How to Grow Copepods
Set up your refugium., Set up the refugium with a habitat for the copepods., Stock the refugium with live copepods., Once you have obtained the starter culture of copepods, bring them home and allow them to reach room temperature., Once the copepods...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Set up your refugium.
The refugium will have water flowing from the display tank into it (often times under the display tank out of sight), through other chambers where filters, media, protein skimmers, deep-sand beds, etc. will go, then water will flow out and back into the display tank.
Ensure that protein skimmers and filters are in chambers where water will flow before going into the refugium, or the copepods will not make it to the display tank. -
Step 2: Set up the refugium with a habitat for the copepods.
This will include sand (like in the display tank) live rock, and macroalgae.
All of these items are available at local saltwater fish stores.
Macro algae like caulerpa mexicana are recommended, which looks like a fern plant, because it grows like crazy and gives the copepods many areas to hide and breed.
Since you will have live plants, it will be important to give them light.
You can either purchase a hood for the refugium or make one, but the cheapest method is to get a clippable desk light and clip it securely to the side of the refugium, so the light sits about eight to twelve inches above the water. , Selection of a good starter batch is important.
Fish stores will often have just one type of copepods to choose from, and they will usually work fine.
They should be sold in a bottle, which is usually refrigerated.
Ensure that you examine the bottle in the light
- the more copepods you see swimming around, and the more diversity you see in their sizes, the better.
Alternately, you can order copepods online (at a very good price).
Some bottles even have both amphepods and copepods in the same bottle
- this will work well, too. , Some people choose to add half the bottle at one point, refrigerating the rest for about a week, then adding the rest.
Once the bottle has reached room temperature, you can add them to your refugium.
It is fine to just dump them in; however, turning off the pump and dumping some in quickly and adding some gently to the top will ensure that more of the copepods are able to settle into the refugium without being immediately pumped into your tank (where they will quickly become yummy treats for the inhabitants). , While the copepods that you purchased were tiny little specs in the bottle, the adults look significantly different.
A mature copepod capable of reproducing looks like a little creepy crawly bug, with legs that they use to crawl along the macro algae and refugium walls and a body that seems to curl under itself when they are not moving.
It is not uncommon to find them as adults that are up to half an inch long.To ensure that the copepods continue to thrive, keep a good supply of macro algae in the refugium and let them be.
Refrain from reaching your hand in their home and shaking the algae to release them into the tank.
Remember, the more copepods you have in your refugium, the more will continue to reproduce.
The baby copepods will be ejected into your tank, and your fish will have great snacks. -
Step 3: Stock the refugium with live copepods.
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Step 4: Once you have obtained the starter culture of copepods
-
Step 5: bring them home and allow them to reach room temperature.
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Step 6: Once the copepods are in the refugium
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Step 7: your only job is to let them grow and reproduce.
Detailed Guide
The refugium will have water flowing from the display tank into it (often times under the display tank out of sight), through other chambers where filters, media, protein skimmers, deep-sand beds, etc. will go, then water will flow out and back into the display tank.
Ensure that protein skimmers and filters are in chambers where water will flow before going into the refugium, or the copepods will not make it to the display tank.
This will include sand (like in the display tank) live rock, and macroalgae.
All of these items are available at local saltwater fish stores.
Macro algae like caulerpa mexicana are recommended, which looks like a fern plant, because it grows like crazy and gives the copepods many areas to hide and breed.
Since you will have live plants, it will be important to give them light.
You can either purchase a hood for the refugium or make one, but the cheapest method is to get a clippable desk light and clip it securely to the side of the refugium, so the light sits about eight to twelve inches above the water. , Selection of a good starter batch is important.
Fish stores will often have just one type of copepods to choose from, and they will usually work fine.
They should be sold in a bottle, which is usually refrigerated.
Ensure that you examine the bottle in the light
- the more copepods you see swimming around, and the more diversity you see in their sizes, the better.
Alternately, you can order copepods online (at a very good price).
Some bottles even have both amphepods and copepods in the same bottle
- this will work well, too. , Some people choose to add half the bottle at one point, refrigerating the rest for about a week, then adding the rest.
Once the bottle has reached room temperature, you can add them to your refugium.
It is fine to just dump them in; however, turning off the pump and dumping some in quickly and adding some gently to the top will ensure that more of the copepods are able to settle into the refugium without being immediately pumped into your tank (where they will quickly become yummy treats for the inhabitants). , While the copepods that you purchased were tiny little specs in the bottle, the adults look significantly different.
A mature copepod capable of reproducing looks like a little creepy crawly bug, with legs that they use to crawl along the macro algae and refugium walls and a body that seems to curl under itself when they are not moving.
It is not uncommon to find them as adults that are up to half an inch long.To ensure that the copepods continue to thrive, keep a good supply of macro algae in the refugium and let them be.
Refrain from reaching your hand in their home and shaking the algae to release them into the tank.
Remember, the more copepods you have in your refugium, the more will continue to reproduce.
The baby copepods will be ejected into your tank, and your fish will have great snacks.
About the Author
Christopher Taylor
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow pet care tutorials.
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