Copepods from the sea.

Shagsbeard

Shagsbeard

New member
I live in Morro Bay, California. The coast here is known to produce some of the largest and most tasty (if you ask the fish and grey whales) plankton in the world. "Tiger pods" are a commercially available example of the pods that grow in our waters.

I was wondering if anyone would recommend against trying to harvest these little buggers from the local waters and acclimating them to my tank. The water temperature would be the biggest shock... going from 55 deg F to 80F would take some time.

If no one would recommend against it, what would be the best technique for capture?
 
i disagree. I grabbed about 15 gal of monterey bay last sept with the intent of doing a NSW change. I only did 5. but when i put some Macro from my tank in the cool water the pods swam around. I ended up keeping the water in the garage for about 2 months with the temp never higher then 65deg and the pods multiplied the whole time. I think they will be fine.
 
I worked in a marine bio lab two summers ago and had asked them about this topic. I spoke with many people whose lives are spent studying these little crustaceans. You would get some and perhaps culture a small amount, which isn't too easy to do if you havn't done it before.
There was a guy that used to work at the lab that would go to the sea twice a week with a plankton net and gather enough pods to feed his many sea horses. It's definitely doable.
That being said I visited the doc where he supposedly collected at least two or three times to try to harvest pods to feed some fry we were going to raise in the lab and came back with nothing, but a dirty net.

Jon
 
All we did was place a plankton net with a fine mesh collection cup in it in the water when the tide was coming in. The area I placed the net was in a spot where a large amount of water was coming in to fill a marsh.
Please let me know if you do collect any pods and let me know if you have any other questions I might be able to help with. I am not a pro, but I read about this for a while.
 
Depends what you are trying to do. For suplemental feeding, you will be fine.

If you are trying to establish these pods in your tank as an internal, regenerating population, probably not. Temperate animals tend not to fare well long term at tropical temperatures.

Fred
 
One of those white brine shrimp nets will work as an inexpensive plankton net sufficient for copepods. I would look for an area with some relatively still water and proceed to pour gallons of water through the net gently and see what you come up with. I find tide pools can be very good spots for collecting pods ;)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8764841#post8764841 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ryansholl
I don't imagine they'd live too long after that temperature swing.
Click to expand...
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8768772#post8768772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fredfish
Depends what you are trying to do. For suplemental feeding, you will be fine.

If you are trying to establish these pods in your tank as an internal, regenerating population, probably not. Temperate animals tend not to fare well long term at tropical temperatures.

Fred
Click to expand...

Sorry guys... but the pods are very hardy animals and could really care less about the temperature. They are easy to culture and easy to feed. Simply toss em in some water and use a few drops of phyto or similar to feed them. Provide algea and hiding places... you will have swarms in no time.

I won "Tiger Pods" at one of our meetings and kep them in the fridge for almost 6 months (waiting to get a culture tank set up... I eneded up just dumping them in the sump becuase I have no room for a culture tank).

Somebody here at RC is an expert on these animals and if you search for Tigriopus Californicus and culturing... you will find more than you need to know.

Bean
 
Bean is correct, I sometimes collect amphipods locally in NY under the ice. I once collected them when it was 4 degrees. They don't seem to care about temperature at all. I acclimate them by throwing them in my reef.
Paul
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8772193#post8772193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
Bean is correct, I sometimes collect amphipods locally in NY under the ice. I once collected them when it was 4 degrees. They don't seem to care about temperature at all. I acclimate them by throwing them in my reef.
Paul
Click to expand...

And here I thought I was the only nut job to have done that :lol:
 
Yeah I woke up one day and saw it was 4 degrees so I decided, hell what a good day to go collecting.
You are not the only nut job to do it
 
i need to go out with bill and paul so i can get some. next time its 4 degrees out gimme a pm and we can all go ice pod hunting
 
Wierd, I was just thinking the same thing when I was out on a walk today in Moss Beach. The pods were on dry land living on the kelp, with no water for at least for 3-4 hours. It looked as if I could have used a butterfly net to capture them, they were jumping all over the place as I walked, very frisky little guys. One pod that I saw had to be close to an inch long, like podzilla or something. Maybe I'll get some and see what happens when "my friends" fish eat them...
 
Those pods that you find jumping on the beach are not the correct type to put in your reef. They are intertidal animals that will not do well submerged all the time. You need to collect the ones you find under rocks below the low tide mark, these are true marine amphipods and will live in your tank.
Paul
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8775562#post8775562 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by keefsama2003
HEH im free thursday morning for some collecting if your up for it let me know
Click to expand...

Keith,

I won't know till Wednesday night if that's good for me. Had a family emergency crop up tonight :( I'll PM you one way or the other later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Paul B
How Fish are Different from most of us
Replies
1
Views
1K
Paul B
Paul B
C
Building a Sea Horse tank with sump from ground up
Replies
4
Views
646
Dustin07
D
Paul B
The Benefit of Parasites
Replies
4
Views
1K
kelly_12
K
S
3 new tanks and fish room
Replies
1
Views
1K
Timfish
Timfish
Z
Preparing a 55 gallon for a Mandarinfish Dragonette
Replies
5
Views
1K
Sk8r
Sk8r
Back
Top