How Can I Collect Enough Copepods From My Nano Tank to Start a Culture?

[livinlifeinBKK]

Hey guys, I posted on here something similar earlier around noon here (Bangkok) because I forgot about the time difference. I have a nano tank with no fish atm and would like to pair a male and female ruby red dragonet together to add. I know that I'm going to need pod cultures and I'll possibly put together a non connected refugium. Because of import laws, I'm unable to order live pods from anywhere foreign so I plan to start my culture with pods from my main tank. Any good ideas on how to collect them? How many would be enough to start a successful culture?

 

[lelandmarine]

I don’t think you need many to start a culture, You might just take a couple of pieces rock out and shake them or if you have any Chaeto you could do the same. Good luck. There was a really nice article on copepod culture recently on reef2reef. you could search for it. It might have some ideas

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I don’t think you need many to start a culture, You might just take a couple of pieces rock out and shake them or if you have any Chaeto you could do the same. Good luck. There was a really nice article on copepod culture recently on reef2reef. you could search for it. It might have some ideas

I appreciate the response...(thought I'd get a lot of responses on that). But do you think keeping a male/female pair of ruby red dragonets in about a 12 gallon tank is plausible as long as I'm culturing pods (they're literally my favorite fish)? Tisbe pods reproduce exponentially under the right conditions and I'm the kind of guy that when I set a project like culturing, I really get into the research and dig in. My only hindrance is my small apartment or this would NOT be a nano tank!

 

[lelandmarine]

I hope someone else comments on the red dragonets and tank size

 

[laverda]

I will say 12 gallons is going to be a challenge to keep enough pods for 2 dragonets. Tisbe are very small, making them a goof food source. However, I have never seen any come off my live rock or in my filter socks even though I have added them to my tank on several occasions. I am not saying you don’t have any, but I think you will have a hard time collecting them. I would see if anyone local to you has some you could get a starter culture from.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I will say 12 gallons is going to be a challenge to keep enough pods for 2 dragonets. Tisbe are very small, making them a goof food source. However, I have never seen any come off my live rock or in my filter socks even though I have added them to my tank on several occasions. I am not saying you don’t have any, but I think you will have a hard time collecting them. I would see if anyone local to you has some you could get a starter culture from.

Before adding the fish I'm going to find that out...I know I have a good population in my tank now because of the sheer number i find on the glass (that supply would quickly run out though)...I'm trying today to start a culture from the tank and after that I'll see how subsequent cultures go...If I had the demand, I would be fine with having multiple cultures...need to see how this experiment turns out first though...

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Ya you've got your work cut out for you at 12 gallons.. I personally wouldn't attempt it. But if your gonna go for it then get a few pod cultures going (I just shake out my chaeto into the culture container) and hatch some baby brine shrimp. Oh and definitely build a brine shrimp feeder

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Ya you've got your work cut out for you at 12 gallons.. I personally wouldn't attempt it. But if your gonna go for it then get a few pod cultures going (I just shake out my chaeto into the culture container) and hatch some baby brine shrimp. Oh and definitely build a brine shrimp feeder

I have a good bit of room in empty cabinets under my sink area and I could set up a good little operation there...maybe even a non connected refugium...

 

[John08007]

My local fish store used a sponge. I would drop one in your tank with pods, leave it there for a week and they will call it home, then transfer it over.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

My local fish store used a sponge. I would drop one in your tank with pods, leave it there for a week and they will call it home, then transfer it over.

I was thinking about that actually because I think they're attracted to bright yellow...

 

[Crashnt24]

You can also try your hand at finding those fish already trained to eat frozen. I always have had great success with getting mandarins trained on frozen by using blood worms mixed in with other frozen foods mixed well. The mandarins loved the blood worms then eventually started eating other frozen foods because it was all mixed together.

 

[CubsFan]

This isn’t simply reef keeping. This is a science experiment. You could do it, but it’s going to take due diligence every single day and multiple breeding stations. It’s not my style of reefing, but we’re all a little different when it comes to the title “reef keeper” or whatever we call it.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

You can also try your hand at finding those fish already trained to eat frozen. I always have had great success with getting mandarins trained on frozen by using blood worms mixed in with other frozen foods mixed well. The mandarins loved the blood worms then eventually started eating other frozen foods because it was all mixed together.

I love the idea but for me it would be more difficult since in Bangkok they don't bother doing anything with the fish but sell 'em asap...I know all dragonettes are finicky eaters and since no shop would really bother unless i was paying them, I'd be the one training and if I wasn't successful, I'd be kinda stuck...but in the future I'd love to give it a shot!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

This isn’t simply reef keeping. This is a science experiment. You could do it, but it’s going to take due diligence every single day and multiple breeding stations. It’s not my style of reefing, but we’re all a little different when it comes to the title “reef keeper” or whatever we call it.

Well it's reef keeping and ALSO trying something challenging, and being a university student very interested in this hobby and science I'll try it out.

 

[bluprntguy]

When you vaccum your gravel or do a water change, just save the water and add phyto.

 

[Jonify]

This is possible! But it is very, very hard. A 12G nano on its own can't sustain the copepod levels you would need to feed one dragonet, much less a pair. But if you want to try regardless, you can culture a massive colony on your own and then add them to your tank frequently. Get started here. A note of caution: this will require a lot of work, all the time. And if you skip some feedings because life gets in the way (as is understandable) know your dragonets will suffer.

 

[Hermie]

Yes but you will contaminate the experiment if you use tank water/rock/anything. There are tons of microbial life forms that will compete with your copepods unless you start with a very clean, "single organism" setup. (I mean clean as in nothing that will compete w/ the copepods for food source/space).

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

This is possible! But it is very, very hard. A 12G nano on its own can't sustain the copepod levels you would need to feed one dragonet, much less a pair. But if you want to try regardless, you can culture a massive colony on your own and then add them to the tank. Get started here.

Thanks for the link! I would actually like to eventually grow this into a mid-large scale pod production so I can supply others as well. I won't get the fish until the cultures are sustainable so even if it fails, I just restart.

 

[CubsFan]

Well it's reef keeping and ALSO trying something challenging, and being a university student very interested in this hobby and science I'll try it out.

Check out paulb’s feeding set ups. He’s kind of a legend if you haven’t come across him yet. He knows how to keep fish fat.

 

[bluprntguy]

Yes but you will contaminate the experiment if you use tank water/rock/anything. There are tons of microbial life forms that will compete with your copepods unless you start with a very clean, "single organism" setup. (I mean clean as in nothing that will compete w/ the copepods for food source/space).

Sorry, not true. I’ve got pod cultures that are a year old that were started from tank water.