I think I made a mistake...need some level headed advice.

[nickyeager]

So I broke my number one rule, no purchases at the LFS without researching in-depth first and... I bought a Flame Scallop.

I Absolutely love the way my little "Scallopini" claps around my 150 gallon tank it's so awesome. I got him yesterday. LFS of course didn't tell me they eat pods which in my 4 month old tank I do not have yet. Shocked I didn't think to even ask that, I was just so enamored with the little guy.

So what everyone is going to probably tell me is take him back to the LFS store today before he ends up hiding under a rock and starving to death releasing nutrients into my tank. And you are probably right. I have a good chance of catching him where he currently is hanging out and can get a refund if I bring him back.

But is there anyone out there hopefully a few people who think if I go buy 10k copopods and some phytoplankton and dump it in my tank I have a pretty dang good chance of keeping him alive?

I would be happy to setup a refugium or culture tank if need be, but I have 150lbs of live rock and I am not stocked heavily. Maybe there is a chance they will flourish in the DT? Water parameters are good and my tank is fully cycled using RO water from the start.


Current Stocking

2 Firefish
1 coral beauty
1 Foxface
4 Zebra Goby
1 Chromis
1 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Coral Banded Shrimp

Torch Coral
Zoanthids
Trump Coral
Green Star Polyps

.

 

[Daddy-o]

I thought flame scallops ate phytoplankton?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I thought flame scallops ate phytoplankton?

They're filter feeders so anything that fits inside their "mouth" is fair game.

 

[keddre]

Granted mine is only 3 months old, I feed mine Seachem Zooplankton mixed with Live Phyto. While Live copepods will definitely be better, I would suggest you put them in a turkey baster and feed it a little downstream from her, or squirt slowly into its cave.

 

[Oceanwave45]

If you but pods in a bottle abs start dosing your tank he may be okay

 

[Daddy-o]

We have one and we ordered Rotifers and Phyto from Reed Mariculture. We culture the Rotifers in a 5 gallon bucket and add them and Phyto to our display tank daily. Do keep in mind that these guys have very little expendable energy and are best left alone and not constantly moved to the front of the tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

IMO don't strain the food juice. Rotate foods , include veg or Phyto blends. Consider Rotifers as part of the tank diet or a blend that contains them. Stir your sand, and regularly blow the dust of the rocks.

My scallop is two years old and I have had several of my bivalves for much longer.

Keep in mind many of these just don't make it and it because of the animals original health and not always a lack of food. I originally purchased three scallops.

 

[nickyeager]

Thank you everyone! I think my Scallop found a place to hang out under the rocks so I'm not sure how to spot feed until I figure out where he is but I am going to order this combo package and add it to my tank since they have a buy one get one free deal for first timers. Is this the right stuff? https://www.algaebarn.com/product/combo-5280-pods-oceanmagik-phyto/

 

[Daddy-o]

Looks good to me! If you wanted, you could put the pods in a 5 gallon bucket of salt water with an airline bubbling slowly , add a couple ml of Phyto daily and you would have an good culture going that you can feed to your tank on a regular basis.
Cheers! Mark

 

[keddre]

Sounds good, hopefully yours will be in a convenient spot. Mine hangs in a cave pointing to the back. All I can see off him is his tentacles moving when I spot feed

 

[Empress]

Looks good to me! If you wanted, you could put the pods in a 5 gallon bucket of salt water with an airline bubbling slowly , add a couple ml of Phyto daily and you would have an good culture going that you can feed to your tank on a regular basis.
Cheers! Mark

Normal temperature and salinity?? Can the bucket go in a sunny window for warmth?

 

[AcroNem]

Actually, it's a common myth that they'll eat anything that fits in their mouth. They eat much smaller foods, maxing out around 20-25microns. They're also selective based on what the food "tastes" like. I'd recommend shellfish diet from reed mariculture ad it has two species of Diatoms and several other types of green phytoplankton that work really well. I currently keep several using Diatoms, green phytoplankton and GP diets. They also need food constantly, or they will starve.

 

[keddre]

Actually, it's a common myth that they'll eat anything that fits in their mouth. They eat much smaller foods, maxing out around 20-25microns. They're also selective based on what the food "tastes" like. I'd recommend shellfish diet from reed mariculture ad it has two species of Diatoms and several other types of green phytoplankton that work really well. I currently keep several using Diatoms, green phytoplankton and GP diets. They also need food constantly, or they will starve.

I thought these only eat zooplankton. Granted I broadcast dose my tank with live phyto twice a dayu top boost zoo rates, I thought they were primarily small zooplankton eaters

 

[Daddy-o]

Normal temperature and salinity?? Can the bucket go in a sunny window for warmth?

I would use the same salinity as your tanks. No heat or light required (unless they are in your garage and it is snowing)

 

[AcroNem]

They're filter feeders so anything that fits inside their "mouth" is fair game.

I thought these only eat zooplankton. Granted I broadcast dose my tank with live phyto twice a dayu top boost zoo rates, I thought they were primarily small zooplankton eaters

They do feed on copepod nauplii, it makes up 30% or so of their intake.

 

[Daddy-o]

We are currently running 5 culture buckets. 2 of Tiggers, 2 of Apocyclops, and 1 of Rotifers. We will be moving our focus more towards the Apocyclops in the future as I believe they are the best critters for our reef. While most of the different pods eat Phyto, the Apocyclops will eat Phyto, nuisance algae, and poo. And while the adults congregate on surfaces, the nauplii are swimmers and remain in the water column, which makes it ideal for our corals and filter feeders.
Cheers!

 

[keddre]

We are currently running 5 culture buckets. 2 of Tiggers, 2 of Apocyclops, and 1 of Rotifers. We will be moving our focus more towards the Apocyclops in the future as I believe they are the best critters for our reef. While most of the different pods eat Phyto, the Apocyclops will eat Phyto, nuisance algae, and poo. And while the adults congregate on surfaces, the nauplii are swimmers and remain in the water column, which makes it ideal for our corals and filter feeders.
Cheers!

How does this work for you, I was thinking if doing the same to save money with classes starting back up, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to supply all the pytho

Plus with my love of filter feeders, I need cultures anyway

 

[Daddy-o]

How does this work for you, I was thinking if doing the same to save money with classes starting back up, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to supply all the pytho

Plus with my love of filter feeders, I need cultures anyway

It works good for us. Each bucket gets 2ml of Phyto twice a day. We buy our phyto from Reed Mariculture. You could also culture your own phyto. We tried for a while and I just found it easier to buy it.

 

[keddre]

It works good for us. Each bucket gets 2ml of Phyto twice a day. We buy our phyto from Reed Mariculture. You could also culture your own phyto. We tried for a while and I just found it easier to buy it.

I culture my own currently, but without f2, it's not multiplying fast enough to completely stop buying out and I'm skeptic about the miracle grow people suggest

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

They do feed on copepod nauplii, it makes up 30% or so of their intake.

Where did this info come from? Is there a study where a gut content analysis was performed?