Apocyclops for freshwater fish/fry?

[LordJoshaeus]

Hi everyone! I decided against a saltwater tank for the time being, but I have another question that I could use some help with. Next year I am planning on breeding some freshwater fishes and will need some live foods both to condition the breeders and to raise the fry until they are old enough to take prepared foods. I found a useful Reed mariculture guide on culturing Apocyclops panamensis, and I am thinking of using this species as a larval feed for freshwater fishes alongside baby brine shrimp and microworms. Here are my questions;
1 - I would most likely need to culture the Apocyclops outside during the summer. Would that work if I insulated the container (likely a 5 gallon bucket) and used a 50 watt or higher heater?
2 - Would Apocyclops larvae stay in the water column (and thus be available to fry) when introduced to freshwater? The algae barn said they are euryhaline and can survive in freshwater, but I have not been able to confirm that from additional research.
3 - Anything else I should know?

I could eventually use this knowledge to help me rear marine fishes as well (something I have long desired to do). Thanks

 

[Peace River]

Hi everyone! I decided against a saltwater tank for the time being, but I have another question that I could use some help with. Next year I am planning on breeding some freshwater fishes and will need some live foods both to condition the breeders and to raise the fry until they are old enough to take prepared foods. I found a useful Reed mariculture guide on culturing Apocyclops panamensis, and I am thinking of using this species as a larval feed for freshwater fishes alongside baby brine shrimp and microworms. Here are my questions;
1 - I would most likely need to culture the Apocyclops outside during the summer. Would that work if I insulated the container (likely a 5 gallon bucket) and used a 50 watt or higher heater?
2 - Would Apocyclops larvae stay in the water column (and thus be available to fry) when introduced to freshwater? The algae barn said they are euryhaline and can survive in freshwater, but I have not been able to confirm that from additional research.
3 - Anything else I should know?

I could eventually use this knowledge to help me rear marine fishes as well (something I have long desired to do). Thanks

Good luck on culturing copepods - IMO they are a key resources for breeding saltwater fishes! Here is a link to some great info on Apocyclops panamensis provided by @Reef Nutrition that you may find helpful - good luck!

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Here's an interesting question...do I need to use RODI water for the culture other than for top offs? I understand from research (and experience ) that trying to use tap water in a display tank usually results in severe algae blooms, which may be a moot point for a live food culture that isn't supposed to be attractive. As I have no intention of getting an RODI unit yet, this would save me a good deal of money if I could use dechlorinated tap water.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Hi everyone! I decided against a saltwater tank for the time being, but I have another question that I could use some help with. Next year I am planning on breeding some freshwater fishes and will need some live foods both to condition the breeders and to raise the fry until they are old enough to take prepared foods. I found a useful Reed mariculture guide on culturing Apocyclops panamensis, and I am thinking of using this species as a larval feed for freshwater fishes alongside baby brine shrimp and microworms. Here are my questions;
1 - I would most likely need to culture the Apocyclops outside during the summer. Would that work if I insulated the container (likely a 5 gallon bucket) and used a 50 watt or higher heater?
2 - Would Apocyclops larvae stay in the water column (and thus be available to fry) when introduced to freshwater? The algae barn said they are euryhaline and can survive in freshwater, but I have not been able to confirm that from additional research.
3 - Anything else I should know?

I could eventually use this knowledge to help me rear marine fishes as well (something I have long desired to do). Thanks

I can offer some guidance. First off, Apocyclops panamensis is indeed euryhaline (primarily coastal brackish), but the ones offered in the hobby do not tolerate freshwater; it kills them within minutes; I've tested it. With that being said, the ones you can find in the hobby will not work for what you need. There are populations of A. panamensis that thrive in freshwater, but you would need to find someone to collect them for you. The Cayman Islands, for example, has populations that exists in freshwater, brackish and saltwater.

You can find freshwater copepods for sale here: https://www.carolina.com/copepod/copepods-cyclops-living/142365.pr?question=copepods. Not sure how well they will do in outside containers.

