Theplatymaster Posted Sunday at 09:55 AM Share Posted Sunday at 09:55 AM To start, i understand this is a strange question, and not many people probably have expertise on it. But i have an odd fascination with the freshwater crustaceans Copepods (as well as MANY other things). They ended up in my infusoria culture, and i just love to watch them move around. but whenever i look, there are like 1 or 2 i can see, not a large colony. (more is better). I am blaming this on food, so what do they eat? I know they are purposely added to the NYC water supply, so they eat some sort of waste? Or are they like dafnia and eat green water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted Sunday at 11:06 AM Share Posted Sunday at 11:06 AM (edited) Algae and rotting detritus. these links are from the saltwater side of the hobby that specifically try to maintain a copepod colony to feed reef tank inhabitants. https://help.algaebarn.com/portal/en/kb/articles/what-do-copepods-feed-on https://www.algaebarn.com/blog/copepods/feeding-your-hungry-pods/ Edited Sunday at 11:14 AM by Pepere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted Sunday at 11:07 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 11:07 AM On 3/19/2023 at 7:06 AM, Pepere said: Algae and rotting detritus. what types of algae? I happen to have a hair algae outbreak, and... i cleaned my HOB into the culture today for some mulm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted Sunday at 11:15 AM Share Posted Sunday at 11:15 AM Microalgae and phtoplankton. Not so much the algae we see… And if you have lots of copepods, you might see that followed up by a hydra explosion too. Hydra love eating infusoria in addition to baby brine shrimp… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted Sunday at 11:21 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 11:21 AM On 3/19/2023 at 7:15 AM, Pepere said: And if you have lots of copepods, you might see that followed up by a hydra explosion too. Hydra love eating infusoria in addition to baby brine shrimp… the idea isi the copepods in a designated culture, not in the main tank. Hydra will just be another fun thing for me to watch in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted Sunday at 11:32 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 11:32 AM On 3/19/2023 at 7:15 AM, Pepere said: Microalgae and phtoplankton. Not so much the algae we see… so green water would work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted Sunday at 01:49 PM Share Posted Sunday at 01:49 PM It would, but it is likely not complete nutrition… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted Sunday at 01:50 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 01:50 PM (edited) On 3/19/2023 at 9:49 AM, Pepere said: It would, but it is likely not complete nutrition… yeah well... i like these guys because they are little things i can observe moving, and its free. Edited Sunday at 01:51 PM by Theplatymaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted Sunday at 01:52 PM Share Posted Sunday at 01:52 PM On 3/19/2023 at 9:50 AM, Theplatymaster said: im not going to go buy some saltwater copepod food. No need to, adding some detritus, dead leaves etc would help diversify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted Sunday at 01:54 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 01:54 PM On 3/19/2023 at 9:52 AM, Pepere said: No need to, adding some detritus, dead leaves etc would help diversify. ive cleaned my HOB into there, to give it some mulm, and a leave from a crypt. i guess its good and bad that i dont have dead leaves from my plants. id add leaves from other things (like trees), but im worried about tannins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted Sunday at 02:07 PM Share Posted Sunday at 02:07 PM On 3/19/2023 at 9:54 AM, Theplatymaster said: i guess its good and bad that i dont have dead leaves from my plants. I am guessing you trim/prune plants from time to time. Next time you do pull some leaves and drop them in… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted Sunday at 02:08 PM Author Share Posted Sunday at 02:08 PM On 3/19/2023 at 10:07 AM, Pepere said: I am guessing you trim/prune plants from time to time. Next time you do pull some leaves and drop them in… not really... i grow mostly anubias, and while the rhizomes grow fast, i dont trim the leaves. my amazon sword is still small, though i probably have some dying java fern leaves i could throw in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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