How to breed amphipods/copepods

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Sgc1107

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
406
Location
TN by way of NH
Just wondering the best method & what equipment I need to breed these fellas to keep my tank supply up. Sick of buying them!!
 
There may be.. I have a ton of them in my refugium.. Literally crawling everywhere. I don't really have anything that would eat them though, except for a wrasse and he can't single handedly pick off the entire population..
 
They are breeding in your tank right now. What are you feeding with them that you need more? If you just give it time, there will be many.
 
I just got the mandarin and I've got pods but I don't want to run them out! Should I regularly Replenish them? I just want to keep the population thriving now I know they will be eaten. My mandarin eats mysis too but I'm sure he's munching down pods in between!!
 
How much rock do you have in the tank? When you say coral banded, are you referring to the shrimp, or a copper banded butterfly? If you are speaking of the shrimp, they don't eat pods.
 
How much rock do you have in the tank? When you say coral banded, are you referring to the shrimp, or a copper banded butterfly? If you are speaking of the shrimp, they don't eat pods.

I have about 50-75lb in a 55gl. Yes the shrimp I read that some of them will eat pods, but if your sure they don't that's great!! I just ordered 1000 pods from reefs2go they have a bogo on them. Guess just keeping an eye on it will be the best way.
 
You are fine with the CB shrimp. You may be ok with 75 pounds of rock. People used to say about 100 pounds of rock per mandarin and you'll never have to add a single pod.
 
You are fine with the CB shrimp. You may be ok with 75 pounds of rock. People used to say about 100 pounds of rock per mandarin and you'll never have to add a single pod.

Great thanks for the info!! He'll be in the 150 by next year so I'll do what a gotta do for now to keep him fat! :)
 
I am going to build some "pod condos" to put in my refugium. I am making them out of leaf screens for gutters by wire tying the screens into tubes and filling the tubes with live rock rubble and maybe a little chaeto. I've head this provides a good pod habitat.

Here's an example:



image-3421025674.jpg
 
I am going to build some "pod condos" to put in my refugium. I am making them out of leaf screens for gutters by wire tying the screens into tubes and filling the tubes with live rock rubble and maybe a little chaeto. I've head this provides a good pod habitat.

Here's an example:

Good idea!! Thanks got sharing!
 
I am going to build some "pod condos" to put in my refugium. I am making them out of leaf screens for gutters by wire tying the screens into tubes and filling the tubes with live rock rubble and maybe a little chaeto. I've head this provides a good pod habitat.

Here's an example:



View attachment 149263
Why go through the trouble? Isn't the entire refugium devoted to pods and algae?
 
I imagine I could make about six of these in about 15 minutes, and at a cost of around $20 ($8 for the screen +$12-$14 for two pounds of live rock rubble, 1000-2000 pods depending on various sites and various sale prices run around $45 shipped. It may be worth it I don't know have not done it yet. I don't dont really look at it as work, I don't like a "set it and forget it" tank, I'm always tinkering, the result for me is just about secondary to the process. If my tank completely maintenance free I would soon loose interest.
 
I have seen those things you are attempting to construct, but I think folks use them in the display, so pods can breed in them without the mandarin eating them all at once. I guess one or two of them behind the existing rock work wouldn't hurt either.
 
The pod condo works great i have 1 in my fuge/sump ever so often i pull it out put it in my display tank shake it a little leave it on the sand bed over night and then place it back in fuge
 
Back
Top Bottom