live foods

[ctenophors rule]

Their is a lot of debate about whether or not one should feed food collected from the ocean while breeding.

i have read possitives and negatives, the positives being increased success with conditioning and getting fry to eat, the negatives being dangerour pathogens and parasites.

is their a way to avoid getting pathogens? are certain areas more susceptable to these pathogens?

for instance deep water collection vs. shallow water collection. collecting where ocean lagoon interface is strongest, or in pure ocean or pure lagoon?

thanks guys.

i got this great place oin a floating dock with hundreds of thousands of pods and i would like to collect, but dont want to endanger my livetock.

p.s. i will be breeding seahorses, barb's if i can get them, but probly erectus.

 

[landlord]

I guess I am curious as to the people citing the negatives and if they indeed have proof of the pathogens and parasites in questions. I.E. did they gather a bunch of zoaplankton, raise this zoaplankton, and actually identify these parasites.

I mean sure parasites exist in the ocean but is there any conclusive proof that they are becoming problematic in a larval tank / kreisel?

I would also say that the further away from shore and the deeper you can go the better. The shoreline is natures' skimmer collection cup.

Kurt

 

[ctenophors rule]

I guess I am curious as to the people citing the negatives and if they indeed have proof of the pathogens and parasites in questions. I.E. did they gather a bunch of zoaplankton, raise this zoaplankton, and actually identify these parasites.

I mean sure parasites exist in the ocean but is there any conclusive proof that they are becoming problematic in a larval tank / kreisel?

I would also say that the further away from shore and the deeper you can go the better. The shoreline is natures' skimmer collection cup.

Kurt

thanks Kurt

you know how some people even go as far as to say never use seawater unless its UV treated, those are the kinds of aquarist who have been discouraging me from using wild plankton.

something that i have also noticed is that the more educated of an aquarist i am talking to the more likely they are to recomend me using wild plankton.

tommy.

 

[billsreef]

something that i have also noticed is that the more educated of an aquarist i am talking to the more likely they are to recomend me using wild plankton.

That should be your clue

Most people I've talked to that are so afraid of real sea water and real wild caught plankton haven't even been to the sea They also forget all that live rock they place in their tanks, most of the fish and corals as well, all came from the sea

The trick for wild collecting is to collect from clean area. i.e. not by sewage run off, road run off, marinas, etc. The richest source of plankton will be inshore, and is why the inshore areas are the prime nursery grounds for larval fish

Is there risk? Yes, but it's minimal IME. The vast majority of parasite issues will come attached of fish, not in the SW or plankton.

 

[landlord]

If I had easy access to collectable ocean goodies, I'd be all over it! Even if I were to loose a batch of fry to some unknown, I would still say that it is worth it.

Have Fun!

Kurt