copepods ?

JJIM · 01/03/2010, 08:24 PM

Is it good to seed new aquariums with copepods along with the CUC after the cycle? If so, is there a ratio that one should look for per gallon. I have a 28 gallon, so would buying 500 and getting 500 free be too much? Thanks!

bertoni · 01/03/2010, 09:54 PM

Copepods are small, so seeding 1000 seems fine. I wouldn't worry much about tank size, actually. Larger tanks would just take longer to become fully colonized.

JJIM · 01/04/2010, 09:46 AM

Bertoni, is it always a good practice to seed with copepods even when your fish may or may not eat them?

thegrun · 01/04/2010, 10:28 AM

In all the tanks I have set up, pods have always hitchhiked into the tank on my live rock so I have never had to introduce them. If this is a new tank, wait a few weeks into the cycle and then check the tank at night with a flashlight, you will be amazed at what comes out when the lights are off. Chances are strong that you will have pods already in the tank and there is no need to introduce more.

lwolfe44 · 01/04/2010, 01:19 PM

what do pods look like at night and where should someone look for them

JJIM · 01/04/2010, 01:32 PM

Don't the pods die during the cycle with the high ammonia and nitrites?

bertoni · 01/04/2010, 02:14 PM

Some small animals will die during transport, but some seem to make it through. Given the cost of a copepod culture, I always add one for diversity. Copepods are good cleanup crew, so I'm glad to have some in my system.

Frogmanx82 · 01/04/2010, 05:39 PM

Adding pods before you have pod predators would be good. Be sure to add phytoplankton several times a week to get them going.

01/03/2010, 08:24 PM	#1
JJIM Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: U.S Posts: 540	copepods ? Is it good to seed new aquariums with copepods along with the CUC after the cycle? If so, is there a ratio that one should look for per gallon. I have a 28 gallon, so would buying 500 and getting 500 free be too much? Thanks! __________________ James

01/03/2010, 09:54 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Copepods are small, so seeding 1000 seems fine. I wouldn't worry much about tank size, actually. Larger tanks would just take longer to become fully colonized. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/04/2010, 09:46 AM	#3
JJIM Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: U.S Posts: 540	Bertoni, is it always a good practice to seed with copepods even when your fish may or may not eat them? __________________ James Last edited by JJIM; 01/04/2010 at 10:09 AM.

01/04/2010, 01:32 PM	#6
JJIM Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: U.S Posts: 540	Don't the pods die during the cycle with the high ammonia and nitrites? __________________ James

01/04/2010, 02:14 PM	#7
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Some small animals will die during transport, but some seem to make it through. Given the cost of a copepod culture, I always add one for diversity. Copepods are good cleanup crew, so I'm glad to have some in my system. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/04/2010, 10:28 AM	#4
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	In all the tanks I have set up, pods have always hitchhiked into the tank on my live rock so I have never had to introduce them. If this is a new tank, wait a few weeks into the cycle and then check the tank at night with a flashlight, you will be amazed at what comes out when the lights are off. Chances are strong that you will have pods already in the tank and there is no need to introduce more.

01/04/2010, 01:19 PM	#5
lwolfe44 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: palmyra pa Posts: 104	what do pods look like at night and where should someone look for them

01/04/2010, 05:39 PM	#8
Frogmanx82 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 1,515	Adding pods before you have pod predators would be good. Be sure to add phytoplankton several times a week to get them going. __________________ Exodus 8:2 Check my homepage for tank pics and details. Current Tank Info: 90 gallon, 2x maxspect R420R LED, 4 Ocellaris Clowns, Yellow Eye Kole Tang, Flame Angel, Foxface Rabbitfish, Banggai Cardinals, Azure Damsel, rock flower anemone, cleaner shrimp, serpent star