Frederick MD pods needed

[gmerek2]

I need some pods to re seed my tank I want to borrow a rock from your tank for a few hours or 24hrs. Willing to drive if tank or refuge Is loaded. Those giant cockroach looking ones are what I need. My mandarin is 5 years old but losing a little weight. I let my tank go hypo,  lost the large ones but the small are still there. Thanks! 

[flooddc]

Welcome back stranger! I can spare a rock or two from my sump. 

[DaJMasta]

A way to boost copepod growth in your system is to feed phytoplankton, live or concentrate, or even fine particulate foods.  Even modest daily doses can make a notable improvement.

 

If your tank is 5+ years old there are likely several species already in the nooks and crannies, so the goal should be less about introducing more (not that it can't help, but that it's probably not the issue) and more about growing the population you currently have (more food, more places to hide without predators, etc.)

Edited March 28, 2023 by DaJMasta

[lynn.reef.nerd]

The large cockroach ones are amphipods?

[YHSublime]

You probably have folks closer, but I've got rocks for you if you need.

[gmerek2]

Lynn the ones that scurry off real fast when you pull algae out or flick the lights on. Curious what they are 

[DaJMasta]

Amphipods are probably right.  Good meals for mandarins and the like, so the populations will probably be in the sump.  Rock rubble could make a good habitat, as would a chunk of macroalgae.

[gmerek2]

On 3/28/2023 at 11:41 PM, DaJMasta said:

Amphipods are probably right.  Good meals for mandarins and the like, so the populations will probably be in the sump.  Rock rubble could make a good habitat, as would a chunk of macroalgae.

The salinity dropped and killed all of them. I have a no fish 75g sump loaded full of rock and algae. 

[DaJMasta]

Well then seeding is a good option, for sure.  A few places sell them, but basically any chunk of rock or macro from an active system should have a few, and I'd expect pretty good colonization inside of a month even with just a few introduced.