Adding Tisbe Copepods Tonight

[Reef Frog]

Tisbe Copepods by Algagen Corp.

Anyone try establishing a better copepod population with Tisbe pods? My LFS just started carrying some products from Algagen so I picked up a package of Tisbe. Anybody have success with them? I figured it's worth a shot at $15. I think I remember reading they are fairly hardy.

I'm temperature acclimating them now at 80F after sitting around all day at a room temperature of 72F. After the lights go out I plan to mix the package water with tank water and squirt the mix behind the rocks and on the sand bed with a turkey baster. The package was made on 10/28/15 so I assume it's fresh & viable.

I am probably going to reduce skimming & remove mechanical filtration for a few days. Also thinking of just doing a minimal flow tonight so the pods aren't swinging around the tank like Dorothy on her way to Oz, so my corals don't have a chance to eat a large number. The idea is to give them a chance to move throughout the tank and establish themselves. My goal is to be able to keep a small dragonette like a scooter blenny or ruby red dragonette. Luckily I have a small fish load with fish that don't seem to peck at rocks or in the sand.

Any tips on giving the pods a head start and keep them going in good numbers? I run a clean mature tank & have been skimming wet, use GFO & have been reducing detritus lately.

Did the Tisbe pods from Algagen work for you?

 

[chefbill]

I used to use them in my biocube, more as a treat for the livestock rather than a goal of establishing a colony. But if the hitch hikers from inverts and corals are enough to potentiallly start a colony, why wouldn't a pure strain intentionally added be even better?

Unless they are dead and rotted, can't see a downside.

A few live rocks traded amongst your local club members, or even live sand, would add the biodiversity you want, though with some added risk of pests.

 

[KingTriton1]

Yes. They are extremely hardy.

That said I like to have them overnighted directly from the manufacturer to insure the highest quality. Not sure whether or not it really matters but I like to do this. Ive seen LFS have them on the shelves for over a months time. I just don't believe they are alive at that point in time.

 

[Reef Frog]

Can adult Tisbe pods be seen with the naked eye on sand or mature live rock? Or even with a standard magnifying glass? The only time I can ever see copepods of any type is when I put an eShopps acrylic frag rack in my tank.

There is a thin film of water between the aquarium glass and the black smoked acrylic. I can usually see a few dozen pods there at night with a flashlight after it's been up for a day. Since the pods are tiny & semi transparent I need the contrast to see them. The magnets on the thing have rotted out so I can't use it anymore.

Any ideas on how to confirm you have a decent copepod population?

Is live phytoplankton really a useful method to build & sustain colepod populations? If phyto works for this, what & how do you feed? Would freeze dried or dead phytoplankton be useful for building up a larger population?

Any info or tales of your experiences are much appreciated. Also, thanks for the replies above.