Feeding live Rotifers deplete Copepods?

[plaz]

Have 3 fat Mandarins and want to keep them that way. 200 with DSB. Been culturing small copepods and adding regularly. Would like to start culturing rotifers to feed the acros at night - but I don't want to if it would deplete the copepod population.

Do Rotifers ever feed on copepods/out-compete?

 

[scottfarcuz]

The copepod you are culturing most likely eats phyto. Rotifers do also. If the rotifers survive in the tank then they will be competing for food.

I've found it doesn't take much of a pod culture to produce a lot of pods. If it worries you just keep adding pods also.

 

[plaz]

Thanks! I feed some phyto to the tank. But given everything I've read about the rotifers - it sounds unlikely that they would survive long-term like the copepods do (so they most likely would not compete that much). Does that sound accurate?

I saw on the oceanpods site not to add rotifers because they would compete with the copepods. That is why I got paranoid about my acro feeding idea of adding rotifers to the mix.

 

[GreshamH]

Due to how often rotifers have to eat (every 4 hours or they die), I highly doubt they'll deplete your "pod" population. I feed majorly with both live and preserved rotifers, and you should see the swarm of copepods I have, and mysids, etc. Mysids LOVE to eat rotifers. I would suspect many copepods like em as well. I raise copepods commercially at my work and we don't exclusively raise them on phyto, we use some meaty items as well

 

[plaz]

Great!!! I will give them a try then! I may automate this to ensure they get dosed phyto every four hours - and let it push some of them into the tank for continuous small feedings.
Thanks!

 

[GreshamH]

Keep the water green like pea soup, and they should be fine. Smaller amounts more often is better, then larger amounts every 4 hours.