Best method for traping Amphipods ?

[Nemo]

I have a 10 gal refugium that is detached from my main tank. This tank is teeming with Amphipods & Copopods. I am looking for an easy way to collect Amphipods to introduce them into my main tank.
I currently place a dead coral head into the refugium which soon becomes home for the Amphipods. After a month I remove coral and place it in my main tank at night. This is done while my pig of a mandrin is sleeping.I have placed this coral on a piece of glass before and counted all of the pods that jump or I pull off. Maximun count has been about 15.
I am looking for a easy way to harvest these Amphipods and ensure a large population in my main tank.By the way my mandrin (I have had him for a year)is very healthy and has a fat stomach. I just want to ensure a large pod population for his future and possibly a source of trades with other reefers. I was hoping someone out there has a more efficient way of doing this.
Thanks,
Nemo


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[Larry M]

Nemo--Try laying a sponge in the tank for a while, like one from an AquaClear filter. They seem to like to hang out in them. Just be careful not to use any kind of kitchen sponge that might be treated with any kind of chemical.


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Larry M

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[This message has been edited by Larry M (edited 11-29-1999).]

[Reef Junkie]

Yep, a filter pad works great. I'm using 3 now. I wonder what someone would pay for an aged "Pod pad"? Ooh, my neurons are firing...
Later,
Bill

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[jimhobbs]

Try a piece of seaweed selects, inverted in a fishnet, where the weed is floating to the top of the net...Leave in tank for few hours-Bingo!...A net full of amphipods grazing away on seaweed!...Best regards...JIm

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[This message has been edited by jimhobbs (edited 11-30-1999).]

[RFK]

That's a good idea, Jim. I was advised by the people at Inland Aquatics that leaving a piece of 1/2" PVC tubing on the sandbed with a cap on one end works. No personal experience... but worth a try.
Good luck
Bob

ps- the sponge and the filter pad also work great but it's too much work to get them out the Amphipods out :).

[Nemo]

First I'd like to say thanks to all who posted.
Larry M & Reef Junkie,
That is a great idea with the filter sponge. I have a plain HOB filter on my refugium but have no filter on it ( just for circulation). I did notice a few pods on it when I use to have a filter pad in it. The Idea of putting the pad directly on the bottom of the tank sounds like it would work much better.

jimhobbs,
Yet another terrific idea! Very easy to set-up and nothing to mess with to get the pods out. I have put some pellet food in the refugium before and I see 7 or 8 of them fighting over a single pellets. I could probably put some pellets in the net and achieve the same effect.

RFK,
I always see my pods hiding in the darkest spots of my tank. Maybe they are attracted to the darkness of the inside of the pipe where the feel protected.

Thanks again for the great ideas.
Nemo

[Larry M]

Nemo--Have you ever seen your mandarin eat these 'pods? I'm asking because I also have a mandarin and I never see her eat these guys, despite popular opinion that this is their main food source. My tank has hundreds of them, but she eats tiny prey from the live rock that I can't identify.

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Larry M

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[Nemo]

Larry M,
To tell you the truth no I haven't seen mine actually in the act. When I place the coral head in the tank during the daylight hours the mandrin is constantly around it. The mandrin is usually very reclusive and is unusually visable during this time.I will have to pay closer attention the next time I introduce new pods to the tank.I just assumed that he was eating to pods.
A friend of mine recomended feeding my mandrin frozen prawn eggs. They are about .5mm in diameter and pink to brown in color. I have definatly seen him gobbling those up like there is no tomorrow. Unfortunatly the closest store that sells them is an hour and a half away so I have to stock up when I go there.
I have added about 100 pods to my 150 gallon tank and have yet to see one crawling around the next day. Either something is consuming them or they have found some great hiding places. Any how it adds to the bio-diversity of life in the tank which is what I am aiming for.
You might be right in that the mandrin might be eating other organisms that are on the coral head. He could be eating an organism that is much too small for the naked eye to see. In fact, most of the time I see him on the rocks doing the sucking thing with his mouth, I never actually see what he is feeding on. Food for thought.
Nemo

[newkie]

I feel really guilty every time I clean out my prefilter sponge in my overflow. Every time its teaming with pods and even worms. So one more vote for the sponge.

[reef 4]

Larry,

I've got a mandarin and large pods it won't eat as well, but I have watched the mandarin eat the pod fry, the ones you can see easily are just mandarin food factories, heh, heh, kinda like spawning shrimp, just on a smaller scale.

[Larry M]

Yep, makes sense to me. I just wondered if anyone had ever seen them eating the adults. I don't think Mandarins feed fast enough to eat them without a lot of extra effort.


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Larry M

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