Copepods?

Discussion in 'Inverts' started by flynhawaiianz28, Apr 29, 2009.

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  1. flynhawaiianz28

    flynhawaiianz28 Purple Spiny Lobster

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2009
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    450
    Location:
    Peoria, IL
    Ok so about 2 weeks ago I ordered up 1000+ live copepods and they arrived in 2 days and i put some in my 90 gallon and some in my nano tank. The others I had set up the infamous "Bucket-O-Pods" for w/ a heater, sponge, and air supply. Put them in there and have been feeding them Dt's live phytoplankton every now and then but as far as I can tell I am not seeing to many of the copepods:confused: I'm wondering if I somehow messed up this simple concept and possibly killed all the copepods in the bucket or I am just not seeing that many in the water & there could be more in the sponge? If Packleader reads this feel free to drop a line on ur concept haha

    Also, I was thinking about ordering some more copepods and releasing all of 'em between the two tanks. As far as i know i dont have anything that would be constantly eating 'em like a mandarin but I want to get a population growing in my 90 before I get a Mandarin. FYI the tank has been established for a few years but I dont seem to see any copepods in there at the moment. I just want to establish a good population of 'em is my basic goal.
     
    flynhawaiianz28, Apr 29, 2009
    flynhawaiianz28, Apr 29, 2009
    #1

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  2. inwall75

    inwall75 Giant Squid

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    Is the water staying green after you put the phyto in? If not, somethings eating it. ;)
     
    inwall75, Apr 29, 2009
    inwall75, Apr 29, 2009
    #2
  3. PackLeader

    PackLeader Giant Squid

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    +1. Also, it's important to use enough. I dose phyto to actually tinge the water twice a week.
    Pods are pretty nocturnal also. So, to see 95% of them, either yank out some of the bottom sponges, or shine a flashlight into the bucket at night when the lights have been off for a little while.
     
    PackLeader, Apr 29, 2009
    PackLeader, Apr 29, 2009
    #3
  4. flynhawaiianz28

    flynhawaiianz28 Purple Spiny Lobster

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2009
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    450
    Location:
    Peoria, IL
    actually to be honest, the water is pretty clear and i figured it would be getting cloudy or somethin after two weeks but it looks the same as it did when i put it in there. I feed the pods about 2-3 times a week and I keep a lid over the bucket so the water doesnt evaporate as bad but I never thought about shining a flashlight in there to see 'em. I'm not positive but it looks like there are some that have died off on the bottom of the bucket & i'm hoping that they have bred first before they died cause obviously the point is to have a growing population.

    Another ? how often should I take the sponge out & shake it into a tank? Like every two weeks or so?
     
    flynhawaiianz28, Apr 29, 2009
    flynhawaiianz28, Apr 29, 2009
    #4