Harvesting Copepods from an Algae Scrubber

[Jake Martensen]

Howdy, I have an algae scrubber. Every week or two I take out the screen and cut off 90% of the algae. This yields at least a quart size baggie of algae loaded with copepods. I toss the algae in the trash but I hate losing all the pods that I could be putting in my tank. Anyone have a suggestion of how to harvest the copepods from the mass of algae before I toss it in the trash? I have put it in a pasta strainer in a bowl of tank water and swished it around and gotten a fair amount of pods but was wondering if others had suggestions. Thanks!!

 

[ThePurple12]

I always just shake the screen in the tank before scraping it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I get the same. Simply immerse the screen and agitate in in a shallow pan and poor thru a net over toilet and release the captured pods back to sump

 

[Garf]

Amphipods or Copepods? What are they eating, decaying algae? Hardly ever saw anything apart from healthy algae on my waterfall.

 

[Hermie]

Amphipods or Copepods? What are they eating, decaying algae? Hardly ever saw anything apart from healthy algae on my waterfall.

because they are masters at disguise

 

[afboundguy]

How big is your tank? If it's a large tank I wouldn't really be concerned too much as your set up is easily sustaining a population if they are there every time you clean the scrubber.