Why don’t I have copepods?

[Miami Reef]

My tank is almost 3 months old. I added some live rocks, corals, and live sand but I don’t see any amphipods in my filter socks like before my tank restart.

Either my tank is too new, too much filtration, too much predators, or too few surface area.

As I said, tank is almost 3 months since tank reset.

For filtration I have 5 micron filter socks running 24/7, oversized UV, and skimmer rated for my tank size.

I have a couple of wrasses and anthias.

I don’t have refugium (please don’t recommend me one). I only have sand and rocks. I’m able to fit much for rocks in the back of the tank for surface area.

Can someone please recommend the steps needed to have a big population of copepods? I want them to keep my wrasse, anthias, tangs, and mandarin goby (soon addition) well fed.

Is my filter socks removing them?

How do I know if I have them now but just don’t know? My only way of knowing is if I see amphipods in the filter sock. So far it’s only poop that I’m seeing. I used to have a lot in my 100 micron socks.

@AlgaeBarn I’d appreciate to get some insight from you too! I’m willing to do anything to get my copepods and biodiversity up. Whether it’s lowering sock usage/micron. Limiting UV. More rock work in Display.

 

[Miami Reef]

PS. The rock work on the right is one layer/hollow. There is a large gap behind the back.

 

[LIreefguy]

You have pods. When your lights go out at night wait a couple hours. If you use a flash light you will see them

 

[Miami Reef]

I have a black flashlight. Will that work?

 

[LIreefguy]

Because all tanks have them. Once you put fish in they tend to hide I have 4 tanks in one tank I don’t have any fish. You see pods all over the glass and frags. In all the other tanks you don’t see anything. They are there they are just hiding. They are tiny tasty creatures. If they didn’t hide they would be eaten

 

[ReefRy]

Check your sump walls. They can be super-tiny and hard to see, so the easiest way to notice them is by their movement. Most likely, they're there. Great tank, btw.

 

[Jekyl]

They talked about it in a BRS video that not having pods is almost impossible. Someone super heated a tank and everything added and still ended up with pods somehow.

 

[LIreefguy]

Pods are like coralline algae Every new person in hobby wants them so bad. Some even pay money for them Then one day you will have more than you need. No reason to worry or pay for it.

 

[Miami Reef]

I just checked. Wow. I never knew my tank had so many organisms inside. I see little ant like things crawling on rocks. I see copepods on the glass. Wow. I’m really happy with this. I feel almost pathetic for thinking of adding more rocks, stopping my filter socks, or…paying money for copepods. Wow.

 

[TnFishwater98]

I just checked. Wow. I never knew my tank had so many organisms inside. I see little ant like things crawling on rocks. I see copepods on the glass. Wow. I’m really happy with this. I feel almost pathetic for thinking of adding more rocks, stopping my filter socks, or…paying money for copepods. Wow.

Congrats on your pods!
If you got LR direct from the Gulf you will definitely have a lot of ocean dwellers in your tank....

 

[Miami Reef]

Congrats on your pods!
If you got LR direct from the Gulf you will definitely have a lot of ocean dwellers in your tank....

I want to add some. Do I go in person or online? I live in Florida

 

[TnFishwater98]

I want to add some. Do I go in person or online? I live in Florida

If you live in Florida I would def pick up and keep it submerged in saltwater.

 

[Miami Reef]

But where do I go? Thanks!

 

[Jekyl]

I want to add some. Do I go in person or online? I live in Florida

Gulfliverock.com

 

[Fezbearer]

Pods are like coralline algae Every new person in hobby wants them so bad. Some even pay money for them Then one day you will have more than you need. No reason to worry or pay for it.

I buy them every couple of months just to see my fish go to town on them.

 

[MaxTremors]

But where do I go? Thanks!

It’s illegal to take live rock from the ocean in Florida. The companies that do it have a special permit and put hundreds of thousands of pounds of rock into the ocean, left it there for years, and are now collecting it, it’s not natural live rock.

 

[tehmadreefer]

If you want pods, go to any saltwater body of water and look under rocks, shells, driftwood, etc. no need to buy them when they are free. If your in Miami go to where the bay areas are not the beach, you can also find plenty of nerite and cerith snail as well as hermits.

 

[fishface NJ]

But where do I go? Thanks!

KP aquatics in FL You can pickup or they can ship it to you. You want it bagged in water not just wrapped in wet newspaper if you have it shipped