How to ensure constant level of Copepods

[Fisherman Joe]

Hi all.

My 600L (130G) tank is a year old now and I’ve noticed a decline in the number of Copepods.

I have a refugium in the bottom and I recall seeing lots and lots of critters in there a while back. Now there isn’t so much.

I can only presume that the tank has matured and there aren’t as many easy meals for the Pods.

My mandarin goby was nice and plump a few months back. He looks skinny now with a pinched stomach.

Any advice?

I was thinking of ensuring in dosing fresh phyto more often to feed the bottom of the food chain.

 

[Crustaceon]

You can either add more pods and continue to periodically restock the population because IME, even a refugium won’t generate enough pods to keep a mandarin. Dragonets eat them faster than they can breed.

Or you can get a pipet, shut off your pumps for twenty minutes and try to entice your mandarin with some frozen brine shrimp or even better, nutramar ova (if you can find it). Don’t bother with frozen cyclops or similar.

 

[Crustaceon]

You can either add more pods and continue to periodically restock the population because IME, even a refugium won’t generate enough pods to keep a mandarin.

Or you can get a pipet, shut off your pumps for twenty minutes and try to entice your mandarin with some frozen brine shrimp or even better, nutramar ova (if you can find it). Don’t bother with frozen cyclops or similar.

 

[ScottB]

Hi all.

My 600L (130G) tank is a year old now and I’ve noticed a decline in the number of Copepods.

I have a refugium in the bottom and I recall seeing lots and lots of critters in there a while back. Now there isn’t so much.

I can only presume that the tank has matured and there aren’t as many easy meals for the Pods.

My mandarin goby was nice and plump a few months back. He looks skinny now with a pinched stomach.

Any advice?

I was thinking of ensuring in dosing fresh phyto more often to feed the bottom of the food chain.

I am kinda in the same boat. I have had my Mandarin for 3+ years and all was good until I decided to rip up my overgrown aquascape and reduce my rock in the display by 30-40%. That seemed to do two things:
a) destabilized the biome and kicked off a modest cyano bloom
b) I think the bloom really reduced my pod population.

Is dosing PHYTO to the tank viable? Or do I just need to buy live pods?

 

[Aggro]

I am kinda in the same boat. I have had my Mandarin for 3+ years and all was good until I decided to rip up my overgrown aquascape and reduce my rock in the display by 30-40%. That seemed to do two things:
a) destabilized the biome and kicked off a modest cyano bloom
b) I think the bloom really reduced my pod population.

Is dosing PHYTO to the tank viable? Or do I just need to buy live pods?

I think a lot of people will generaqlly cultivate pods and then just replenish every so often to make sure the stock stays healthy or even cultivate another refugium in a 5g buckut with pods that way instead of having to buy stock constantly all you have to by is the phyto to feed the 5g bucket and youre able to replenish you sump refugium with stuff from your other one

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I think a lot of people will generaqlly cultivate pods and then just replenish every so often to make sure the stock stays healthy or even cultivate another refugium in a 5g buckut with pods that way instead of having to buy stock constantly all you have to by is the phyto to feed the 5g bucket and youre able to replenish you sump refugium with stuff from your other one

I was wondering about bucket breeding pods. My tank is well stocked at the moment but I’m adding extra pods to make sure my girl stays well fed. I was wondering if I should start a farm with some in a bucket and some chaeto

 

[Bob Escher]

I repopulated mine. To be honest I could buy the 5600 from algae barn put them in one night and the next morning I can’t tell where they are or really see any. Bu my dragonet is going on four years old and is as plumb as ever

 

[Aggro]

I was wondering about bucket breeding pods. My tank is well stocked at the moment but I’m adding extra pods to make sure my girl stays well fed. I was wondering if I should start a farm with some in a bucket and some chaeto

that's the way ive seen lfs do it and heard of som doing it and honestly it makes sense a 5g bucket with fuge light air stone pods and chaeto just drill holes in the bucket lid for air circulation

 

[Fisherman Joe]

I live in the UK and Mangroves and more will send you a packet of Copepods a week for 3 months for £29.99.

Works well but the Mandarin is still getting thin.

he will eat brine shrimp but so will everything else, so he’s fighting for food out of the pipette.

I bought a large glass funnel, if I trap him in that I can pipette food in the top but it’s not often I can trap him.

 

[R.Weller]

Absolutely you can easily cultivate live phyto & copepods to continuously feed your reef. After some trial & error, we managed to grow our own phyto, making it very convenient & cost effective to add this to our daily maintenance plan. Based on the size of our system (~425 gallons), we have been dosing 100ml of live phyto daily for the last few months. We are also using this for copepods. We‘ve grown 3 gallons of Pods from a single 16oz bottle feeding on phyto alone. We keep a second copepod culture in a separate 16oz bottle in the event that the first crashes.

The basic tools include an air pump, plastic water bottles, air line splitter (manifold or tees), check valve, gate valve(s) to adjust airflow, a cheap LED grow bulb (9 watts) & live starter cultures. The only other variable is time, allowing nature to run it’s course. The DIY community here on R2R has several threads that provide details on how to get started.

With the right knowledge, it’s very straightforward, cheap, & rewarding to watch the tank respond to live food being added to the system. Enjoy your build.

 

[Fisherman Joe]

I like having an automated aquarium where possible I dose most of my food.

I wonder how much hands on time there is to setup phyto and pod cultures. Plus I don’t have much room.

 

[R.Weller]

I like having an automated aquarium where possible I dose most of my food.

I wonder how much hands on time there is to setup phyto and pod cultures. Plus I don’t have much room.

You noted that you already have a refugium above. Do you already have a grow light running on a reverse schedule? If you have room to stand 2 or 3 500ml - 1L bottles under your light then you have enough room & you already have much of what you need to get started.

As far as time, you will split the phyto culture every 7 - 8 days & feed the Pods daily. Splitting involves either 1/2 of clean saltwater or tank water & half bottle of phyto. It’s fantastically simple.