Harvest copepods? Can't figure out

[reefguy24]

A few weeks ago I bought a 3gal pico tank. Bought two bottles of tigger copepods from the local lfs.

The plan was to breed my own copepods to feed my goby and keep my display tank replenished.

There's one thing I didn't take into consideration: How to get copepods out of the 3gal pico tank?


Any suggestions? I got the following in the 3gal tank:

- live sand
- live rock rubble
- ball of chaeto
- two small emerald crabs to eat various junk and dead pod bodies

I was thinking of maybe getting a net with 53 microns (think I read that somewhere that "53 microns" is the proper size) and trying to fish them out.....but not sure if that's going to work.


thanks


//edit

I don't want to use the water from my pod tank to come in contact with the water from my display tank.

 

[TommyP]

maybe put 2 sponges in there too like what they provide if you ever ordered from reefs2go. They will be in the sponge. Swish it in the DT then put it back in the pico. Repeat.

 

[reefguy24]

Reefs2go just shipped my order out today. Will be getting it Thursday.

You think something like a sponge used to wash dishes in the kitchen sink?

Someone told me to use a "chick sponge" that they use to shower with (bed bath beyond).

Am wondering if fishing them out with a net is plausible....

 

[Pife]

I think it is doable. What are you feeding them? How are you keeping the water oxygenated?

 

[AZBigJohn]

I know several people use the "shower poofs" as imitation cheato for pods to grow in in pod-growing setups. The concept is you keep several floating on top of the water, the pods go in there as they do cheato, and then you take one to the display and shake it out when you need to.

I've seen posts that say it works great, but I've never tried it..

 

[reefguy24]

I'm using a JBJ 3gallon pico tank....has hang-on filter/pump thingy. Works "ok". Doesn't create too much current and that's what I need.

I'm feeding bottle of phytoplankton, just keeping the water tinted light green.

No heater, no fish other than 2 very small emerald crabs to eat the dead pods on the bottom.

Had ammonia issue the other day, used Amquel and added 2 bioballs from my 24gal set up to speed up cycle.

Bought 2 bottles of tigger pods at lfs....not sure if they all died off or not, but am seeing lots of babies.

Decided (after reading up on growing pods) to go to reefs2go and buy some of theirs.

I also read I could make a "pod condo" and just move it from tank to tank, however I got a few hitch hikers on the live rock I bought....not too keen on introducing those to the new tank.

I will probably just try the "shower poofy" thingy and hope it works.

 

[MondoBongo]

i have been culturing pods in the large pretzel jugs you get from costco. they hold about two gallons of water or so. i use a rigid airline tube in them to provider some water movement.

i start with culturing green water in 2 liter bottles until it is nice and dark, too dark to see through even with a flashlight. then add about a liter of it to my pod culture roughly once a week.

then every so often i siphon out about half of the water from the pod culture and run it through a rotifer screen. i am culturing tisbe pods, which i believe are smaller than tigger pods, so the smaller screen size works for me.

then i dump the strained mix of green solids and pods in to my sump.

 

[MondoBongo]

as an addendum, the rotifer screen i got, along with my other sieve set, was purchased from brine shrimp direct. they have some good ready made options for sieves.

if you're looking for just screen to build your own, there is stuff called "Nitex Mesh" that comes in various sizes.

 

[reefguy24]

i have been culturing pods in the large pretzel jugs you get from costco. they hold about two gallons of water or so. i use a rigid airline tube in them to provider some water movement.

i start with culturing green water in 2 liter bottles until it is nice and dark, too dark to see through even with a flashlight. then add about a liter of it to my pod culture roughly once a week.

then every so often i siphon out about half of the water from the pod culture and run it through a rotifer screen. i am culturing tisbe pods, which i believe are smaller than tigger pods, so the smaller screen size works for me.

then i dump the strained mix of green solids and pods in to my sump.

It's that simple to grow your own algae?

From every website I read online....their set ups looked like Frankenstein laboratory.

Can I ask you where you bought the original culture for your algae? How do you multiply it (so you don't have to continue to buy more)?

I'm going to try the "women's shower poofy" thingy. I'm worried that my 3gal tank might have a few unwanted hitchhikers that would make their home in the poofy thingy (since I got some live rock in there).

 

[MondoBongo]

i got a bottle of Alagen Phyco-pure from my LFS. they actually gave it to me for free because it was about 6 months past its expiration date.

there are lots of different kinds of bottled phyto cultures. the live ones will be refrigerated to make sure they are still live when you get them.

i mixed up some new saltwater to 2.5%, added 5mL of liquid miracle grow, and stuck it in the window with a rigid airline tube and regular 1/4" airline hooked to an air pump in my 2 liter coke bottle. i used a few tablespoons from the starter culture in the bottle to get things going.

then i waited.

the first culture took a few weeks to really blow up. it was nearly clear when it started. after about a week it was tinted a nice green, and it was pretty much ready for a nice harvest at about the third week.

now when i harvest the culture is pretty thick when i add the fresh saltwater back to it, and with 4 bottles spaced out i make sure i always have one per week ready for harvest.

as a thank you to my LFS for the free starter culture, i usually take them a cup or two once every two weeks or so.

it's really easy to do. after you have everything set up you really only need about 15 - 20 minutes a week to maintain it. at some point the cultures will probably crash, which is why i keep multiples.

here is a quick pic of the cultures. i really need to clean up the airlines and such.

oh, and it does help if you shake the phyto cultures once a day to keep them from settling.

 

[JAnwyl]

Reefguy

Hope you have luck, but you mentioned not wanting to put that live rock from tank to tank. What about the Chaeto? Does it have enough pods to make it worthwhile. I have also heard of the chick sponge thing. Look on you tube for copepod breeding. Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAlEt4NUo4o I couldn't find a video but people but that cardboard type material and cut it into 4x4 or so sections to bread copepods. maybe putting some of that in the pico then transferring a couple pieces to your display during feeding is a solution.

 

[davidcoral]

Do tangs enjoy reading chaeto? If so dropping the macro with pods into the dt might not be a bad way to feed two different fish populations!

 

[Cymonous]

I don't know if they can read chaeto . hehe. I am not sure on tangs eating chaeto, but my one spot foxface eats chaeto.

 

[MondoBongo]

My tang won't read anything. I've tried and tried. It expands your horizons I said. Opens up new world and career opportunities I told him, but to no avail. He just lazes around all day watching honey boo boo reruns.

 

[debt1978]

Do u need to use a heater?

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[debt1978]

Also how is Chaeto really necessary?

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[MondoBongo]

Do u need to use a heater?

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i did not. ambient temperature in the room i had these set up in was sufficient.

Also how is Chaeto really necessary?

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it gives a place for the pods to live, and it also gives them food to eat. it can also be helpful bringing in different kinds of pods, bacteria, etc...

it's not required, but it can be helpful.

 

[CeresReef]

What about creating a live rock basket of sorts, small and attached to a fishing line, keep in the Pico, and dunk in the DT every so often? I know you said no to LR from tank to tank, but if it is all contained, perhaps it will work.

-Ceres

 

[MondoBongo]

What about creating a live rock basket of sorts, small and attached to a fishing line, keep in the Pico, and dunk in the DT every so often? I know you said no to LR from tank to tank, but if it is all contained, perhaps it will work.

-Ceres

you're essentially describing "pod condos" and they can be very useful. although hopefully the OP figured something out, because this thread is almost 4 years old.

 

[debt1978]

Thanks . How long before u notice if you are being successful? Would u recommend daily feeding verses every 3 days or something like that?

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