Pods: sample article

[Subsea]

What are those white specks?

 

Amphipods are micro crustaceans that include almost 10K differrent species ranging in size from 1 - 340 mm.  Most amphipods are detrivores or scavengers with some being grazers of algae, omnivores or predators.

 

Copepods are micro crustaceans that include > 13K species ranging is size from 1 - 2 mm.  Most free-swimming copepods feed directly on phytoplankton.  Some of the larger species are predators of their smaller relatives.  Many bethnic copepods eat organic detritus or bacteria that grow in it and their mouth parts are adapted for scraping & biting.

 

https://www.thespruce.com/those-little-white-bugs-in-your-tank-2921281

Good link for copepods & amphipods.

 

https://www.coralreefing.com/tisbe-pods-vs-tiger-pods-which-is-better/

Which copepod is best for you?  

 

http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/w3732e/w3732e0t.htm#TopOfPage

Nutritional value of copepods is better than Artemia as a live food source for fish.  Copepods and amphipods larvae are eaten by filter feeders, including coral.

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0044848603005039

Nutritional value of copepods used to feed Halibut larvae.

 

 

It is needless for me to say it, but those white specks on your glass are a good thing.  They are janitors on your CUC and they recycle live food for fish and filter feeders.   Planktonic copepods consume 2 billion tons of carbon a day to feed the ocean.  You should include them in your reef tank.  Your corals and fish will thank you.

 

@Christopher Marks

 

Not knowing the point  you wanted focused on, “put to bed”, I left this article very short.   I think a better breakdown of pods we normally see in our reef tanks would be a good addition/compliment.   Three differrent copepods sold by AlgaeBarn would be a good start.  I am somewhat weak in this area, but can research it, if need be.

 

I really like where you are taking this idea.  Kudos to you.

 

 

 

 

 

[Subsea]

Considering more than 50K species of isopods, amphipods and copepods with each group containing:   herbivores, detrivores or carnivores.  When pods come in with live rock, there is no guaranty that they will be what you desire.  To alleviate that concern, I recommend aquaculture copepods.

 

Three of the most common aquacultured copepods are Tisbe, Tigriopus californicus and Apocyclops Panamensis.

 

Tisbee are the smallest.  These hardy pods tend to inhabit cracks in live rock, which helps to maintain populations.  They will consume detritus, algae and phytoplankton.

 

Tigriopus californicus are the largest.  They are red and they are high in omega 3 fatty and amino acids.  They typically inhabit the water column making them an easy target for fish.

 

Apocryclops Panamensis are hardy copepods between Tisbe and Tigriopus californicus in size.  They are very high in amino acid and protein content.  They also contain high amounts of Astaxanihin which can enhance & brighten colors in fish and coral.  

https://www.healthline.com/health/health-claims-astaxanthin

 

These warm water copepods reproduce extremely fast by laying eggs every 4-6 days, about twice as fast as

Tisbe & Tigriopus.  They feed on phytoplankton and detritus making them a critical part of the CUC.

 

As juveniles, Apocyclops copepods are bethnic, meaning they occupy rock, macro algae and glass in your reef tank.  As they mature into adults, they lay eggs before becoming pelagic and making their way into the water column as nutritious live food.

 

 

@Christopher Marks

 

Can this sample article be moved to General Discussion forum to get more input.

[Christopher Marks]

On 3/28/2018 at 12:28 PM, Subsea said:

@Christopher Marks

 

Not knowing the point  you wanted focused on, “put to bed”, I left this article very short.   I think a better breakdown of pods we normally see in our reef tanks would be a good addition/compliment.   Five copepods sold by AlgaeBarn would be a good start.  I am somewhat weak in this area, but can research it, if need be.

 

I really like where you are taking this idea.  Kudos to you.

What I'm after is a super basic beginner friendly article that responds to the common beginner topic of 'what are these white bugs in my tank?'. Check out this google search of topics where that's the main premise: https://www.google.com/search?&rls=en&q=site:nano-reef.com+white+bugs&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8. The article would be a simple response to those inquiries, showing what they look like, where they come from, and discussing their role in reef aquariums. We could potentially use some of the previously posted photos in those topics as reference in the article.

 

A more in depth article about amphipods, copepods and isopods would be great as well, but should be a separate advanced topic. 

[Subsea]

@Christopher Marks

 

I am thinking if the pod (article needs to be more basic than the first post, I may not be the right person to write the article.  I have no problem with someone else taking this information and incorporating it in a library article.   

 

I am more interested in writing about “natural reef keeping”.   I saw where you had an older article introducing the topic.  I will read it and discuss further.