Using refugium as a zooplankton producer?

[Travis L. Stevens]

As for the mollies - what do they eat? Would they be okay in the refugium w/ flake food? That way I could just let the babies fall down into the display. I don't want them eating all the bugs and stuff in the refugium, but I also don't want the mollies in the display tank because, at least to me, they would look a little too unnatural. [/B]

They just eat flake food and pick around for soft vegetation like algae film. They leave "kisses" similar to a lawnmower blenny. The babies falling are fine. Many of my adults have taken multiple "rollercoaster rides". But what's funny about their "unnatural" look is they are rather natural in coastal areas. For example, sailfin mollies can be found naturally just off the coast of Texas if I remember reading correctly.

 

[ejmeier]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6528909#post6528909 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
They just eat flake food and pick around for soft vegetation like algae film. They leave "kisses" similar to a lawnmower blenny. The babies falling are fine. Many of my adults have taken multiple "rollercoaster rides". But what's funny about their "unnatural" look is they are rather natural in coastal areas. For example, sailfin mollies can be found naturally just off the coast of Texas if I remember reading correctly.

Cool, they eat algae. But as far as you know, they would never eat any pods, would they? Have you seen this sort of thing happen? Maybe I should look on fishbase.org and see what they eat in the wild, that might give me a better idea...

EDIT: From fishbase.org

Biology: Occurs in ponds, lakes, sloughs, and quiet, often vegetated, backwaters and pools of streams (Ref. 5723) and also in coastal waters (Ref. 7251). Abundant in tidal ditches and brackish canals. Feeds mainly on algae (Refs. 7251; 44091).

Looks pretty safe at this point.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

I haven't noticed them really pick at anything meaty. Mine usually even skip on the cyclopeeze while everything else goes nuts over it. Just last night I did have one successfully eat some meaty homemade mush, but it didn't eat much before it went on grazing on algae. I've also never seen them pick at any invertebrates. If they did, Im sure they spit it back out.

 

[ejmeier]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6537597#post6537597 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
I haven't noticed them really pick at anything meaty. Mine usually even skip on the cyclopeeze while everything else goes nuts over it. Just last night I did have one successfully eat some meaty homemade mush, but it didn't eat much before it went on grazing on algae. I've also never seen them pick at any invertebrates. If they did, Im sure they spit it back out.

These guys are starting to sound like a great CLEANUP CREW! Who needs snails and hermits anyway?

 

[Fredfish]

Maybe we ought to get back to the original question, what animals to breed

barryhc. The answer to that depends entirely on what you are trying to feed and how often.

Mollies are a brackish water species and I have no idea what their nutritional profile is compared to normal foods of carnivorous reef fish. They would be fine as snacks, but may not make a good primary food.

Amphipods an copepods would make good foods for a fairly wide range of fish.

I remember a post on another site where amphipods were being raised using coarse sponges in buckets. Crushed dry food was sprinkled into the sponge and it was set into the bucket. After a period of time the sponge was simply moved into the main tank. This was for mandarins.

I would think that shrimp larvae would make a good food source for many and some corals as well. I know of at least one seahorse breader that has overflowed a shrimp tank into his seahorse tank as suplemental feeding.

Many corals need much smaller foods such as invertribrate larvae or 'pod' larvae.

As far as what can and can't survive through a pump. Many years ago someone actually put newly hatched brine shrimp through a power head to see how many survived. It was somewhere between 70 and 90%. I personally have seahorse fry survive the trip through a powerhead when my timing is off.

As far as the mollies, hy not just keep them in a separate 10g and scoop out the fry? Its low tech, dead simple and the fry are not hard to catch.

Fred

 

[Fredfish]

These guys are starting to sound like a great CLEANUP CREW

Depending on what else you have in the tank, they probably are. I once tried them in a tank with 5 green chromis. The chromis killed them within 24 hours.

Fred

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Actually, I keep 5 mollies with 2 chromis right now. They get along fine but the chromis are definitely top dawgs. As for them being cleanup crew, they're decent. They help pick tiny stuff, but snails are way better and hermits scavenge stuff the mollies won't touch. Tangs make a better algae grazer because they don't pick just the film like mollies do. Also, Im sure the nutritional value isn't that great. It would increase if you fed them enriched foods though. I'm surprised so many people are jumping on this molly knowledge bandwagon. I would feel that they are better suited for satisfying the hunting tendencies of predators instead of an actual food.

Fred, I would have never thought about using a sponge for that. I wonder if you could get a 5g bucket with a giant sponge in it and plumb it seperate from the fuge/sump/display. I might actually have to try this.

