Collecting amphipods

Paul B · Jun 14, 2015

Yesterday I went to my favorite tide pool with my boat and did some collecting. (as I always do) It is the beginning of amphipod season and I collected thousands or maybe millions of them. Right now they are in an open net in my tank so they can swim, (or crawl) out at their leisure.
I add them like that because they are mixed in with all sorts of seaweeds, sticks and rotting vegetation that would float around in my tank but I do want the bacteria that covers this stuff. For a few minutes my tank was literally covered in swimming amphipods. I would assume there was also millions of copepods also but I can't see those to well. I am going back again today for more collecting.

This video of amphipods is from last year but they look the same so just make believe I took this yesterday

KJ · Jun 14, 2015

Looking good Paul.

KJ

Gopi · Jun 14, 2015

I was actually wondering about taking a drive to the beach and collecting some pods myself... Hmmm

underwaterdan · Jun 14, 2015

How do you collect them? Ever afraid of getting hitchhikers?

Paul B · Jun 14, 2015

I just came back again with 9,784 more amphipods. Collecting them is easy, counting them is a pain.
I don't worry about hitchhikers and have been adding these things for decades. My tank was started with water from there. I just lift a piece of wood at low tide and it is usually covered in amphipods. I just run my hand over it and I become covered in them. I just swish my hand in a bucket of water. I can get as much as I want in a few minutes. I really have to many now and really need to stop but I do this every summer and so fat, haven't crashed my tank with all the wildlife. I really want the bacteria as much as the pods and next week will just go for the bacteria in the mud

underwaterdan · Jun 16, 2015

Where do you go for these amazing creatures and mud?

Paul B · Jun 16, 2015

Port Washington on Long Island but they are on any muddy, rocky coast

beaslbob · Jun 16, 2015

Paul B said:
I just came back again with 9,784 more amphipods. Collecting them is easy, counting them is a pain.
I don't worry about hitchhikers and have been adding these things for decades. My tank was started with water from there. I just lift a piece of wood at low tide and it is usually covered in amphipods. I just run my hand over it and I become covered in them. I just swish my hand in a bucket of water. I can get as much as I want in a few minutes. I really have to many now and really need to stop but I do this every summer and so fat, haven't crashed my tank with all the wildlife. I really want the bacteria as much as the pods and next week will just go for the bacteria in the mud

you counted one twice so start over!!!!!!!

Paul B · Jul 19, 2015

Today it will be 94 degrees and of course I am going out in my boat. I will anchor off my favorite tide pool to do a little collecting but amphipod season is over. I was there last week and it was slim pickins for amphipods. Today I will just get some mud for the bacteria and copepods which are much smaller. I won't know if I get many because they are to small for me to see but I can make believe I get them either way. I also just like to play with the many fiddler crabs, grass shrimp, hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs there. At 94 degrees I think I will have to stay in the water all day anyway.

Scallywag · Oct 5, 2015

I'm curious about this... I live in jersey and obviously have a very similar shoreline, along with similar/same species/ecosystem. Have you ever put any snails, shrimp, mollusks etc that you find in your tank? I've always heard its a big no no to mix local stuff with the tropical species we have in our tanks. Are the pods put in as a food source, or do they provide other benefits?

Paul B · Oct 6, 2015

I always put snails, and shrimp in my tank as well as crustaceans. Mollosks from here don't dowwewll but those other things live forever. Pods are food and excellent scavengers

Scallywag · Oct 6, 2015

That's awesome! Thanks, Paul. Looks like I will be gathering some of these next summer.

Harold Green · Oct 6, 2015

I'm jealous. Here along the upper texas coast you can't find snails except for conchs that eat fish. It's been decades now but I used to go wading the shallows along the beach at low tide and would pick up clusters of dead oyster shells. They would have lettuce algae growing on them and have lots of live barnacles and pods and a few small blue crabs that don't play well in a tank. I've found what looked like miniature lobsters under the occasional rock. Wish I had your enthusiasm to go out and collect.

Paul B · Oct 6, 2015

I have so much enthusiasm it is sickening. There are just too many things I like to do and not enough hours in the day.
This is only one of my hobbies so I wish there were two of me to enjoy all I want to do.

Harold Green · Oct 6, 2015

I know the feeling. I have a one acre fruit orchard that requires almost daily attention. Soon it'll be time to prune, fertilize, mulch, etc. I'm in the middle of helping one of my sons re deck a magna 19 bay boat. Meanwhile I'm running in a 54g corner bow up in my den. Also trying to get the best bid on installing a 22K generator and lp tank to feed it. As someone once said "I'll rest when I die". Enjoy the wading.

Scallywag · Oct 6, 2015

Paul, just a guess but based on the fact you are in LI and have a boat, I'd say you're a fisherman. Probably, more specifically a striper fisherman. If so, I am too. I'm shore based, mainly surf but get out on buddies boats here and there. So I get the many hobbies thing. Jersey should be seeing some of the fall run stripers about now. Time to get out there and wet a line.

I also kayak and hike... But with two young kids, I don't do any of it as much as I'd like. However, time spent with them is amazing! I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Wiz · Oct 6, 2015

I live in nh. I go to hampton beach And collect. Pods, snails, and oysters seem to adjust fine after a slow acclimation. But not so much hermits, shrimp, or serpent stars. I killed a few trying and then gave up.
I love these slipper limpets. Never seen them before collecting. they transfered well and clean good too.

Barracuda photobomb. Lol

Paul B · Oct 6, 2015

Harold, sounds like one of my days.
Scallywag, II do have a boat, it is a 27' SeaRay and not really a fishing boat. But many years ago my friend and I used to fish every day on our smaller boats. As a kid I would fish in a puddle, I would fish in a sewer, anywhere it was wet, I would fish. Then in the early 70s we got certified for diving and that changed our boating and fishing practices for life. Every week for years we would SCUBA in the Long Island Sound for lobsters, flounders and ship wrecks. In those days, no one dove the Sound as the viaibility is almost zero, but that means that everything that ever sunk there, is still there not like in the tropics where every tourist has seen everything. I don't do crowds.
So we caught so many flounders and lobsters and it was so easy, we stopped fishing. Now occasionally I will surf fish from a beach someplace just to relax. My boat is more for partying and going out to dinner, and we do a lot of that.
This is the back of my boat a few weeks ago at the dock. This was a reunion of high school friends that we are all still friends with

I love my boat. And my wife as today is our 42nd wedding anniversary