Why can't I keep copepods alive?

[MissMolly]

Hi Y'all!

I have a tank that is about 3 months old. Has some sexy shrimps, a few fish (not eating copepods) and cleaner shrimps and a few snails. All doing great. Also some macro algae in dispaly, no corals. And diatoms - just a thin layer/spots here and there.

When adding copepods, I feed with Phyto feast everyday. After a few days they are gone again. I have tried this SO many times. Last time I had diatoms for the first time but they did not even touch those.

The copepods stay on the glass, not so much the rocks or sandbed.

Temp 22
Salinity 32.5
PH 7.7
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0

(Tank is build from Oceans direct live sand, dead stone w HOB Tidal Seachem filter. Flival marine light that I don'r run much due to the newness of the tank and now diatoms)

Please advice. Am I getting the wrong copepods from my LFS or is my tank somehow not pod friendly?


THANKS A BUNCH!!!

 

[PotatoPig]

What type of copepods are you adding and what fish are in there?

 

[Cthulukelele]

What fish do you have out of curiosity? If your tank is supporting sexy shrimp I wouldn't expect it to fail at keeping pods alive. What types of pods have you added? You don't even really need to add them they just sort of show up over time usually

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

They are in your tank, don't worry, they are in the sand and the holes in the rocks.

If you don't believe me, then take a small rock out of your tank, put it in a container with saltwater and phytoplankton, and in a few weeks you will see them reproduce.

Unless you have a mandarin or a pod eater, its not possible they are not in your tank if you added them.

 

[CBonito]

If you really want to keep the pod population up high, you want a refugium where they can safely reproduce into those numbers, but yeah they're in there. You just dont see them. I see my melanurus wrasse eating them all day, he's a fatty and I only feed once a day.

 

[Lavey29]

If you have old eyes like me forget about seeing those dudes.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

They’re in there. Look at night w/ flashlight.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Hi Y'all!

I have a tank that is about 3 months old. Has some sexy shrimps, a few fish (not eating copepods) and cleaner shrimps and a few snails. All doing great. Also some macro algae in dispaly, no corals. And diatoms - just a thin layer/spots here and there.

When adding copepods, I feed with Phyto feast everyday. After a few days they are gone again. I have tried this SO many times. Last time I had diatoms for the first time but they did not even touch those.

The copepods stay on the glass, not so much the rocks or sandbed.

Temp 22
Salinity 32.5
PH 7.7
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0

(Tank is build from Oceans direct live sand, dead stone w HOB Tidal Seachem filter. Flival marine light that I don'r run much due to the newness of the tank and now diatoms)

Please advice. Am I getting the wrong copepods from my LFS or is my tank somehow not pod friendly?


THANKS A BUNCH!!!

Agree with Greg @adp! Look a few minutes after lights out, you will see them. They are great at remaining hidden during the day

 

[tzabor10]

Having a Refugium is great for a reef. My copepods thrive there, easily seeing hundreds in a glance. My leopard wrasse quickly hunts down pods on the rocks every morning. If diatoms are your issue, turn back the lights and feed less. Conch will stir your sand as will a sand sifting starfish.

 

[MissMolly]

What type of copepods are you adding and what fish are in there?

I don't know the type. The package does not say unfortunately. I have two mollies and a clownfish. Neither has ever taken an interest in the pods.

 

[MissMolly]

What fish do you have out of curiosity? If your tank is supporting sexy shrimp I wouldn't expect it to fail at keeping pods alive. What types of pods have you added? You don't even really need to add them they just sort of show up over time usually

I have a clownfish and two mollies.

I am following the BRS take on starting a tank. Adding copepods from the beginning.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I second everyone here. You have pods. They usually hide during the day in the presence of fish

 

[MissMolly]

Having a Refugium is great for a reef. My copepods thrive there, easily seeing hundreds in a glance. My leopard wrasse quickly hunts down pods on the rocks every morning. If diatoms are your issue, turn back the lights and feed less. Conch will stir your sand as will a sand sifting starfish.

I have an HOB which I really like and that one fullfills all my needs. I have never had lights on more than 10 % a couple of hours a day. After the diatoms no light I have nassarius and cerithe which stirs my sand really well actually. No diatoms in the sandbed.

 

[MissMolly]

They’re in there. Look at night w/ flashlight.

Hi Greg, this would be a dream but I honestly doubt it. They should have eaten the very little amount of diatoms I have by now. It's a nano tank and I study it with a loupe (no ****!) and there's none. Hav not tried by night but gut says they are not there. It's the same thing everytime I add them. Must have added millions by now. Visible for a few days and then less and less and then gone.

 

[PotatoPig]

I don't know the type. The package does not say unfortunately. I have two mollies and a clownfish. Neither has ever taken an interest in the pods.

Are they kinda large? Like, you can readily see them with the naked eye?

If so they might be tigger pods. These are popular for culturing for direct-feed as they grow well and quickly in cultures, but don’t do well when actually in reef tanks. They tend to get wiped out by planktivores (clowns, even if you don’t see them eating them, and mollies will eat them opportunistically) and don’t seem to reproduce well in tanks vs cultures. Too warm AFAIK.

Tisbe pods do well, and if you add snails, crabs, corals or any live rock it’ll bring in wild pods that normally do ok.

But you’ll never see them on the rocks, and the only way you’ll see any on the glass is if you turn your power heads off at night, turn the lights off, wait 10-15 mins, and then light up the tank from the side with a flashlight, you’ll see **tiny** dots on the glass.

 

[MissMolly]

They’re in there. Look at night w/ flashlight.

I will of course follow your advice and look tonight again.

But if they are there - why don't they eat diatoms? They are untouched. And I keep track, hahahah

 

[MissMolly]

If you have old eyes like me forget about seeing those dudes.

I don't and I study the tank with a loupe also. They are not there

 

[MissMolly]

If you really want to keep the pod population up high, you want a refugium where they can safely reproduce into those numbers, but yeah they're in there. You just dont see them. I see my melanurus wrasse eating them all day, he's a fatty and I only feed once a day.

Mine will not touch the pods. I wanted them to! One will eat flakes. One will eat pellets and one will eat both + brine shrimp. They have tried pods but clearly dislikes, tries, spits out and then just don't care.

So a refugium in the sump right?

 

[Cthulukelele]

I will of course follow your advice and look tonight again.

But if they are there - why don't they eat diatoms? They are untouched. And I keep track, hahahah

Despite what BRS tells you, though they make a teensy difference at keeping a tank clean, they will do nearly nothing at fixing the ugly stages of the first 6 months to a year of having a new reef

 

[PotatoPig]

I will of course follow your advice and look tonight again.

But if they are there - why don't they eat diatoms? They are untouched. And I keep track, hahahah

Copepods won’t be your primary algae control, they help, but shouldn’t be expected to take care of it.

Amphipods can mow down a *little* more, but again are unlikely to be your primary algae control.

Snails, crabs, conches. These are the big guns.