Exodus Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 So, I am looking for options right now and breeding copepods seems to be the cheapest and most efficient. I have never been successful in feeding my fish daily, not sure exactly why that is but just never have so I always feed every other day or once every 3 days, and in most case the fish I keep have never had an issue with that. As of now I am getting what appears to be Cyano on the sand bed, while Nitrates sit @ 0~5 and Phosphates @ .06. I have recently began feeding daily with the acquisition of some new fish, 2 of those being a Leopard Wrasse & Wheeler's shrimp Goby. As for the others they can go a day or 2 without food with those other 2 fish being heavy grazers I feel it's important that they be fed daily,. I caught heII from the wrasse today after skipping the feeding, to find all my corals covered in sand So my idea is to start culturing copepods, so I can keep the tank happily stocked giving those 2 fish a supplement on the days I don't feed frozen, the wrasse I'm sure would love nothing more but it's not something I have ever done. I have looked at guides on the net and it appears that culturing my pwn phyto plankton is just as simple and just as cost effective as well. (Andrew I have a use for that 10G ) I was just curious if anyone here cultivates their own and what they may have to share in the way of advice or resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itskris Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Best thing I have done for Copepods in the tank was to take a large piece of pvc pipe (4" diameter), drill a ton of 1/4" holes all over it. Spaced 1/4" apart. Then fill with live rock rubble. Cap the ends so the rubble doesn't come out. Then set it at the back of the tank out of sight. I had a dragonet that would perch on this thing and hunt the critters that came out. Great for Copepod populations in the tank. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 Best thing I have done for Copepods in the tank was to take a large piece of pvc pipe (4" diameter), drill a ton of 1/4" holes all over it. Spaced 1/4" apart. Then fill with live rock rubble. Cap the ends so the rubble doesn't come out. Then set it at the back of the tank out of sight. I had a dragonet that would perch on this thing and hunt the critters that came out. Great for Copepod populations in the tank. That actually is a good Idea, I Like the way you cave contained their breeding environment, the only problem with this is I am using a 30Gallon AIO giving me little space to fit such a contraption especially the filtration system that is on my tank maxes out the rear compartment real-estate. I did however figure I would introduce the copepods not only to the tank but to the rear chamber in which I have my Cheato & Biomedia plate giving them segregated grounds for breeding and let the 2 pumps send them from the back to the display. In theory I know it sounds like a great Idea but realistically I have no idea how effective this will be so I want to ensure I am still introducing them to the tank from a sure fire source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Z Reef Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Not sure how long they'd last but what about hatching brine shrimp? Super easy and cheap to do. I was feeding them to my corals but my chromies munched on tons of them lol! These were baby brine, not raised to full size. There's also this "auto feeder" option: KollerCraft TOM Hatch 'N Feeder Brine Shrimp Hatchery for Aquariums https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DVREP8/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_BrwcwbJSTFVKT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse522 Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I use 3 containers with lids to culture my copapod. All three of have air stones in them. I feed them live phytoplankton. I would highly recommend having at least two containers of copepod cultures just in case your culture crashes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodus Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 I use 3 containers with lids to culture my copapod. All three of have air stones in them. I feed them live phytoplankton. I would highly recommend having at least two containers of copepod cultures just in case your culture crashes. Interesting.. Is it pretty easy to crash a culture? I was looking at going with the method explained here they use phytopaste that can be frozen and split out over time, as well the air pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avsdragon Posted August 23, 2016 Share Posted August 23, 2016 I like the idea of the 4" pvc pipe as I am getting ready to start cultivating my 75g tank so i can get some mandarins. I do have a question about my tank set up. Especially the bottom tank I call it a sump not sure if that is correct or would it be considered a refugium. (My set up is the tank then water exits the tank down to a small box like tank(sump) with a filter pad the water runs thru, then it trickles down like a stair way into the reservoir below then I have 2 Ecobio stones in front of the water pump that puts the water back into the tank, and a protein skimmer on the outside of the tank) My question is should I remove the filter pad and the bio stones and just add the copeopod, or just do the pvc pipe. If i am correct i will need to turn off the protein skimmer for about 24 hours? Please advise Do I need the filter pad and or the bio stones? I have no water issues as it stands. I have 80lbs of sand on the bottom giving me about inch on the bottom. Please advice. Thanks Jason 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higher Thinking Posted August 24, 2016 Share Posted August 24, 2016 I like the idea of the 4" pvc pipe as I am getting ready to start cultivating my 75g tank so i can get some mandarins. I do have a question about my tank set up. Especially the bottom tank I call it a sump not sure if that is correct or would it be considered a refugium. (My set up is the tank then water exits the tank down to a small box like tank(sump) with a filter pad the water runs thru, then it trickles down like a stair way into the reservoir below then I have 2 Ecobio stones in front of the water pump that puts the water back into the tank, and a protein skimmer on the outside of the tank) My question is should I remove the filter pad and the bio stones and just add the copeopod, or just do the pvc pipe. If i am correct i will need to turn off the protein skimmer for about 24 hours? Please advise Do I need the filter pad and or the bio stones? I have no water issues as it stands. I have 80lbs of sand on the bottom giving me about inch on the bottom. Please advice. Thanks Jason I think you will find more success just starting a new thread instead of resurrecting old ones from long ago. People will be more likely to notice it. Hope you find your answers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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