Copepods

[benmed]

I am having trouble keeping/maintaining a copepod populations. No sure where the problems is. I’ve added about 4-6 bottles from algaebarn over several months but I have no copepods to speak of.

I’ve tried the galaxy pods and maybe the tiger pods as well (I’d have to look again). I’ve tried feeding the phytoplankton.

it’s a 100 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump. in the sump, there is about three Gallon refugium with Chaeto which is thriving. each Time I‘ve added the cops pods, I add them to the refugium and turn off the flow to that area for about 20 minutes.

I have about 70 pounds of live rock in the display and another 10 in the sump (not in the refugium).

I am running a Reefmat 1200.

i Also have one wrasse, blue tang, white tail tang, and some other smaller fish but they get Fed pretty well.

parameters are pretty reasonable with alk of 8.6, nitrate 5 and phos 0.02.

at night, there are no pods. I’d really like to keep a mandarin

any thoughts? @AlgaeBarn

 

[littlefoxx]

I am having trouble keeping/maintaining a copepod populations. No sure where the problems is. I’ve added about 4-6 bottles from algaebarn over several months but I have no copepods to speak of.

I’ve tried the galaxy pods and maybe the tiger pods as well (I’d have to look again). I’ve tried feeding the phytoplankton.

it’s a 100 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump. in the sump, there is about three Gallon refugium with Chaeto which is thriving. each Time I‘ve added the cops pods, I add them to the refugium and turn off the flow to that area for about 20 minutes.

I have about 70 pounds of live rock in the display and another 10 in the sump (not in the refugium).

I am running a Reefmat 1200.

i Also have one wrasse, blue tang, white tail tang, and some other smaller fish but they get Fed pretty well.

parameters are pretty reasonable with alk of 8.6, nitrate 5 and phos 0.02.

at night, there are no pods. I’d really like to keep a mandarin

any thoughts? @AlgaeBarn

How old is your tank?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am having trouble keeping/maintaining a copepod populations. No sure where the problems is. I’ve added about 4-6 bottles from algaebarn over several months but I have no copepods to speak of.

I’ve tried the galaxy pods and maybe the tiger pods as well (I’d have to look again). I’ve tried feeding the phytoplankton.

it’s a 100 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump. in the sump, there is about three Gallon refugium with Chaeto which is thriving. each Time I‘ve added the cops pods, I add them to the refugium and turn off the flow to that area for about 20 minutes.

I have about 70 pounds of live rock in the display and another 10 in the sump (not in the refugium).

I am running a Reefmat 1200.

i Also have one wrasse, blue tang, white tail tang, and some other smaller fish but they get Fed pretty well.

parameters are pretty reasonable with alk of 8.6, nitrate 5 and phos 0.02.

at night, there are no pods. I’d really like to keep a mandarin

any thoughts? @AlgaeBarn

Introduction is most important and you want to add half to refugium where there is a food source and add other half right before lights kick on as there will be phyto and other organisms for their food source generated in the light during the day. Chaeto is an ideal source for them to have food and ide within.
Many may be in pores of rocks and at night aiming a flashlight at rocks will reveal their presence

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Look in the corners of your tank, they you should be able to see some of them there.

I think people expect to see a blanket of them on the glass, but their natural instinct is to hide or else they get eaten. They are mainly in your rocks and sand where you can't see them.

Stop spending money on pods, just keep feeding phyto, and believe they are their.

 

[Reefering1]

And how much food goes into the tank, it takes "excess" food and waste, plus time, to sustain a healthy population. Shouldn't really have to do anything to obtain this except feed and give time

 

[Bigmikespc]

I’ve dosed them in multiple tanks and each time I’ve had an explosion of pods within two weeks to the point there are at least 5-10 visible pods per quarter sized area anywhere you look on the glass. However that wasn’t always the case, I was only this successful with them after adding phytoplankton daily (from Algaebarn). I run 15ml per day in my 55 gallon and 45ml per day in my 150 gallon. The first two times I dosed a 4 jar eco pack I never saw them after. I had algae in the tank and extra waste but for whatever reason it wasn’t enough. Next time add some phyto daily and I bet you notice a huge change.

 

[benmed]

How old is your tank?

a year old

 

[floridareeflabs]

Hello,

We dose phyto plankton every couple days and initially does copepods daily for 2 weeks then backed down to 16 oz of pods weekly from there for a 120 gallon system. You may not see the pods but they are there if your feeding phyto to your system and fish food etc. We have mandarin and wrasse and tangs in our 120 and you can see them seek them out, they are alive and well after 2 years so copepods are there.

 

[topjimmy]

Save some next time and culture them. It's ridiculously easy

 

[benmed]

Save some next time and culture them. It's ridiculously easy

What do you do?

 

[topjimmy]

What do you do?

I have an opaque Rubbermaid tub, about the same size as a dish pan. Fill it about half up with fresh saltwater, add some phyto if you want or have it a little fertilizer like MG, or something, it doesn't need much. I have that tub sitting open in a partly shady spot on my porch. Toss in some pods and in a month they will have exploded in population. Just top off with fresh water when you notice that it needs it. I don't cover it so bugs and leaves etc find their way in but don't hurt anything.

 

[Floyd-]

I have the opposite problem. Ive never added pods to my tank or phyto and they are crawling all over my glass and rocks in my 25 gallon. I over feed a bit for a 25 gallon tank and I think that adds to my population.

 

[Heisenberg 78]

Do you add any phosphate removers which contain lanthanum?

this stunts the microfauna in the tank, not Sure if this applies to you..?

 

[benmed]

Do you add any phosphate removers which contain lanthanum?

this stunts the microfauna in the tank, not Sure if this applies to you..?

No I dont add anything. I try to titrate phos and nitrate with duration of refugium lights

 

[Nemo&Friends]

i never see pods either not even with a flash light. I have added some a few times, but never saw any in the tank. I just have a few in my HOB refugium, but their number is very stable, does not increase at all. My tank is a few years old.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Start phyto dosing if you have not done so . Cheato is more for amthipods not copepods. Copepods prefer porous media such as rock work , rock rubble , matrix etc . Let algea build up on your glass for a week this will draw out what you do have and give you an idea of what you have .

 

[AlgaeBarn]

There are a lot of good answers in these comments! Do you dose phyto as well? That would make a massive difference for the pod population.

 

[benmed]

There are a lot of good answers in these comments! Do you dose phyto as well? That would make a massive difference for the pod population.

Yep as noted in the OP, I tried phyto (ocean magik). Didn’t seem to do anything… thoughts?

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Yep as noted in the OP, I tried phyto (ocean magik). Didn’t seem to do anything… thoughts?

Could be the inhabitants. I know wrasses have a tendency to be extremely pod aggressive. What are the other small fish in your tank? Fish like damselfish also have a tendency to turn a healthy pod population into a quick snack.

 

[Nemo&Friends]

Well that may be my problem. I have a six line and a four stripe damsel. Also 7 chromis.