little white copepods

So I put a bottle of tigger-pods into my sump w/ a bunch of live rock and some chaeto.

2 weeks later I have some hair algae growing on my glass (b/c I'm an idiot and haven't watched my phosphates closely enough). All throughout the hair algae are little tiny white copepods.

Now my understanding is that tigger pods are supposed to be red, these certainly aren't. They don't seem to be attaching to any fish and nothing seems to mind them. I don't see them in my fuge, but they're all over the hair algae in the tank.

Does anyone know what they might be other than just your ordinary copepods? Should I be concerned?

I can't get a picture of them, but they look just like a tigger pod, but white (little round body with antenna on the front and a very small tail on the back).

 

tigger pods die almost immidiately after you add them to your tank. They will not survive in a reef tank.

What you have are most likely herpactacoid copepods which feed on algae. These are good to have and are very high in Omega-3. Excellent snack for the fish and also good for the fish's immunity.

If you've never had a copepod bloom, you are probably going to have one soon.

 

Yeah, I figured that is what happened with those tigger pods, I saw a bunch of little red specks on the sand in my sump and hoped it was detrius. I put them in there hoping to get a mandarin some day. Any clue why 'reef nutrition' sells the stuff if it can't live in a reef? It sure seemed like they'd be fine.

It would seem that I wasted $20, but the herpactacoid can work as a Mandarin food source as well, correct?

'preciate it.

 

In fact, better mandarin food. Tiggerpods swim in the water column, while other types of pods crawl on the substrate and glass. Mandarins like to peck their food off the substrate and rocks, not from the water column.

 

I have a mandarin that only eats the herpactacoid copepods, i got the them from Precision Aquaculture Technologies

The $20 is a waste of money given the number of pods you get.

They are technically correct when they its reef nutrition, meaning that it will provide instant nutrition for your fish. But tigger pods are cold water species, thats why they're kept in a fridge. They will die in a reef tank.

 

Thanks, all.

It's a sorry statement that burning $20 doesn't even get me to bat an eye. If that's the worst money I spend on this tank this year (month, for that matter) I think I'll be pretty pleased.

How long did you all wait before adding the Mandarin? I figured he'd be pretty much a final addition to the tank after several months, but it's kind of a strange thing trying to figure out how many of these zillions of little white things are enough to support a mandarin's diet.

 

I waited a year. I also started a POD farm and dose PODS to my tank every 2-3 weeks. I did that for 2 or 3 months before I got the mandarin (as well as after the fact)

The mandarin is starving... given the best of situations, still not an easy animal. I have to spot feed it constantly just to keep it alive. I don't think I'll replace it when/if it dies.

 

After you add good quality copepods or when you notice them, you need to wait about 3 months.

Don't need to wait a year. If you have a lot of live rock its a +

I waited a couple of months i think. But i added a lot of copepods initially (two 5000 pod bottles) plus i have over 200lbs of live rock they can hide in.

I've had my mandarin for a year. He has never eaten anything i've given it, its huge.

I dont even have fuge or a pod culture. I do add 5 ml phytoplankton once a week.

The key here is to have a lot of live rock and a relatively large tank. Mine is a 120. The bigger the tank the better chance they have.

 

I have heard a lot of mixed feelings regarding tigger pods. Take this from their own site, they are to be used to see fuges but why does everyone on here say they wont work?

Reef Nutrition - Tigger-Podsâ„¢

 

Cool, I have a 130 w/ about 225 lbs of live rock and the 30 gal sump with another 15 lbs or so. With any luck I should have plenty of pods that way.

I'll still be waiting awhile to allow the tank to mature more. I need to get my algea resolved and and a little bit of GSP to make sure everything is happy and ready for more advanced stuff. But I'll keep y'all informed.

Thanks again.