Is This A Good Setup For A Copepod and Amphipod breeding tank

WillLevantovsky · 09/04/2009, 10:41 PM

hello,

i am a complete newbie to reefcentral although i have been reading your threads for years! now that i realized that i can't live off of yahoo answers anymore i decided to join.

well, heres the thing:

i am trying a daunting task of keeping a mandarin dragonet in a 12 gallon nano.

he is currently as fat as a cigar because i have been feeding him bottled tiger pods monthly.

now the bill is racking by buying all of those pods.

so i was thinking about how to set up a sort of refugim set up that is not plumbed to the tank. ( theres no way i can do a refugim in my nano cube....

so i was thinking about bringing out the good ol' marineland all in one 5 gallon tank with lights and i filter.

in the tank, i would put live rock, mineral mud (or if you have any other suggestions as a substrate? live sand maybe?), some macro algae, chaeto, and dose the tank with phyto plankton.

then i would get a good quality pod culture (not tiger because they do not breed in tropical conditions) and seed the tank.

finally, i would add a bunch of pods to the main tank on a weekly basis for my mandarin to hunt.

do you think this setup would work? how long will it take for the population to take off? how often and how would i do water changes? do i really need to change the water with such a small bio load?

also, is there any type of small fish that i can stick in there that won't eat the pods? (just a shot in the dark on that on)

and last but not least, what it the best way to prevent the pods getting sucked into my filter intake? panty hoes?

thanks so much and lets see what this website is made of!

jenglish · 09/04/2009, 10:52 PM

HOnestly I would get a small cheapo tank (or bucket) and a air powered foam filter and be done with it. A clamp lamp with a CFL and a ball of chaeto would help. Granted you already have the marineland tank, so that makes finiancial sense in this instance.

You may want to get some plastic baskets (like they sell strawberries in) to fill with reef rubble. These will get populated with pods and you can rotate them between the main tank and your pod production tank.

ILoveReefer · 09/04/2009, 10:57 PM

Thats Really about it. If you can't breed them fast enough that way, heres another in the link provided. It's basicaly the same as the above but with the addition of phytoplankton to feed the Copepods. Higher populations can be achieved.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...3/breeder2.htm
I used to do this with great success.
BTW Welcome to RC

sedor · 09/04/2009, 11:04 PM

I would use one of the compartments in the back as a fuge and just stuff it with LR rubble and cheato. The spill from your lights should be enough to light it.

ILoveReefer · 09/04/2009, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ryandlf
I would use one of the compartments in the back as a fuge and just stuff it with LR rubble and cheato. The spill from your lights should be enough to light it.

This is a 12g were talking about. I don't think there's any way to get the DT of 12g to produce enough Copepods to feed a madarine.

WillLevantovsky · 09/04/2009, 11:18 PM

thanks everybody! but you don't think that the marineland would work? i would do everything the same excluding the filtration. and i think the marineland would look a little nicer on my desk top and i already have it. and, i LOVE the plastic crate idea and switching it between the tanks. should i ditch the marineland or is there any way i can make it work?

thanks so much! im falling in love with rc. haha

fitlerreef · 09/04/2009, 11:23 PM

Here's great info on culturing copepods:
http://www.reed-mariculture.com/copepod/

Basically you feed them algae/yeast. They are fairly slow growing (unlike rotifers, which double population every 24 hours or so).

See if your mandarin will switch over to Cyclops-Eeze (frozen or freeze dried). It will be much easier.

jenglish · 09/04/2009, 11:27 PM

I'm not completely familiar with how marineland tanks work. As long as you aren't having too much flow, can get enough light to grow chaeto, etc it should be fine I would think.

WillLevantovsky · 09/04/2009, 11:30 PM

the marineland system works like this:

the intake is like a regular HOB then the water flows over a filter pad with activated carbon (should i cut my own pad and ditch the carbon or leave the carbon in?)

and then the water flows over and spins a bio-wheel and then back into the tank.

and no, it does have some flow to it but nothing i wouldn't add a powerhead to if it was a marine tank...

ILoveReefer · 09/04/2009, 11:44 PM

If there's no fish, then no filtration is needed. Besides it would just become a trap. Just lights for the cheato, a little current, an air pump, and maybe a heater but probably not necessary.

Snakebyt · 09/05/2009, 02:08 AM

pretty interesting topic.. tagging along

WillLevantovsky · 09/05/2009, 10:18 AM

since im so new to reefcentral i have a quick question... is this thread always open? i still need some new answers and i wanted to now if i have to open a new thread again...?

thanks

ILoveReefer · 09/05/2009, 11:03 AM

I don't know if it's always open, but it will remain open for at least a few months. If everyone ignores this thread for awhile it will get buried.
Your usually best off starting a new thread if the new question is unrelated to the original question. In this case a question not related to Copepod and Amphipod breeding would best be answered in a new thread.

Nick

WillLevantovsky · 09/05/2009, 11:19 AM

thanks a lot!

