Collecting amphipods/copepod
- Thread starter paytonv
- Start date
RicksReefs
New member
head for the coast with a bucket. pick up an algae covered rock from the indian/banana river/mosquito lagoon and shake/swirl it in a half bucket of water. you'll have all the pods you want in less than a 1/2 hour.
sift the results for mini crabs and such.
sift the results for mini crabs and such.
Versus
New member
There are a few decent areas but bring your booties and make sure to zombie walk through the sand . Stingray barbs hurt heh.
Go down 50 till it dead ends , take a left . mile up the road on the right there is a small park with a dock . Do not step in from the shore there . The water is stagnant with dead fish , birds etc.. just take a dip a few feet up take a rock and dip it a few times in a bucket you will get what you need .
The blood worms are fine too but remove the crabs .
You can also do this right where 50 ends , you take left again and a few feet to the right you can park in this grass area.. going in from there tends to be a little cleaner .
The better spots if you want snails etc and cleaner water . Bring 1. Hat 2. Buffs or sunscreen 3. good wading shoes again .
Take the left at the end of 50 again but go way down towards the space center .. ( youll need to make a right eventually . its right past a burger king on the right and cvs on the left ) take that road go over the drawbridge and eventually you will hit the 4 way stop .
To the right is directly into kennedy space center , straight is playalinda and left is towards some boat ramps etc , haulover canal blah blah.
If you go into playalinda its like 7 bucks ( i dunno i have a yearly pass ) and go down several lots. eventually on your left there will be a place for parking and a small dock .. you can walk around there and get them too.
Go down 50 till it dead ends , take a left . mile up the road on the right there is a small park with a dock . Do not step in from the shore there . The water is stagnant with dead fish , birds etc.. just take a dip a few feet up take a rock and dip it a few times in a bucket you will get what you need .
The blood worms are fine too but remove the crabs .
You can also do this right where 50 ends , you take left again and a few feet to the right you can park in this grass area.. going in from there tends to be a little cleaner .
The better spots if you want snails etc and cleaner water . Bring 1. Hat 2. Buffs or sunscreen 3. good wading shoes again .
Take the left at the end of 50 again but go way down towards the space center .. ( youll need to make a right eventually . its right past a burger king on the right and cvs on the left ) take that road go over the drawbridge and eventually you will hit the 4 way stop .
To the right is directly into kennedy space center , straight is playalinda and left is towards some boat ramps etc , haulover canal blah blah.
If you go into playalinda its like 7 bucks ( i dunno i have a yearly pass ) and go down several lots. eventually on your left there will be a place for parking and a small dock .. you can walk around there and get them too.
chrisstie
Premium Member
Be careful with the local stuff. When I used to work at an LFS I heard stories of people getting bacterial blooms and all kinds of nasty stuff from macro algae and just generally stuff from the polluted shorelines.
If you must collect locally I'd suggest finding a pass or ocean coastline where there is lots of flow and a good chance clean water has come by on an incoming tide so you can at least lower your chances of mixing any yuck with your stock.
Its not a huge issue to mix species from different areas you can tell usually if a blenny will get along with something else regardless of where its from, but when you get into microorganisms it can unfortunately be a whole other ballgame.
Best of luck, and don't forget that if you want to support local LFS most of them sell live cultured pods, too.
If you must collect locally I'd suggest finding a pass or ocean coastline where there is lots of flow and a good chance clean water has come by on an incoming tide so you can at least lower your chances of mixing any yuck with your stock.
Its not a huge issue to mix species from different areas you can tell usually if a blenny will get along with something else regardless of where its from, but when you get into microorganisms it can unfortunately be a whole other ballgame.
Best of luck, and don't forget that if you want to support local LFS most of them sell live cultured pods, too.
Versus
New member
Re: pods
Re: pods
Well in that case , The draw bridge i told you about ( max brewer memorial pkwy . Take a right down that road . about 1/4 a mile you will hit the first lil dingy bridge before the bridge and some parking .
Just park there on the right. and wade under the bridge there ( clear water , sandy not mucky ) Crap ton of sting rays watch your feet and shuffle.
Re: pods
Well in that case , The draw bridge i told you about ( max brewer memorial pkwy . Take a right down that road . about 1/4 a mile you will hit the first lil dingy bridge before the bridge and some parking .
Just park there on the right. and wade under the bridge there ( clear water , sandy not mucky ) Crap ton of sting rays watch your feet and shuffle.
CHOMPERS MFK
New member
Thanks for posting those locations. Are there any places to launch a canoe? I have been to the park north of 50, but I'm not too familiar with the other places. They sound familiar. I grew up on Merritt Island so you would think I knew the place better. I moved to Orlando when I was 13 so it is all a distant memory.
iFisch
New member
I've heard good stuff about this company. It seems there's a larger company that distributes the stuff, as I've seen identical bags with the same "name" of stuff.
http://www.reefscavengers.com/
They're in FL, ship overnight for $8, and for $20 you're guaranteed 200 live copepods.
I'd much rather try that first, then go collecting, because you could spend $10 in gas, depending on where you are in Orlando, just to get to the coast. And come home with nothing.
However it's much cooler to say, "hey, somethings in my tank, I HAND collected".
http://www.reefscavengers.com/
They're in FL, ship overnight for $8, and for $20 you're guaranteed 200 live copepods.
I'd much rather try that first, then go collecting, because you could spend $10 in gas, depending on where you are in Orlando, just to get to the coast. And come home with nothing.
However it's much cooler to say, "hey, somethings in my tank, I HAND collected".
iFisch
New member
Also, becareful of the alligators. Seriously.
Titusville used to be my second home.. just look. If you head over to Merritt Island, becareful. Those gators, about 2 dozen of them, cross the street all the time and enter the lagoon.
6:40am -
7:05am-
NASA Launch pads - 5 miles away
'Da Gata - about 5-6 feet or so.
21" Sea Trout - caught from my kayak.
Just thought I'd share a few pictures. Sorry for the OT.
Titusville used to be my second home.. just look. If you head over to Merritt Island, becareful. Those gators, about 2 dozen of them, cross the street all the time and enter the lagoon.
6:40am -
7:05am-
NASA Launch pads - 5 miles away
'Da Gata - about 5-6 feet or so.
21" Sea Trout - caught from my kayak.
Just thought I'd share a few pictures. Sorry for the OT.
Versus
New member
Yeah to avoid like all the mucky bottom and stuff just launch from eddy creek ( inside the national sea shore / playalinda ) its the only ramp there and will be on the left ( not a lot of lefts in there but its going to be your second one , you will see the parking spots .. as the first left is the back "dont get busted but kinda a free entrance" biolab road.
Most gators are on the back cuts and such you do not have to worry about them too much in eddy creek . only real danger is stepping on a ray.
DJChesnutRabbit
New member
I know this post is a bit old, but I launch my boat at Riverfront Park in Oak Hill. I see kayaks and canoes launch from there all the time and best of all it's F-R-E-E, freeeee. If you launch from there, your a mile or 2 from the north side of Mosquito Lagoon. Just head south. Or, if your in a canoe or kayak, you can just go a few yards across the channel in to all the spoil islands and eddies, where I see lots of small craft go.
