New tank copepods

[Uhohhotdog]

So I’m setting up a new tank. 32g. Once it fully cycles my plan was to introduce copepods and let them multiply and then add fish a bit later.

So my question really is, with no fish in there do I need to throw any type of food in there or will the inevitable algae be enough?

Any other helpful comments appreciated as well.

 

[pdisner]

Hi. Saw your post and I can help if you’d like. I’ve been raising a few of these species common to the hobby. I also raise rotifers as well which are great for food for corals and smaller animals. The trick is getting a species that will replicate faster than predation by bigger animals. Everything loves to eat copepods. There are some species s easily grown in an environment of their own to reproduce. They reproduce sexually and go thru many stages of development, so it takes a few weeks to get a nice culture going so that you can harvest a little here and there, put In your display. I’ve got some microscope pics and video of the ones I’ve bee working with. I also breed ornamental marine fish and shrimp, so I use them for food for larvae. My Facebook page is @PaulsPodsAZ where I have some really cool video and pics of a lot of stuff I’ve been breeding.

 

[pdisner]

Here’s one video. You can clearly differentiate the males from the females by the egg sac, of course. Let me know if you have questions or need help getting started. I’ve got a ton of reference materials I can share as well.

 

[pdisner]

 

[DEWreefing]

It is always best to feed the tank so the cycle can begin. Once the bacteria colonies settle in you will have to feed to keep it alive. You have to keep the nitrogen cycle going or it will basically start from scratch.

 

[Uhohhotdog]

I used ammonia drops to start the cycle. Is that fine to keep it going or should I use actual food?

I already have a 13g that’s been up for almost a year. I rushed that one a bit as it was my first so I want to do this one better.

 

[DEWreefing]

I would honestly put a clown fish in to keep it going they do not chase after pods to much and usually stay in one area.

 

[DEWreefing]

Feed it you want the bacteria to grow and you don't want to keep putting ammonia in your display.

 

[pdisner]

Just a little bit of food every 12 hours and you’ll be fine. I use tank water or some live rock from another tank for the nitrification bacteria. You can also buy something called Stability by Sea Chem. I’ve also heard good things about Dr Tim. It’s a good protocol to follow, but costs. I just throw in a big piece of table shrimp. Get that ammonia to spike the. The bacteria with come and do the rest. Just support/feed the bacteria. Copepods are ok to put in once you start to see algae bloom. But it’s cheap to do a side culture I’ve used A bucket and clip on light with the right food and slightly aerate, but basically stagnet. They’ll thrive in there but not so much in you tank because of lack of nutrients to get them to propagate.

 

[Uhohhotdog]

My 13g has 2 clowns and a six line.

Should I just move the clowns over and leave the six line alone for a while?

 

[DEWreefing]

Not till after the tank if fully cycled could take a month.

 

[Uhohhotdog]

Well yes after cycling of course.

I was planning on using the 13g to keep extra copepods and an invertebrates tank after moving the clowns/wrasse over.

 

[pdisner]

I definitely agree with that. They might make it ok, the clowns, it six lines are a little touchy. The fish will definitely suffer, ammonia is hard on the gills and stresses the fish. Success in this hobby is slow progress. Always good to read and research in detail.

 

[Forsaken77]

Feed it you want the bacteria to grow and you don't want to keep putting ammonia in your display.

What do you think happens to the food you put in? Ammonia is what starts the nitrogen cycle. So adding ammonia is better than ghost feeding a tank because you won't have other undesirables in the water.

 

[pdisner]

I would honestly put a clown fish in to keep it going they do not chase after pods to much and usually stay in one area.

DO NOT use a fish or any living animal until at least your ammonia levels drop as the bacteria break it down. I definitely think that is very cruel. That would be like you suffocating, for days. Please never put a fish In a brand new tank or use newly mixed saltwater. These are two big Mistakes that I e ebven seen experienced reefers. Just wait another few weeks until another type of bacteria grows so that it breaks down the Nitrate. Just be patient, do it the right way. This is a chance to learn the basics, like this. This is definitely something that you need to research on your own. Do you have a decent basic saltwater book? Start there. Most should have the basic info. Learn how to master water quality by understanding and learning the chemistry. If you can master your understanding you’ll be way ahead of the game with this hobby. Watch a lot of YouTube videos from reliable sources. How’s your tank cycling now?

 

[pdisner]

When you start to see algae or diatom growth, that would be a good time to add copepods. And actually clownfish are big copepod and amphipod eaters. They live near the bottom when a lot are. They are a sedentary fish, not traveling more than a few feet from their nests so they are opportunistic eaters. That includes the little critters that happen to be right there.

 

[Uhohhotdog]

The question is more about keeping the copepods growing in population until I put the fish in.

I wanted to know if the copepods would be ok with just the algae growth or if I need to throw food in for them and if just the algae is ok. then would I need to add in ammonia to keep the cycle going until fish are in.

 

[cracker]

I'm wondering how to do a water change in a bucket with out loosing some especially the tiny ones.
S for feeding could one keep a little chaeto in the bucket & feed chaeto,then the bugs eat the algae ?

 

[DEWreefing]

DO NOT use a fish or any living animal until at least your ammonia levels drop as the bacteria break it down. I definitely think that is very cruel. That would be like you suffocating, for days. Please never put a fish In a brand new tank or use newly mixed saltwater. These are two big Mistakes that I e ebven seen experienced reefers. Just wait another few weeks until another type of bacteria grows so that it breaks down the Nitrate. Just be patient, do it the right way. This is a chance to learn the basics, like this. This is definitely something that you need to research on your own. Do you have a decent basic saltwater book? Start there. Most should have the basic info. Learn how to master water quality by understanding and learning the chemistry. If you can master your understanding you’ll be way ahead of the game with this hobby. Watch a lot of YouTube videos from reliable sources. How’s your tank cycling now?

We're were talking about putting a clown fish in after the tank was cycled just to keep the nitrogen cycle running. only a fool would put a fish through all of that.

 

[Ferrell]

Pods will eat phytoplankton until you get a good algae base going. I see them all over my glass in between cleanings and inhabited my back glass which gets cleaned less frequently. They are great at repopulating