Reef fish and copods

[RogerWilco357]

Is there A paticular copod that is preferred for the Reef tank ..I know that certain fish like to eat the copods like wrasse and dragonettes but is there A preferred copod ? One that benefits both fish and the reef tank? I would like to seed my tank with some so I am asking what you do you use as far as copods go?

 

[CJO]

I would say that the Tisbe sp. copepod would be the preferred one. I also like the Tigriopus Californicus (such as Tigger Pods). The Tiggr Pods are bigger and most fish love them, but they also stay in the water column as adults so they don't last very long in an aquarium. The Tisbe sp. are benthic (the stay in the rockwork and substrate) so they have a much better chance of surviving and procreating in an aquarium.

CJ

 

[Captain Nemo]

I would like to know where to get thses from? I have only seen the reefpods at the LFS, and you dont get many in that little package.

 

[CJO]

IIRC, Reef Pods contain Tisbe sp. Another soure is from Dr. Adelaide at www.oceanpods.com, but you will have to pay for shipping. You probably get more than you think as the adults are pretty small and the juveniles are almost microscopic. Another option is to culture them yourself, which is what I do.

CJ

 

[nixer]

IIRC, Reef Pods contain Tisbe sp. Another soure is from Dr. Adelaide at www.oceanpods.com, but you will have to pay for shipping. You probably get more than you think as the adults are pretty small and the juveniles are almost microscopic. Another option is to culture them yourself, which is what I do.

CJ

is that also what dt's pods are?

 

[RogerWilco357]

so you grow your own pods in there own tank setup is that difficult?

 

[Wy Renegade]

I would say that the Tisbe sp. copepod would be the preferred one. I also like the Tigriopus Californicus (such as Tigger Pods). The Tiggr Pods are bigger and most fish love them, but they also stay in the water column as adults so they don't last very long in an aquarium. The Tisbe sp. are benthic (the stay in the rockwork and substrate) so they have a much better chance of surviving and procreating in an aquarium.

CJ

Hey CJ, somewhere I had read that the Tiger pods are an arctic species, which is why they typically do not last well or reproduce within our tanks. Can you verify that?

 

[CJO]

is that also what dt's pods are?

I'm not sure, I haven't looked at them.

CJ

 

[CJO]

so you grow your own pods in there own tank setup is that difficult?

I grow them in a 5-gallon bucket. It's not too hard, but if you are going to grow a lot, you should also grow your own phytoplankton to save money. I'm growing 3 types of phytoplankton right now to feed the copepods- Nannochloropsis occulata, Isocrysis galbana (Tahitian strain) and Thalasiosira weissflogii (hope I spelled all those right, going on memory).

CJ

 

[CJO]

Hey CJ, somewhere I had read that the Tiger pods are an arctic species, which is why they typically do not last well or reproduce within our tanks. Can you verify that?

That is not true. Tigger pods are Tigriopus californicus and are very adaptive. They live everywhere from cooler climates to tropical climates. Tigger Pods are grown by Reef Nutrition in a very warm climate. I am also raising them myself in 80oF water.

There was a paper written a while back that said that the male/female ratio changed from 50/50 to 51/49 (or 49/51) when the water temps got high, but that's not enough to really affect their reproductive rate.

CJ

 

[Wy Renegade]

That is not true. Tigger pods are Tigriopus californicus and are very adaptive. They live everywhere from cooler climates to tropical climates. Tigger Pods are grown by Reef Nutrition in a very warm climate. I am also raising them myself in 80oF water.

There was a paper written a while back that said that the male/female ratio changed from 50/50 to 51/49 (or 49/51) when the water temps got high, but that's not enough to really affect their reproductive rate.

CJ

Cool, thank you! So with proper acclimation they should easily do fine in the normal reef tank. The issue with keep them long term based on what you stated above then is simply that they don't hid like others so they are easily picked off by the fish. True of both adults and immatures or just the adults?

 

[Hyprviperx]

i used tigger pods and reef pods (copepods), i have heard some people say that larger amphipods nibble on corals but i personally havent seen this. i also dont know if they could have been seeing the amphipods eating a dying or necrotic piece

 

[Hyprviperx]

Hey CJ, somewhere I had read that the Tiger pods are an arctic species, which is why they typically do not last well or reproduce within our tanks. Can you verify that?

i know the cyclopeze is an arctic species of pods and theyre red also. i use frozen cyclopeze to camouflage my tigger pods when i inoculate the tank so the liveys arent picked off immediately

 

[Wy Renegade]

i know the cyclopeze is an arctic species of pods and theyre red also. i use frozen cyclopeze to camouflage my tigger pods when i inoculate the tank so the liveys arent picked off immediately

Now that is an excellent tidbit right there! Thank you for that very insightful tip; I never even considered doing something like that, I just keep dumping those expensive bottle of tigger pods into the sump hoping they will establish there.

 

[Hyprviperx]

thank you, i figured that out after going through a few 26$ bottles

 

[CJO]

Cool, thank you! So with proper acclimation they should easily do fine in the normal reef tank. The issue with keep them long term based on what you stated above then is simply that they don't hid like others so they are easily picked off by the fish. True of both adults and immatures or just the adults?

It is just the adults. They go through a juvenile phase where they are benthic.

i know the cyclopeze is an arctic species of pods and theyre red also. i use frozen cyclopeze to camouflage my tigger pods when i inoculate the tank so the liveys arent picked off immediately

Another option is to add them at night, which is what I do.. less NO3 that way :)

CJ

 

[Hyprviperx]

i added them at night but the mandarin is usually awake and picks them off and the moon lights almost highlight them in the water... thats why i started using the cyclo