My Current Copepod Situation

[matt_vasko]

HAHA Well, I finally went out and purchased a flashlight to check on my copepod situation. I was shocked, I searched everywhere and nothing. Nothing at all was swimming around and I'm a little concerned. What exactly should I be looking for? Where should I be looking?

And

If all else whats the best way to get them??

I want to someday create the proper environment for a beautiful Mandarin

Thanks
Matthew J. Vasko

[protege]

When did you check? When I look at my nano, there is none until early morning.

[Bennihanna]

Patience is key.

[matt_vasko]

I checked about midnight or so it had been dark in the tank complete darkness for a couple hours by then. I guess my main concern is Copepods don't exist in my tank. I only have one really good piece of live rock and the other 60 pounds are base rock. My sand is mostly non live sand with about 10 lbs of caribsea live sand.
Basically How can i make sure there's a population a least started?
Thanks

[jph]

how old is your tank? that one piece of live rock should be enough to get things started.


J.

[matt_vasko]

3 or so months, Should I be able to see them yet? Or is it to soon

[czieler]

Usually check along the sandbed, and in caverns between the rocks.

You can purchase some live pods on ebay usually ... some LFS might have them too.. not sure...

You could also try adding another piece of live rock to speed things up ...

[ScubaTC]

Also, try getting some cheato macro algae from the LFS or a fellow reefer. It usually contains enough pods to get the population started.

[Pimpin Chirp]

I have had my tank setup now for about 5 months and i be looking for copepods cause i really want a mandarin too but i never see any and I wait till lights out too but i just don't see them either

[matt_vasko]

Yea whats up with that haha I'm going to check again tonight. I'm going to look harder and if i see nothing I'm going to definitely try to speed up the process.
Speaking of
Is someone with a really really well est. tank willing to hook me up with some sand?
I'll be at the meeting this weekend at bio reef
Let me know
Thanks

[jph]

check the glass for tiny white dots. because they are not bigger than that.
you might confuse them for a spec of dust. they are TINY.

amphipods are bigger, and look like ants crawling around

then there are a few bigger ones up to 1/4" they can look clubsy at times


give it some time, don't wipe the glass clean


J.

[SSweet1]

Get some caulerpa from someones refugium, I used to have so many copepods it was really gross looking at night and you could see them during the day as well. Set up rock rubble piles this helps provide them a safe place as well.
Carrie

[matt_vasko]

What do you mean by not wiping the glass?

[Steve's Reef 90g]

the easiest way to get the population started is getting some macro algae from the lfs or someones refuge like people have said before. When i first started my tank i ordered tigger pods off the internet to get the poplulation thriving. It's basically live copepods in a bottle that they ship to you overnight and now i have so many copepods living and breeding.

[Bennihanna]

I think she just meant so that you could see them more easily as you will often find them feeding on microalgae in the tank.

I still think you are rushing this BIG TIME. Sit back, don't put any predatory fish in the tank, and in six months to a year it will be time for a dragonet. All of this talk of buying copepods or training dragonets to eat prepared foods is just going to mean the demise of at least one dragonet. Just my opinion, but I will tell you that this is not my first rodeo.