Tricks to increase copepods and mysids
- Thread starter Louis Z
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Reefvet
New member
Refuge for the little dudes. Provide them with places predators can't reach. Rock rubble and algae.
Low flows helps in a refugium so they won't get transferred to your tank before you want them to be.
I had read some old posts that some reefers would have mysids come out at night in large numbers. I had tried mysids a long time ago and it was an expensive learning mistake. They slowly perished over time. I want to culture them in a refugium type of environment rather than the intensive culture that jay hemdal wrote about in sea scope along time ago. I was thinking that maybe if the copepod population was high that maybe they could feed off them. I will definitely try rock rubble condos in the refugium. I was going to take rock rubble and put it in a cylindrical screen mesh enclosure. The screen would serve to hold up the pile and also prevent big predators from getting in there to eat the copepods. . I was also going to add mud and lots of caulerpa and chaetomorpha to help little mysids avoid being canibalized upon.
ReeferKimberly
Marley & Me
I have huge numbers of copepods and mysid shrimp. And like you read, I have mysids all over the walls at night. I honestly think the reason I have so much more tiny life than many others with equally old tanks (mine is about 2.5 years) is because I do not skim them out when they are invisible to the naked eye.
The following videos I captured are all common occurrences in my tank. My tank has matured way more since these vids and I added a ruby red dragonet. He is fat and happy in a 65.
I believe these are mysid babies
And I get hermits spawning all the time. Some babies have survived. Others are great food.
skip to 40 seconds
My system is closed. No fuge, sump, skimmer. Everything that hatches stays in the aquarium.
Another showing lots of mysid, during the day. Don't mind Mr. Spaghetti
Lots of rock, hiding places, adequate food and time...and you will have all of them too. If you do happen to not filter them out, in my experience you will also have twice as many.
The following videos I captured are all common occurrences in my tank. My tank has matured way more since these vids and I added a ruby red dragonet. He is fat and happy in a 65.
I believe these are mysid babies
And I get hermits spawning all the time. Some babies have survived. Others are great food.
skip to 40 seconds
My system is closed. No fuge, sump, skimmer. Everything that hatches stays in the aquarium.
Another showing lots of mysid, during the day. Don't mind Mr. Spaghetti
Lots of rock, hiding places, adequate food and time...and you will have all of them too. If you do happen to not filter them out, in my experience you will also have twice as many.
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this.
ahmed what type of filters and what comes out copepods or mysids? thanks kimberly. I too have not added skimmers although i have one. I am not keeping sps but rather LPS and mushrooms. leaning to having a refugium added on to a 75 with low flow and no skimming so that the culture is not mangled and stripped from the water. I always thought these mysids eat plant material and copepods. I really dont want to feed BBS all the time. Too much time to culture that. I know some do it without issue but I just have too busy a life. That is my summer project. I hope the Tisbe species is enough. I wish I could get the amphiascoides atopus harpacticoid that I once contacted John Fleeger about- in about 2001 but i had to pack everything up and put culturing on hold. I am slowly getting back now that my almost 7 year old son is interested in having his own dragonette. The A. atopus sp. had huge population growth in days. I hope that maybe I can screen for harpacticoids during my collecting trip.
ahmed_iAM
New member
Filter sponges or a filter pad. Any brand will do. I put mine between the sections in my sump that are in place for bubbles. Roughly an area of 12"x12"x1" is where I place the filter pad. The space in the pad is great for pods. Essentially you're adding a lot or surface area for the pods to breed. Live rock is also good but since the filter pad catches detritus, it becomes a good food source and its safe from predators.
Takeasnapshot
New member
What would be the easiest way to feed my seahorses with a overflow box and a sump?
Takeasnapshot
New member
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I've had reef mysis, and generally that's the only way the populations have ever remained stable.pledosophy
Active member
What would be the easiest way to feed my seahorses with a overflow box and a sump?
Turning off the pump
pledosophy
Active member
I use refugiums to keep pod populations up.
There are pods that eat algae, and pods that eat meat. Refugiums will grow pods that eat algae.
I also culture pods in a window in the garage. Pretty simple to do if you pick the right species.
Good luck.
There are pods that eat algae, and pods that eat meat. Refugiums will grow pods that eat algae.
I also culture pods in a window in the garage. Pretty simple to do if you pick the right species.
Good luck.
Reeferz412
Coral Hoarder
Currently running an Hob filter with a DIY turf scrubber and LR rubble in the media compartment. if I shine a light under the Aquaclear filter, all I see are hundreds of mysid shrimps crawling everywhere. Best thing to do is set up a rubble rock station with some sort of algae. I have an endles supply. I also see mysids in my DT.
Amoore311
New member
I just ordered pods from getyourpods.com
I was impressed overall. I received a mix of amphipods and copepods. They only ship Monday/Tuesday, pay attention to that when you order. There was a thread in the general section of these forums with other peoples experiences as well.
I'd order from them again if I had to, what I got was plenty to kick start my tank though.
I was impressed overall. I received a mix of amphipods and copepods. They only ship Monday/Tuesday, pay attention to that when you order. There was a thread in the general section of these forums with other peoples experiences as well.
I'd order from them again if I had to, what I got was plenty to kick start my tank though.
Reeferz412
Coral Hoarder
Most of my rock was dead rock I picked up from Key Largo in random areas. I seeded the rock with some craiglist rock i picked up for cheap. I gave my buddy a piece of LR from my tank to seed his tank. It was the size of a tennis ball, and upon transport in the terrarium i kept the rock contained, the floor of the terrarium had about 20 mysid shrimps running all over the place. Find a local hobbyist which you know has mysid and pods and ask them for a piece of live rock.
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