive in) low flow cultures - if I have the HOB on the lowest setting perhaps?

This may be a dumb question, as everyone has their copepod population growing and rotating through display to sump in their displays with no problem - I just thought I would ask here first before using my Tidal 35 HOBs on my copepod cultures, in case someone else had done so and ran into problems

Bonus question: I have heard that the copepods are not a fan of smooth glass walls where they can struggle to hold on - any tips to prevent / disrupt this? Putting live rock in the tank perhaps?

Thank you for your advice!

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Your way over thinking this one . A simple sponge filter is all you need . Your not looking to filter the water at all just provide surface area and air . Not sure where you heard the glass thing but I can tell you that's 100% false . I'm up to 400+ gallons in cultures and they are all glass . You want to get your culture dirty as the nupuli live and thrive in the mule ( I'm not spelling that right ) but it's a good thong to have .

 

[Pepper Reefer]

Your way over thinking this one . A simple sponge filter is all you need . Your not looking to filter the water at all just provide surface area and air . Not sure where you heard the glass thing but I can tell you that's 100% false . I'm up to 400+ gallons in cultures and they are all glass . You want to get your culture dirty as the nupuli live and thrive in the mule ( I'm not spelling that right ) but it's a good thong to have .

I just have the filters already, and they aren't "doing anything" - I wouldn't go out and buy a HOB for a copepod culture, but if I have them spare
Not a good idea to use them, even without filter floss / sponge?
I had read in another thread on reef2reef that they can struggle to hold onto a vertical glass surface, where taller glass jars were less ideal for culturing
I have spare sponge filters long pre-seeded that I could use instead too, if they would be better than the HOB

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Personally, I wouldn't use a hob filter cause then you have to clean it, and it really provides no benefit at all.

I just use a plastic tupperware from the dollar store, and an airstone, thats it. Anything more than that is just something else that can go wrong and that needs to be cleaned.

 

[Pepper Reefer]

Personally, I wouldn't use a hob filter cause then you have to clean it, and it really provides no benefit at all.

I just use a plastic tupperware from the dollar store, and an airstone, thats it. Anything more than that is just something else that can go wrong and that needs to be cleaned.

>provides no benefit at all
It won't help provide biological filtration? (and gentle flow?)
I'm more concerned about the culture crashing (eventually) without the filtration
I don't mind cleaning a HOB filter if it means never having the copepod culture crash! Haha.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

>provides no benefit at all
It won't help provide biological filtration? (and gentle flow?)

Perhaps, but not needed, so why bother.

Start the culture, harvest in 3-4 weeks, clean the container, and start again. its that simple.

Anything more than that, is just more effort, more to clean, and more that can go wrong. But the result will be the same,.

There is a guy on this forum (atoll?) that puts a container outdoors with a banana peal, and thats how he cultures his pods, search it out, its pretty cool

There are many different ways, but the end result is always the same, so whatever suits you best. Good luck

 

[Spicy Reef]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Is it a good idea or a bad idea to use a HOB filter on a copepod culture?

I am starting two cultures for copepods, one for tisbe biminiensis and one for tigriopus californicus (tisbe/tigger)
I planned on using two 10 gallon tanks that I have spare, as I have heard the increased surface area is good [and I'm not using the tanks for anything else!]

I have two spare Tidal 35 HOB filters - could I use these on the copepod culture tanks to provide some biological filtration?
I would not use any sponges or filter floss, only one of the nylon bags of Seachem Matrix that has been seeded from my display [note: my display does not have any copepods yet or any other organisms that could contaminate the Seachem Matrix and crash a copepod culture, knock on wood]

I know that mechanical filtration can reduce nauplii and disrupt the life cycle, making it harder for the copepod population to boom - why people may stop using their filter socks.
However if I'm not using a sponge or filter floss, only the nylon bag of Seachem Matrix, shouldn't the impact on the population / disruption be very minimal?
Where the benefits of using the HOB for biological filtration would outweigh the potential harm / disruption?

I know that copepods prefer (and can thrive in) low flow cultures - if I have the HOB on the lowest setting perhaps?

This may be a dumb question, as everyone has their copepod population growing and rotating through display to sump in their displays with no problem - I just thought I would ask here first before using my Tidal 35 HOBs on my copepod cultures, in case someone else had done so and ran into problems

Bonus question: I have heard that the copepods are not a fan of smooth glass walls where they can struggle to hold on - any tips to prevent / disrupt this? Putting live rock in the tank perhaps?

Thank you for your advice!

If ur starting 2 cultures, do one w/ HOB and one with Sponge. I would b very interested in your data

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

>provides no benefit at all
It won't help provide biological filtration? (and gentle flow?)
I'm more concerned about the culture crashing (eventually) without the filtration
I don't mind cleaning a HOB filter if it means never having the copepod culture crash! Haha.

Your not looking for really any type of filtration or flow this is counter productive. These are cultures not permanent systems they are ment to be harvested an re booted. Not to mention your bio media would just become clogged with mulm quickly. NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO you will have a crash at some point it's all apart of the cultivating experience .