Copepod Cultures

The large "Tiger Pods" or Tigriopus sp. and Acartia tonsa are called Calanoid copepods I believe. They can be cultivated but are harder for reasons like they require a specific type of phytoplankton and for the case of Tiger pods, they normally live in somewhat cooler waters. I believe Mysidopsis bahia, Nitokra lacustris and Tisbe sp. are called Harpacticoid Cultures which are smaller than Calanoid copepods but are easier to breed living in warmer waters and less picky on what food they will eat. There are many places which sell a mix of unspecified Harpacticoid copepod species. There are also places which sell bottles of a single species.

Here are some websites:

http://www.seafarm.com/copepod/

https://livecopepods.com/zencart/

http://www.ipsf.com/

http://www.essentiallivefeeds.com/

http://www.aquaculturestore.com/index.html
 
Seeding a refugium is reportedly more successful when Harpacticoid copepods are used. I have not had much luck with starting a population of copepods by just releasing a bottle's worth into the refugium in a single dose all at once. I find its much better to have a living and breeding culture separate from the aquarium that produces copepods consistently and in large enough numbers so that a percentage of them can be released into the aquarium or refugium at numerous intervals instead of a single addition. This seems to be much more effective and much more reliable at establishing a consistent population of Harpacticoid copepods.

If you are using the pods mainly for feeding mandarins, breeding and establishing a separate culture of Harpacticoid copepods for populating the display tank or target feeding is still worthwhile. However, most people are culturing Calanoid copepods, like Tigger Pods, which is somewhat harder, but still possible. It is a little harder still to try and populate the DT or refugium with them because of the difference in water temperature. They mostly target feed the cultured Calanoid copepods to the mandarins and other plantivores directly and just stick to culturing them in a separate tank.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15130003#post15130003 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jer77
The large "Tiger Pods" or Tigriopus sp. and Acartia tonsa are called Calanoid copepods I believe. They can be cultivated but are harder for reasons like they require a specific type of phytoplankton and for the case of Tiger pods, they normally live in somewhat cooler waters. I believe Mysidopsis bahia, Nitokra lacustris and Tisbe sp. are called Harpacticoid Cultures which are smaller than Calanoid copepods but are easier to breed living in warmer waters and less picky on what food they will eat. There are many places which sell a mix of unspecified Harpacticoid copepod species. There are also places which sell bottles of a single species.

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You've got it a little mixed up. Tigriopus sp. are a harpactoid and Acartia tonsa are a calanoid. Calanoids are typically smaller. Both Tigriop. sp. and Acartia Tonsa are an excellent species to culture.

Mysids aka Mysidopsis bahia are a mysid and neither a calanoid nor a harpactoid copepod,

Tiger Pods AKA Tigger-Pods (Tigriopus calificornus) have a wide range of habitats, reportedly ranging from the tip of Baja (Mexico) to Alaska. They do not live in the ocean but rather the upper splash zone tide pools or rather "cesspools". They get very hot in the summer with triple strength salinity at times and very little to feed upon other then phytoplankton, bacteria, decaying organic matter and odd things like sea bird guano. The splash zone is the uppermost tide pools. They don't get splashed every wave, more like every few days at time.
 
So ''tigger pods''would be ok to use? I am setting up a dwarf tank and I am going to keep it fishless for quite a while so I thought of putting some pods in there and starting a culture also.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15130114#post15130114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nikon187
as in to feed a mandarine? What about starting a hang on refugium to grow pods?
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+1. I have had a 2.5gal fuge for about 2 years or so, and never added pods to mine. Things just started growing from the LR and Algae that i added. There's TONS of pods in there, and in one spot they are so think that you can't see through the mass of swimming creatures
 
oh wow! Thats tiny! Wait...is it 2 or 20? Your current tanks thing says 20gal long. I had the 2.5gal fuge on a 20gal high and it was prob the best thing i ever did for the tank
 
I just took my 20 long down and I am now setting up a 2 gallon dwarf seahorse tank until I can move and then set up my ''dream tank''
 
Tigriopus californicus do not make great dwarf seahorse food from what seahorse people have told me. They have large spins that can clog the throat of dwarf and larval seahorses if they eat to many at once. I'd go with tisbe , tonsa or nitokra for such a tank.

BTW soft or pyrex? Er, torch or glory hole? :)
 
100% agree. Borosilicate work really should be called glassblowing IMO. I've seen soft glass guys pick up torch work in a day but there is no way a torch guy could pick up soft glass within even a month.
 
It takes a long time to get even the basics down for furnace work! I'm just a beginner myself but I worked at the glass meuseum here in corning and just loved it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15143133#post15143133 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RandomHero426
It takes a long time to get even the basics down for furnace work! I'm just a beginner myself but I worked at the glass meuseum here in corning and just loved it.
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Small small world. My grandfather worked at Corning, maybe you've got some of his old work on display :lol: cool job. Being on the west coast I've caught Chihuly talk at a few local art schools. I know you know but just in case any other readers are interested... http://www.chihuly.com/
 
Ha yes my dad worked at corning for like 40 years, and chihuly, there's a piece in the admissions lobby there and everybody flips over him I don't know why his stuff is quite odd! Lol
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15139948#post15139948 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreshamH
You've got it a little mixed up. Tigriopus sp. are a harpactoid and Acartia tonsa are a calanoid. Calanoids are typically smaller. Both Tigriop. sp. and Acartia Tonsa are an excellent species to culture.

- I believe I was partially correct. Everywhere that I have read and talked to to purchase copepods have said harpacticoid are the smaller ones and live in different areas than calanoid copepods which are larger in size. Yes, harpacticoid and calanoid pods are great for culturing, its known the smaller, harpacticoids live natually in saltwater so its easier to establish a sustainable population inside the display tank or refugium. I know Tigger-pods and Acatia tonsa are both large and at least Tigger-pods live in areas different from where normal pods live in a fish tank. They both can be cultured, but it is very hard for them to survive long or sustain a population in an aquarium.

Mysids aka Mysidopsis bahia are a mysid and neither a calanoid nor a harpactoid copepod,

-I mistakenly added mysids, but they still can also be cultured its just a little harder than copepods.

Tiger Pods AKA Tigger-Pods (Tigriopus calificornus) have a wide range of habitats, reportedly ranging from the tip of Baja (Mexico) to Alaska. They do not live in the ocean but rather the upper splash zone tide pools or rather "cesspools". They get very hot in the summer with triple strength salinity at times and very little to feed upon other then phytoplankton, bacteria, decaying organic matter and odd things like sea bird guano. The splash zone is the uppermost tide pools. They don't get splashed every wave, more like every few days at time.
Click to expand...

-I have always known the harpacitoid copepods are the better ones to add to the aquarium because they naturally live in benthic environments or live on the bottom of the tank. These are the pods that everyone sees growing in their tanks. Harpacticoid are also the pods that are usually eaten by mandarins and anthias in the ocean.
 
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