Where can I get copepods/ amphipods?

pathockey777 · 10-28-2001, 02:10 PM

I was wondering if anyone knows of a site where I can buy some live copepods or amphipods. I'd like to replenish the population for my Mandarine. I looked at ipsf.com, but I'd rather not pay the $30 or so they're asking. So if anyone knows where I can get some pods at a decent price, I'd highly appreciate your feed back.
Thanks,
Pat

Drew · 10-28-2001, 05:38 PM

IPSF is probably the best place you are going to fish. Either that or Inland Aquatics.

fishinchick · 10-28-2001, 06:18 PM

Yeah by the time you pay that and the S/H its like almost 90 bux for some stupid bugs.

Drew · 10-28-2001, 06:53 PM

Why did I say "fish"???

What is going on? Where am I?

MontanaRocknReefer · 10-28-2001, 07:24 PM

Way to go Drew! hehe I will agree with you on the places to get the detrivore kits at http://www.ipsf.com or http://www.inlandaquatics.com and I think http://premiumaquatics.com has one too! Johnny

Brooke · 10-29-2001, 09:50 AM

If you don't want to pay for some, see if some other hobbyist in your area has a rock or a filter pad with some on there. You just need a few bugs, time, and no predators. Then you'll have plenty!

Just a thought-
Brooke

platapus · 10-29-2001, 05:26 PM

are these those tiny white bugs? Does antone know what preys on them - I am on my second population explosion of them!

pathockey777 · 10-29-2001, 05:32 PM

Hey, platapus, you can give some to me if you need to get rid of them!

But otherwise, mandarins do the best job of chowing on them. Thanks everyone for all the help.
Thanks again,
Pat

platapus · 10-29-2001, 05:39 PM

How bout I sent you a breeding pair

asmith · 10-29-2001, 06:54 PM

Platapus,

I would not look for a predator for them if I were you. The more the better IMO. They feed on excess food and detritus. Their population will generally fluctuate with the food supply. I am finally starting to see them in my tank again after my move.

Andrew

eaglelox · 10-30-2001, 08:47 AM

when ever i buy a piece of LR from LFS it always has alot of amphipods, i dont know if this would work for you. i think these kits have like twenty in them, i bet a piece of LR has more than that plus you get some rock.

Steve

DeepSix · 10-30-2001, 05:12 PM

i'm new to reef tanks. these copepods and amphipods you all mention, which fish eats them? do i have to have a seperate tank for them? and what do they look like? any good pics of them?
thanks!
d6

Scrooge · 10-31-2001, 04:17 PM

Deepsix,

Unfortunately, lots of fish eat them. Mandarins feed on them almost exclusively, so you have to have a very healthy, established population to have a good chance at keeping a Mandarin alive. Many other fish will go after them, but not as strongly.

If you don't have fish eating them faster than they reproduce you don't need an extra tank to grow them. Most of us though have trouble keeping them. The best fix is to get a refugium, which is sort of an extra tank that flows back into the main tank. Refugiums are great for many reasons, but giving 'pods a breeding ground is one of the best reasons to have one IMHO.

What do they look like? Well, like bugs

They look kind of like fleas crawling around on the rock and sand. They can be difficult to spot unless you have an explosion of them. Look in the tank after lights out. Use a red light and look closely and you will probably see them. In the meantime, look here at the World of Copepoda for some great closeup pictures:
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/iz/copepod/

thebigblue · 10-31-2001, 04:46 PM

scrooge

so why even put those little dudes in your tank if all your fish are gonna eat em?....it seems like if you do have some from you LS and LR when you start a new tank, after you drop in a couple fish they will chow em all down?...

they sound cool though...do they look like that bug from "Men in Black"?

Scrooge · 10-31-2001, 05:22 PM

Here is a pic of one from The World of Copepoda. It's been awhile since I saw Men in Black, but this guy looks scary to me.

Quote:

so why even put those little dudes in your tank if all your fish are gonna eat em?

Well, that is sort of the point

They provide a constant source of nutrition for your fish, and probably corals too. Just dropping some into your tank probably guarantees they won't survive. The best way is to let them establish a good population before adding fish. Then the fish can "chow down", but if you have enough they reproduce faster than they are eaten. Other than that, you can carefully release them near the sand and hope they hide before the fish get them. The goal is to just let them live long enough to reproduce. The best way to do this in an established tank is with a refugium. With a refugium they have a safe place to reproduce, and some of them will be washed into the main tank. You can provide the fish a 'Pod feast on occasion by taking some algae from the refugium and putting it in the main tank.

Other than feeding your fish and corals they have other advantages as well. They are detritivores. They keep the sand stirred. There are other good things too I'm sure that I can't think of right now.

Where can I get copepods/ amphipods?

what are these little critters?