Macroalgae and copepods

[airvicconcre]

Hi everyone, I am new to the marine hobby and I’ve setup a 150g tank back home in India. I am in the USA traveling for a couple of weeks and I was wondering if anyone could give me some advise on Macro Algae and copepods. We don’t get these items in India hence I plan to buy live copepods and macroalgae if they can survive a 36 hour flight back home to India. I don’t want them to die before I reach. Any help is appreciated.

 

[airvicconcre]

Yo

Welcome! Glad you joined.

Pods are tough - absolutely will survive trip. My preference is @Reef Nutrition Reef Nutrition Tigger Pods as they seem toughest and tolerate more temperature swings than many other pods. I would NOT put them in your checked luggage due to serious cold underneath planes, but if you put them in an airplane approved container as part of your carry-on liquids its unlikely they'd be noticed. IF there are import restrictions on these, well ... don't release in wild... definitely just feed to fish!

You can get them live an most USA local fish stores that carry saltwater fish. When you get them home, this thread my help you culture them and keep them going so even though you will be back home in India, you don't need to buy any more:

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

This might help you find people local to you in India:

Global Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I hope to be in this hobby for a very long time. Reefs fascinate me when I dive and I would love them to be in my everyday life.

You’ve been very kind and helpful. I fully intend to take them home and I intend to keep them alive. Will do all I can to do that. Thanks )

 

[SPR1968]

Hi and welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[Reab]

Ok this is my time to shine!!!

 

[Reab]

So I would like to start off by saying welcome and I hope your trip goes well.

I have flown with corals before AS CARRY ON! First, I prepared a few bottles that are under the carry one limitation for liquid of saltwater. Next before you get through security dump all the water out of the corals container. Claim to customs that you have to take them through the metal detector as it is a live animal and X-ray would kill it. You shouldn’t have any issues here as you are not breaking any laws by flying with an animal. Once you are past security pour the pre package saltwater into the coral container. Boom. Home free. While this is a bit of a craps shoot as you don’t really know how much resistance you will face and, I hate to say it, but I’m a white male who was in the military at the time. It is quite possible I was allotted some preferential treatment. But as I said before, it’s not breaking the law.
Next. Cheato I have shipped all across the United States in plain envelopes with minimal water using standard postage(5-10 days) I have never lost any cheato doing this.

 

[Reab]

Pods are a bit of a different story as the container will likely be really difficult to drain without losing the pods. With the typical containers being over the liquid capacity. You can’t check them as X-ray will certainly kill them. My best thought is to pack a coffee filter(bamboo) have extra bags. Pour pods into coffee filter, go through security like I stated, then rinse the coffee filter into a new bag or just place it in there. This is why I recommended the bamboo ones as they should take longer to break down.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Copepods would have zero issues handling 36 hour travel time

 

[airvicconcre]

So I would like to start off by saying welcome and I hope your trip goes well.

I have flown with corals before AS CARRY ON! First, I prepared a few bottles that are under the carry one limitation for liquid of saltwater. Next before you get through security dump all the water out of the corals container. Claim to customs that you have to take them through the metal detector as it is a live animal and X-ray would kill it. You shouldn’t have any issues here as you are not breaking any laws by flying with an animal. Once you are past security pour the pre package saltwater into the coral container. Boom. Home free. While this is a bit of a craps shoot as you don’t really know how much resistance you will face and, I hate to say it, but I’m a white male who was in the military at the time. It is quite possible I was allotted some preferential treatment. But as I said before, it’s not breaking the law.
Next. Cheato I have shipped all across the United States in plain envelopes with minimal water using standard postage(5-10 days) I have never lost any cheato doing this.

Thank you for the insight, I would’ve never thought about that. The only way I can take them is if I put them through check-in bags. Is there another way like I can wrap them in a different way so they don’t die when they go through X-ray? Really appreciate your help.

Copepods would have zero issues handling 36 hour travel time

hi there and thank you for your reply. Will they be able to withstand X-rays if I put them in my checkin bags? Another way I can wrap them?

 

[airvicconcre]

Pods are a bit of a different story as the container will likely be really difficult to drain without losing the pods. With the typical containers being over the liquid capacity. You can’t check them as X-ray will certainly kill them. My best thought is to pack a coffee filter(bamboo) have extra bags. Pour pods into coffee filter, go through security like I stated, then rinse the coffee filter into a new bag or just place it in there. This is why I recommended the bamboo ones as they should take longer to break down.

