Copepod Help

xxaquanutxx · #1 01/06/2008, 12:02 AM

Hey all... I cant seem to remember... If I take some live sand from the ocean and add it to my tank will copepods start reproducing?

Where I live we are not allowed to bring in live cultures or anything, not even inverts. So I have to look to natural resources to get some pods going in my tank.

Thanks!

demonsp · #2 01/06/2008, 12:24 AM

The beach is the oceans filter and dirty. You need the proper amount of LR and LS let your tank cycle and there will be pods.
And you dont need all LR.25% live and the rest base will work.

I am curious why your so focused on pod population.

Sk8r · #3 01/06/2008, 12:41 AM

BEst source of copepods besides buying them---get some cheatomorpha macroalgae from your lfs. They'll come in with that.
They'll also come in with specimen rocks and other things, but if you can set up a fuge with algae, they'll turn up eventually.

Also, ask another local reefer. Just a small bit of macro from his tank and you'll be in business if you feed phyto.

demonsp · #4 01/06/2008, 02:15 AM

Some frag rock from a friend or sand from a reef thats away from the beach.

zotzer · #5 01/06/2008, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by xxaquanutxx

Where I live we are not allowed to bring in live cultures or anything, not even inverts. So I have to look to natural resources to get some pods going in my tank.

Thanks!

Well, you are certainly in one of the best places in the world to suffer through this dilemna!

Many of us would love to be in your shoes!!

Have fun with it!!
Tracy

xxaquanutxx · #6 01/06/2008, 11:17 PM

Thanks all... We are not allowed to take LR from the ocean unless we go X amount of miles out of Cayman waters and we are also not allowed to take sand or critters from the reef.

We are allowed 1 bucket of sand from the beach per day and thats it. the pet stores arent allowed to bring in algae or plants either. Only certain fish... ( CI Agriculture is very adament on making sure only indiginous species stay in, on and around our island. So they made all these laws banning the importing of certain things).

We were at the beach today and hubby snorkeled out a bit and got a cup of sand from the sea floor... he also found about 5 teeny tiny hermits that we brought home and acclimated into the tank.

We want the pods in the tank so that we can get a mandarin goby in a few months... pod willing.

xxaquanutxx · #7 01/06/2008, 11:19 PM

Oh yea... we are not allowed to bring in LR or corals either... so bumming some LR frags from friends wont happen :0(