Copepods

[fernalfer]

Question I'm starting up a new 120 gallon reef. I will be cycling with Marco dry rock and live sand. Would this be a good time to add a population of Copepods once cycled with no fish in tank? Or is that something I should do later down the road?

 

[kmbyrnes]

I would add them when you add your CUC.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I agree, add them after the tank is cycled and you have some other 'stuff' in the tank, like CUC or a fish or two.

 

[cloak]

Are you planning on keeping a specialized feeder such as a mandarin? If not I wouldn't even waste your money on them. They'll eventually find there way in somehow. If conditions are right they'll flourish. GL.

 

[fernalfer]

Are you planning on keeping a specialized feeder such as a mandarin? If not I wouldn't even waste your money on them. They'll eventually find there way in somehow. If conditions are right they'll flourish. GL.

My wife wants a mandarin eventually. When introducing the copepods do they get dumped right in the tank or put in the refugium?

 

[cloak]

I don't think it really matters. If you put them in the DT they'll find there way to the sump and vice versa. GL.

 

[TatorTaco]

Thank you for posting this question! I also have a 120 and we'd like to stock a mandarin in the future. Please share with us when you do order copepods and where you decided to order them.

 

[tzylak]

Cloak, which conditions will make them 'flourish'.
My tank is decades sold, lighting and water parameters at better than 'darn good' yet I only see a handful of them in the sump.
I am looking for a 'thousand specs of the young ones' but never find them.
I tried exclusive fudge, rubble, fast and slow water movement. Nothing. . . Well, a handful.
Once I purchased a vial of Tigers to add to the collection, never to see them again.
I am not complaining, just puzzled.

Fish: Ocellaris Clown, B&W Clown, Firefish Goby, 6-Line Wrasse, Midas Blenny, 3 Banggai Cardinals, Cleaner Shrimp, Fire Shrimp, Banded Coral Shrimp, Peppermint Shrimp, Bristle Worms and CUC.
Reef: 150 lb. Sand, 70 lb. Rock, Frog Spawn, Button Polyps, Hammer, Mushrooms, Kenya Trees, Brain, Leather Toadstool, Cheato and one aiptasia
Tank: 50g hex with overflow, 23 gal sump with DSB, 2x Rio 3100 return pumps, 2x15" power compact 10K, 2x 50/50, 1x actinic, 1x deep blue LED strip, chiller 650, heater 100W, skimmer 65.
I got the tank on 7/18/2014 but it has been established for over 20 years!!
I do semi-weekly water test and weekly 5g changes.
pH 7.8-8.1, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 0-1, PO4 0, Ca 360-400, Alk6-7, 77-79F, Mg 1340-1420 sg 1.022-25
23 sec. video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2s5ik52vqmwh4w1/151019 Aquarium.wmv?dl=0

 

[slay]

Cloak, which conditions will make them 'flourish'.
My tank is decades sold, lighting and water parameters at better than 'darn good' yet I only see a handful of them in the sump.
I am looking for a 'thousand specs of the young ones' but never find them.
I tried exclusive fudge, rubble, fast and slow water movement. Nothing. . . Well, a handful.
Once I purchased a vial of Tigers to add to the collection, never to see them again.
I am not complaining, just puzzled.

Fish: Ocellaris Clown, B&W Clown, Firefish Goby, 6-Line Wrasse, Midas Blenny, 3 Banggai Cardinals, Cleaner Shrimp, Fire Shrimp, Banded Coral Shrimp, Peppermint Shrimp, Bristle Worms and CUC.
Reef: 150 lb. Sand, 70 lb. Rock, Frog Spawn, Button Polyps, Hammer, Mushrooms, Kenya Trees, Brain, Leather Toadstool, Cheato and one aiptasia
Tank: 50g hex with overflow, 23 gal sump with DSB, 2x Rio 3100 return pumps, 2x15" power compact 10K, 2x 50/50, 1x actinic, 1x deep blue LED strip, chiller 650, heater 100W, skimmer 65.
I got the tank on 7/18/2014 but it has been established for over 20 years!!
I do semi-weekly water test and weekly 5g changes.
pH 7.8-8.1, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 0-1, PO4 0, Ca 360-400, Alk6-7, 77-79F, Mg 1340-1420 sg 1.022-25
23 sec. video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2s5ik52vqmwh4w1/151019 Aquarium.wmv?dl=0

IME six-line wrasses love to eat copepods. My guess is that it (amongst others) are keeping your populations in check by eating them.

 

[JohnnyHildo]

My wife wants a mandarin eventually. When introducing the copepods do they get dumped right in the tank or put in the refugium?

if you do go the seeding from a bottle route they recommend that you acclimate the container by floating it for a while and when introducing them cut off the pump and powerheads for 10 mins to let the pods settle down into the substrate/rock.

 

[Mud6770]

Totally off topic but how do I start a thread?
Thnx

 

[cloak]

Totally off topic but how do I start a thread?
Thnx

Once you enter a certain forum there should be a blue button at the top of the page on the left that says "New Thread" I believe.

 

[TatorTaco]

Hi Mud6770. Hit the "back button" and you'll be redirected to "New to the Hobby". From there, you'll see a button towards the top left that says "New Thread". In fact, it should be in the same spot that says "Post Reply".

 

[Maritimer]

If you've got a refugium, you'll probably be looking for Chaetomorpha or Caulerpa macroalge to grow in it, and help pull nitrates and phosphate.

When you do, find a LFS with and old, overgrown Chaeto tank. It'll have pods - and other fun things - in it. My Chaetomorpha came with bristleworms, copepods, isopods, pineapple sponges, a red, bubbly macroalgae whose name I don't remember at the moment, micro-brittle-stars .... and probably a host of others. (I saw some mysid shrimp in one of the Chaeto tanks, but don't seem to have wound up with any.)

~Bruce, now with extra 'pods!