Any suggestions on how to salvage copepods that are in your filter sock?

[Armand9601]

I just changed out my filter sock and noticed there were a ton of copepods in there - many more than I recall seeing in the past.

My dilemma is I would like to save them to feed my mandarin - it honestly looked like a buffet in there. I ended up cutting up my filter sock and scraping out as many as possible but this could get pretty expensive!

Any ideas of how to get them out peacefully would be appreciated

 

[Tremelle]

Couldn't you just turn it inside out and shake or scrape them off into a container? Or you could turn it inside out and dunk it into a container filled with some tank water.

 

[humaguy]

first I place the socks upside down in a 5 gallon bucket and many fall out then I pick them out by hand and dump them back into the tank...worth the time spent...

 

[ace_92101]

That's why I go sockless!

 

[humaguy]

they remove a crazy amount of waste...

 

[ace_92101]

they remove a crazy amount of waste...

Very true. It's almost an either or type of thing.

 

[humaguy]

what do you run?

 

[ace_92101]

what do you run?

Refugium, two part and skimmer only.

 

[humaguy]

I do the same plus socks...socks rock...you should add socks...

 

[ace_92101]

I do the same plus socks...socks rock...you should add socks...

If I could figure out how to keep all the critters flowing thru the system I'd do it.

 

[humaguy]

direct only part of the water thru a sock...
not sure what you mean...

 

[ace_92101]

direct only part of the water thru a sock...
not sure what you mean...

That's a thought. I want maximum pods and biodiversity. I do have dual overflow drains, so your idea would work for me.

 

[Rbs07fxstc]

I change out socks & flip dirty dock over & let sit in a bucket about 10 min & they all try to drop down into water. Then I dump the water & pods into sump.

 

[TankStudy]

I change out socks & flip dirty dock over & let sit in a bucket about 10 min & they all try to drop down into water. Then I dump the water & pods into sump.

I do the same. As the sock starts to dry out they jump further down the sock. Eventually into the bucket.

 

[humaguy]

socks won't stop all pods from circulating throughout the system, and, lol, pods do love the outsides of the socks too...

 

[Dmorty217]

I always dump whatever is collected in the socks back into the sump

 

[humaguy]

and sometimes I dump it back into the tank...the fish love them...

 

[Csorime]

that's why i go sockless!

+1

 

[Armand9601]

I ended up cutting up a sock to salvage some pods - not exactly economical but it got me some good pod-karma. Sounds like hanging the sock upside down & letting them drop out is going to be my best bet

 

[leveldrummer]

put a peice of eggcrate across your sump over the return chamber, when you remove a sock, lay it across the egg crate (or stand it up on the ring if the dirt wont fall out), and let the water drain out, as they get dry, the pods will bail out into the return section and go for a ride into the display.