Adding copepods safely (for them)

[mrg02d]

Hello,
My tank needs some micro life, and I was thinking about buying a bag of copepods. How should I go about doing this? Should I just dump a bag right into the water at night? I have two clownfish and a sixline wrasse (aka pod assasin!).

I figure they need a place to hide besides my rocks? I was thinking getting a small ball of chaetomorpha to put into my tank for them to hide in. Would this work?

Considering my fish, is this a lost cause?
Thanks,
Matt

 

[misskeeter2766]

I've thought about that too.. I was going to (when/if I did it) add some chaeto (with a little led light) to the middle chamber of the back of my tank (I have a jbj 12 gallon nano cube) and toss them in there with that... sort of like a mini refugium...

 

[cmor1701d]

Create a POD PILE. Stack some rock rubble with some small rocks on top of that in a corner of the tank. Slowly empty the contents of the pod bag in that corner. Some will find the safety and survive there. The sixline will probably stake it out just waiting for some to make a mistake or have the current move them out of safety.

My mandarin sometimes hunts on the pod pile, but I guess I have a large enough population that it's usually out on the rocks.

After lights off I can see some scurrying around in the pile if I use a red light. If I use a flashflight I can bfirefly see some scurrying into hiding.

 

[HN1]

Cut your pumps off before you add and then for 15-30 minutes after.

 

[misskeeter2766]

Im wondering if I have them... do they look like little fleas?

it looks like my zoas have fleas.. just wondering if that was a bad thing?

 

[austinsdad]

Yes, they do look like litttle grey fleas to me.

 

[misskeeter2766]

lol.. glad they are there... but they creep me out a tad.. make me feel itchy... LOL

 

[cmor1701d]

Some do look like little fleas, others like tiny shrimp. Check out
You Can't Tell Your "Pods" Without A Program...

 

[mrg02d]

Hello,
I wonder if I could use some ceramic filter media as a pile? Believe it or not, I dont have any rubble to use. What do you think about a pile of those ceramic filter media? Perhaps in a mesh screen to hold it all together? Might this become a detritus factory?

Matt

 

[mfdrookie516]

here's some cheap rubble
rubble rock by the pound<br> (any amount 10 lb min) - RR any

 

[mrg02d]

Found some rubble at my LFS! Yay for the LFS!
So I got my pods in today (finally). What should I do with them? Should I try to culture them a bit? I poored them and their green water into a plastic container and have a light on them. Do they need anything else? I am afraid of just dumping them in there. I could inject them into the pod pile I guess...
Any tips?
Matt

 

[misskeeter2766]

I'd like to hear this too...
I'll probably try to add some to my middle chamber in my nanocube. I have rubble in there now... thought about adding some macroalgae in there, but dont know what to do about a light.