Hello and thanks for replying. How will I prepare saltwater once I filter pods through a coffee filter to take them through customs. Will the pods DEFINITELY die going through X-rays if I check them
In? Can I pack them in a different way so they are unharmed during X-rays?

 

[Latte]

Welcome to R2R!

The comments on cuatoms made me giggle. Though obviously we'll meaning, from my understanding customs in India is very different to the west. If any issues do come up, they're fixed quickly with some small cash changing hands. Perhaps airvic can confirm if that's the case in his experience?

Certainly verrrry different to customs here in Australia!

 

[airvicconcre]

Welcome to R2R!

The comments on cuatoms made me giggle. Though obviously we'll meaning, from my understanding customs in India is very different to the west. If any issues do come up, they're fixed quickly with some small cash changing hands. Perhaps airvic can confirm if that's the case in his experience?

Certainly verrrry different to customs here in Australia!

Well, hello. )
I am a hobbyist and I don’t know how the customs will react to live copepods. About difference in regulations let’s just say if they do confiscate my copepods I have nothing much to lose except what I paid for them. If I get to take it home it’s a win win situation. I will take that risk any given Sunday lol. Will they survive X-rays is what I’m worried about now that a dear gentleman mentioned here on this thread. Do you have an idea?

 

[RichReef]

Welcome!

 

[airvicconcre]

Welcome!

Would you by any chance have an idea if live copepods would survive custom X-rays in checked-in luggage? Thank you in advance.

 

[Reab]

I’ll do some research here but from my understanding the smaller the creacher the more harmful the X-ray. Really the only way to block x ray is through shielding but that would probably get you in trouble as they will think you’re hiding something.
I filled a few travel sized soap containers in my carry on(new and clean) with saltwater and then dumped them into the bag on the other side of security.

 

[Reab]

Not finding much so far other than people have started to X-ray fish with no negative effects. Although they may be using a much lower dose of X-ray than customs would.

 

[G Santana]

Welcome to the Reef

 

[airvicconcre]

H

I’ll do some research here but from my understanding the smaller the creacher the more harmful the X-ray. Really the only way to block x ray is through shielding but that would probably get you in trouble as they will think you’re hiding something.
I filled a few travel sized soap containers in my carry on(new and clean) with saltwater and then dumped them into the bag on the other side of security.

Hi. I read about people traveling with live corals in carry luggage going through tsa X-rays and they say that it doesn’t affect coral frags. Anything could help.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Well, hello. )
I am a hobbyist and I don’t know how the customs will react to live copepods. About difference in regulations let’s just say if they do confiscate my copepods I have nothing much to lose except what I paid for them. If I get to take it home it’s a win win situation. I will take that risk any given Sunday lol. Will they survive X-rays is what I’m worried about now that a dear gentleman mentioned here on this thread. Do you have an idea?

I find it hard to believe that x-rays would kill pods, BUT high speed film is handed around the x-ray machine so why couldn't the nearly empty looking liquid container also be requested to be hand examined

I had been flying a lot, but right now I don't have another trip yet planned... but I'm thinking a bottle of @Reef Nutrition pods is going to at least fly back East with me, stay in the fridge, then fly back home... I'll not have results until (hopefully Spring 2023) but I find it hard to believe that airport xrays would kill them...

Our bodies are walking biomes and I find it hard to believe the various critters that naturally exist on our bodies die in airport xrays (idea makes me want to go thru xrays over and over!) so I'm really doubting even larger critters like tigger pods are impacted.

 

[airvicconcre]

I find it hard to believe that x-rays would kill pods, BUT high speed film is handed around the x-ray machine so why couldn't the nearly empty looking liquid container also be requested to be hand examined

I had been flying a lot, but right now I don't have another trip yet planned... but I'm thinking a bottle of @Reef Nutrition pods is going to at least fly back East with me, stay in the fridge, then fly back home... I'll not have results until (hopefully Spring 2023) but I find it hard to believe that airport xrays would kill them...

Our bodies are walking biomes and I find it hard to believe the various critters that naturally exist on our bodies die in airport xrays (idea makes me want to go thru xrays over and over!) so I'm really doubting even larger critters like tigger pods are impacted.

Hello. Thank you so much for the heads up and insight. I’m very optimistic that the lord will survive the journey and into my refugium. Thanks again.

 

[airvicconcre]

Copepods would have zero issues handling 36 hour travel time

What brand of copepods would you suggest?

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

What brand of copepods would you suggest?

As far a travel times any copepod will handle that time frame . As far as which species is the " hot commodity " that would be Tisbe Biminiensis . Mainly this is due to the BRS video that was released