 

[graveyardworm]

I have two sponge filters in overflow which quickly gather amphipods. Also on occassion I run a hang on filter which after a few days will contain quite a few amphipods as well as probably alot of smaller stuff. There must be something there they like detritus, food particles, bacteria, etc. They seem to multiply well there. Plus the hang on filter is dark which they seem to like.

The stuff that collects in the sponge filter can be used as coral food as well, just squish it into the tank.

 

[Fredfish]

Travis. Gotta love it when someone comes up with such a simple setup.

When you talk about your mollies feeding habits, what do you mean by films? Will they consume hair algaes at all? Cyano?

Mollies might just be the right algae eater for me. I want to keep seagrasses, but many of the better 'algae' eaters will also consume seagrasses.

Graveyardworm. I think it is a combination of things. Amphipods (at least some of them) are detrital feeders. I think that the sponge also mimics the pods' natural environment.

Fred

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Well, Fred, They tend to pick at soft, new growth of macro algaes such as uncolored pieces of new caulerpa. And by film, I mean the green algal film that develops on most tank's walls. They pick at it and overflows and occassionally the rocks. Now if you have something broad leafed like some "sea grasses", they might take little nips out of the algae. But with how quick most algaes grow, it shouldn't hurt them. Personally, I really wish they were better algae eaters because I would definitely keep them in my tank as a "Clean up crew", but they aren't THAT great. One Mexican Turbo Snail will out eat 5 mollies 10 fold.

 

[reefdom]

I've heard Molly's are good starter fish to breakin a tank since they are not aggressive like damsels.

In the right environment there good breeders which is good food for the entire environment.

I have a large hang-on refug. thinking about pull out the spagetti and putting in red algea and getting some breeders. Hopefully that system will start to help feed the tank a bit and I can drop the red into the tank for the tangs as it grows.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6544245#post6544245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefdom
I've heard Molly's are good starter fish to breakin a tank since they are not aggressive like damsels.

In the right environment there good breeders which is good food for the entire environment.

I have a large hang-on refug. thinking about pull out the spagetti and putting in red algea and getting some breeders. Hopefully that system will start to help feed the tank a bit and I can drop the red into the tank for the tangs as it grows.

If you want to go that route, than yes, they are good starter fish. But we can start a cycle by adding uncured live rock, or even a piece of raw shrimp from your local supermarket. But since that is a little off topic and more subject to a morality debate, I'll leave it at that.

 

[PRC]

Has anyone tried urchins? I have a couple in my fuge but I've never seen them spawn.

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

I don't know. But I thought about it. But then I thought about how they culture Sea Urchin Roe. It could be possible, but it might be difficult

 

[miatawnt2b]

How sensitive are the mollies to reef salinity? Can I just acclimate as normal or do I have to do it gradually over a longer period of time?

-J

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

It's always nicer and safer to acclimate them over a long period of time, but I'll be honest. I have acclimated mine from 1.000 to 1.025 in 5 minutes or less. I haven't seen any outward signs of stress (besides the confusion of going from freshwater planted to saltwater reef) and all have survived. I've only done it like that 3 times though.

 

[Fredfish]

Thanks Travis. I have stayed away from turbos because of don't seem to have a very good survival rate, but I keep hearing that they do a great job on algae.

Maybe its time to give them a try.

Fred

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Mexican Turbo survival rate is pretty good actually. But the Margarita Snails is horrible. They are temperate species and not tropical like our reefs. But, like I said Fred, don't be surprised if they aren't the best. They are actually quite "stupid" compared to various saltwater fish.

 

[reefmanv]

Here is another idea. I had done this in a 29 gallon reef with a hang on the back fuge. I hatch brine shrimp eggs and dumped them into the tank for a feeding. Most were eaten but after a few days I notice really small brine in the fuge. the cool thing was that they never got sucked back into the main tank and over time were growing. I was maintaining this tank for a friend in Virginia. I had since (recently) moved to Ct and cant wait to try this in a large fuge. I am working on a 125 show and 125 sump. Just another thought.

Jim

 

[backlash]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6569902#post6569902 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefmanv
Here is another idea. I had done this in a 29 gallon reef with a hang on the back fuge. I hatch brine shrimp eggs and dumped them into the tank for a feeding. Most were eaten but after a few days I notice really small brine in the fuge. the cool thing was that they never got sucked back into the main tank and over time were growing. I was maintaining this tank for a friend in Virginia. I had since (recently) moved to Ct and cant wait to try this in a large fuge. I am working on a 125 show and 125 sump. Just another thought.

Jim

I wonder if the brine shrimp can reproduce in the 'fuge?