Keep in mind that you can also use rotifers, like Brachionus plicatilis. These are used extensively in zebrafish laboratories all over the world. You can acclimate this species down to 5ppt for feeding. Most freshwater fish larvae can tolerate very low salinity, like Danio rerio (Zebra fish). It's something to consider. Rotifers can be grown in 15ppt in 5 gallon buckets, and culturing can be very successful when fed our marine microalgae feed and enrichment - RGcomplete.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Here's an interesting question...do I need to use RODI water for the culture other than for top offs? I understand from research (and experience ) that trying to use tap water in a display tank usually results in severe algae blooms, which may be a moot point for a live food culture that isn't supposed to be attractive. As I have no intention of getting an RODI unit yet, this would save me a good deal of money if I could use dechlorinated tap water.

We use RO/DI water for all of our cultures. It's a very good idea.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

I can offer some guidance. First off, Apocyclops panamensis is indeed euryhaline (primarily coastal brackish), but the ones offered in the hobby do not tolerate freshwater; it kills them within minutes; I've tested it. With that being said, the ones you can find in the hobby will not work for what you need. There are populations of A. panamensis that thrive in freshwater, but you would need to find someone to collect them for you. The Cayman Islands, for example, has populations that exists in freshwater, brackish and saltwater.

You can find freshwater copepods for sale here: https://www.carolina.com/copepod/copepods-cyclops-living/142365.pr?question=copepods. Not sure how well they will do in outside containers.

Keep in mind that you can also use rotifers, like Brachionus plicatilis. These are used extensively in zebrafish laboratories all over the world. You can acclimate this species down to 5ppt for feeding. Most freshwater fish larvae can tolerate very low salinity, like Danio rerio (Zebra fish). It's something to consider. Rotifers can be grown in 15ppt in 5 gallon buckets, and culturing can be very successful when fed our marine microalgae feed and enrichment - RGcomplete.

Oy...guess I'll have to find a different culture subject (perhaps the aforementioned rotifers). Would any other saltwater pods work better?

We use RO/DI water for all of our cultures. It's a very good idea.

OK. I will keep that in mind.

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Oy...guess I'll have to find a different culture subject (perhaps the aforementioned rotifers). Would any other saltwater pods work better?



OK. I will keep that in mind.

Tigriopus californicus (Tigger-Pods) would work, but their larvae (nauplii) don't drift around in the water column. You need to do a complete harvest and size separate. This species tolerates freshwater for about 30 minutes. There are axolotl breeders that use them for the newborns! Many people culture this species in tubs, outdoors. You can also culture them in buckets or tanks. We have some suggestions for doing this: https://reefnutrition.com/product_tigger_pods.php#tab_use

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Hi everyone! I decided against a saltwater tank for the time being, but I have another question that I could use some help with. Next year I am planning on breeding some freshwater fishes and will need some live foods both to condition the breeders and to raise the fry until they are old enough to take prepared foods. I found a useful Reed mariculture guide on culturing Apocyclops panamensis, and I am thinking of using this species as a larval feed for freshwater fishes alongside baby brine shrimp and microworms. Here are my questions;
1 - I would most likely need to culture the Apocyclops outside during the summer. Would that work if I insulated the container (likely a 5 gallon bucket) and used a 50 watt or higher heater?
2 - Would Apocyclops larvae stay in the water column (and thus be available to fry) when introduced to freshwater? The algae barn said they are euryhaline and can survive in freshwater, but I have not been able to confirm that from additional research.
3 - Anything else I should know?

I could eventually use this knowledge to help me rear marine fishes as well (something I have long desired to do). Thanks

Just to clarify, where did we say that apocyclops would survive in freshwater? I think you may have misunderstood us.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Hello! I found it in this article; https://www.algaebarn.com/blog/cope...-the-cyclopoid-copepod-apocyclops-panamensis/

It reads, in part; "It [Apocyclops] is also euryhaline (meaning that it can tolerate a wide range of salinity), and can survive and reproduce in freshwater as well as full seawater."