09/04/2009, 10:41 PM	#1
WillLevantovsky Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Posts: 67	Is This A Good Setup For A Copepod and Amphipod breeding tank hello, i am a complete newbie to reefcentral although i have been reading your threads for years! now that i realized that i can't live off of yahoo answers anymore i decided to join. well, heres the thing: i am trying a daunting task of keeping a mandarin dragonet in a 12 gallon nano. he is currently as fat as a cigar because i have been feeding him bottled tiger pods monthly. now the bill is racking by buying all of those pods. so i was thinking about how to set up a sort of refugim set up that is not plumbed to the tank. ( theres no way i can do a refugim in my nano cube.... so i was thinking about bringing out the good ol' marineland all in one 5 gallon tank with lights and i filter. in the tank, i would put live rock, mineral mud (or if you have any other suggestions as a substrate? live sand maybe?), some macro algae, chaeto, and dose the tank with phyto plankton. then i would get a good quality pod culture (not tiger because they do not breed in tropical conditions) and seed the tank. finally, i would add a bunch of pods to the main tank on a weekly basis for my mandarin to hunt. do you think this setup would work? how long will it take for the population to take off? how often and how would i do water changes? do i really need to change the water with such a small bio load? also, is there any type of small fish that i can stick in there that won't eat the pods? (just a shot in the dark on that on) and last but not least, what it the best way to prevent the pods getting sucked into my filter intake? panty hoes? thanks so much and lets see what this website is made of! __________________ The Day That Government Accepts The Responsibility For The People; Is The Day That The People Lose Responsibility For Themselves.

09/04/2009, 10:52 PM	#2
jenglish Marquis de Carabas Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,523	HOnestly I would get a small cheapo tank (or bucket) and a air powered foam filter and be done with it. A clamp lamp with a CFL and a ball of chaeto would help. Granted you already have the marineland tank, so that makes finiancial sense in this instance. You may want to get some plastic baskets (like they sell strawberries in) to fill with reef rubble. These will get populated with pods and you can rotate them between the main tank and your pod production tank. __________________ Jeremy Brown liquor never hurt anybody “Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse" Pierre-Simon Laplace I should want to cook him a simple meal, but I shouldn't want to cut into him, to tear the flesh, to wear the flesh, to be born unto new worlds where his flesh becomes my key. Current Tank Info: broken and dry

09/04/2009, 11:04 PM	#4
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	I would use one of the compartments in the back as a fuge and just stuff it with LR rubble and cheato. The spill from your lights should be enough to light it. __________________ Ryan

09/04/2009, 11:18 PM	#6
WillLevantovsky Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Posts: 67	thanks everybody! but you don't think that the marineland would work? i would do everything the same excluding the filtration. and i think the marineland would look a little nicer on my desk top and i already have it. and, i LOVE the plastic crate idea and switching it between the tanks. should i ditch the marineland or is there any way i can make it work? thanks so much! im falling in love with rc. haha __________________ The Day That Government Accepts The Responsibility For The People; Is The Day That The People Lose Responsibility For Themselves.

09/04/2009, 11:27 PM	#8
jenglish Marquis de Carabas Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,523	I'm not completely familiar with how marineland tanks work. As long as you aren't having too much flow, can get enough light to grow chaeto, etc it should be fine I would think. __________________ Jeremy Brown liquor never hurt anybody “Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse" Pierre-Simon Laplace I should want to cook him a simple meal, but I shouldn't want to cut into him, to tear the flesh, to wear the flesh, to be born unto new worlds where his flesh becomes my key. Current Tank Info: broken and dry

09/04/2009, 10:57 PM	#3
ILoveReefer Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cheektowaga Posts: 851	Thats Really about it. If you can't breed them fast enough that way, heres another in the link provided. It's basicaly the same as the above but with the addition of phytoplankton to feed the Copepods. Higher populations can be achieved. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...3/breeder2.htm I used to do this with great success. BTW Welcome to RC

09/04/2009, 11:23 PM	#7
fitlerreef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 45	Here's great info on culturing copepods: http://www.reed-mariculture.com/copepod/ Basically you feed them algae/yeast. They are fairly slow growing (unlike rotifers, which double population every 24 hours or so). See if your mandarin will switch over to Cyclops-Eeze (frozen or freeze dried). It will be much easier.

09/04/2009, 11:30 PM	#9
WillLevantovsky Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Posts: 67	the marineland system works like this: the intake is like a regular HOB then the water flows over a filter pad with activated carbon (should i cut my own pad and ditch the carbon or leave the carbon in?) and then the water flows over and spins a bio-wheel and then back into the tank. and no, it does have some flow to it but nothing i wouldn't add a powerhead to if it was a marine tank... __________________ The Day That Government Accepts The Responsibility For The People; Is The Day That The People Lose Responsibility For Themselves.

09/04/2009, 11:44 PM	#10
ILoveReefer Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cheektowaga Posts: 851	If there's no fish, then no filtration is needed. Besides it would just become a trap. Just lights for the cheato, a little current, an air pump, and maybe a heater but probably not necessary.

09/05/2009, 02:08 AM	#11
Snakebyt Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Lubbock Tx Posts: 2,141	pretty interesting topic.. tagging along

09/05/2009, 10:18 AM	#12
WillLevantovsky Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Posts: 67	since im so new to reefcentral i have a quick question... is this thread always open? i still need some new answers and i wanted to now if i have to open a new thread again...? thanks __________________ The Day That Government Accepts The Responsibility For The People; Is The Day That The People Lose Responsibility For Themselves.

09/05/2009, 11:03 AM	#13
ILoveReefer Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cheektowaga Posts: 851	I don't know if it's always open, but it will remain open for at least a few months. If everyone ignores this thread for awhile it will get buried. Your usually best off starting a new thread if the new question is unrelated to the original question. In this case a question not related to Copepod and Amphipod breeding would best be answered in a new thread. Nick Last edited by ILoveReefer; 09/05/2009 at 11:09 AM.

09/05/2009, 11:19 AM	#14
WillLevantovsky Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Posts: 67	thanks a lot! __________________ The Day That Government Accepts The Responsibility For The People; Is The Day That The People Lose Responsibility For Themselves.