How to tell if copepods are in tank

[PurplePolyp]

I bought a scooter blenny today and I can see him moving around and picking stuff up off the sand bed but I don't know if there are copepods in there. I added a couple bags about 4 months ago. Tank has been established about 12 months.

 

[obscurereef]

Well basically just looking on the glass. Introduce live brine shrimp and frozen foods to try to get it to eat frozen foods b/c they can wipe out a copepod population quickly.

 

[Convict2161]

A good way is to turn your lights off, get a flashlight, cover the lens with something red so it's very dim. Take a look into your tank. You should see them on the glass and sand bed. Like gnats or ants running around your tank.

Be careful they can chow down 2,000+ pods a day!! They pick and graze all day. Make sure you have plenty of pods and they are reproducing.

 

[PurplePolyp]

I am going to be adding a bag a week to just add more. My LFS said I should have a good population since I've added them into system and I have 120 pounds of live rock and have been adding phytoplankton to the tank.

 

[Convict2161]

I added 2,500 pods into my BC29 every other week for about 3 months. My tank was LOADED!! Still wasn't enough. You have a way bigger tank so you may have better luck.

If I ever did it again I'd get a tank raised one...

 

[Mr. D]

I forget where I read this but I herd 50 or 60lbs of live rock is a good estimate and your double that. Also if u have a fuge you could put a few pieces of rock in your tank from there and cycle those every week

 

[PurplePolyp]

I don't have a fuge set up. I don't really want to either. Hopefully there are plenty established in the tank and I can just add some every now and then to help replenish the ranks.