Pods

[jcarlilesiu]

I will admit that I am no pod expert, nor do I have an fish like a mandarin that requires a healthy pod population. I am not running a refugium, but will probably be installing one shortly.

When ever I use my mag float to clean the glass at the front of the tank, I kick up about 20 amphipods. So I know I have a healthy population of those. No matter what though, I never see anything smaller. Never on the glass or rocks have I noticed copepods. Is it possible I just don't have any? Can I buy the small bugs and add them?

 

[WeePee]

you can buy small bottles of them online or at most fish stores.
they come in all flavors; http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=2190+3058&pcatid=3058

ive added 2 bottles, 1 to my fuge, 1 to my display but i never see them in either

 

[Lil BamBam]

I love PODS… It will come in when you buy a frag, rock or cheato from an established tank and they will multiple like crazy. Just be careful when getting things from fellow members.. Their problem will become your problem!!!!

Just keep in mind that some POD’s can’t handle warm temps. So PODs that come in a bottle can be worth the money or not. It’s a hit or $$ loss when it comes to certain PODS in a bottle.

Do a refugium and you will be amazed on many you will see in a 1 month period
.

Time is the key!!!

 

[poidog]

MCF also breeds and sells copepods

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Great thanks everybody. The tank has been up for over a year and a half and is well established, and I have been just waiting to see if the copepods bloom, but have never seen it.

My fish now move to the bottom of the tank and watch me clean the glass with the mag float as they know I will kick-up a bunch of amphipods. Kind of funny to watch.

I will add the refugium and then look into adding some copepods.

 

[ColaAddict]

It's very hard to see copepods, so you might have a bunch and just not know. They like to hide by the rocks and very very hard to see. I would think that if you got live rocks with amphipods, you definitely should have copepods in there also. I'm also not sure if the bigger amphipods eat the smaller copepods. As Poi said, MCF sells them cheaper than online and if you save the bottle they give you, you can get refills of copepods for half the price (that's nice cause I occasionally replenish my copepod population for my mandarin).

 

[poidog]

ya, everytime I stop at MCF I bring my two jars and have them refilled (2.99 each for a refill).

 

[Smitty]

I bet you have a bunch in your tank already, you just don't see them.

 

[lunacris]

I thought the same until I looked at tank in the dark w flashlight. Boom they are everywhere. I also started a fuge a lil bit ago and they vhave went nuts in there.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

great.

Maybe once I get a fuge up and running, Ill pick some up at MCF just to be sure. Maybe they are in there, but I am not seeing them.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[DJE]

I never see them in my display tank but I know I have them cause my mandarin is nice and healthy. I do notice them in my refug and also when I clean my filter socks. I collect at least 50 or more from my filter socks and I just them back in.

 

[arioch]

I don't use a filter sock for exactly this reason. Detritus? Feh, I'll just blow it around with a powerhead in the sump every now and then.

Pods and bristles and starfish etc. are detritivores. It's good to recycle in a reef tank.