fdculmarpestpredF

FAQs on Culturing Food Organisms: Culture Pests, Predators

Too many Pods? - 12/8/04 Hi! <Hey, Claudia> I'm still in the hobby thanks to the great information your website has given me throughout the years. <This is why I am volunteering here at WetWebMedia. Thank you for the validation of my efforts.> But now I have another issue... <Alrighty> One fine day I just decided that I don't want any fish, only corals , soft ones just for now. <I have done the same> My tanks is 26Gal. mini reef with live rock and only soft corals, some bristle worms, sponges and TONS of copepods, which is fine by me, <Sounds awesome!> very entertaining to see them fighting over that last piece of algae, that is until they attack the zooxanthellae in my polyps <Huuh?!>(Palythoa)<Haven't heard of this from a common amphipod or copepod> so I need something which eats them and which is not a fish (fish just eat too many of them) <Well....maybe just one fish?> in other words I need something which can live off the copepods and which won't extinguish them so that I don't have to feed it after the copepods are gone. <Well. One small wrasse might do the trick but in such a small tank will likely extinguish you colony fairly quickly. (in the process become the fattest little bugger you ever seen). I personally have never seen amphipods or copepods eating algae out of my Palythoa. I have many tanks at my disposal as well as many friends in the business and industry who have never asked or related to me such an occurrence. Strange. I would do more research. I too, will look into this a bit more. In the meantime, not sure what to tell you. Try adding some algae (Nori strips or sinking Spirulina chunks for them to munch on. ~Paul> Please help me... Cheers, Claudia <<Perhaps a small fish... RMF>>

Propagation Tank/"Pod" Populations - 08/26/06 I've recently started a 20L propagation tank in addition to my 105 gallon reef tank. <<Cool!>> I am trying to follow Anthony Calfo's book and have had some success so far. <<An excellent guide>> I have a quick question about the growing number of pods and shrimp in my prop tank. <<Is a good thing...>> Do I need to add a fish to control the population or will it self sustain? <<Populations will be governed by predation and available food>> Starting a fish free tank for the first time, I'm amazed and somewhat alarmed at the amount of tiny sea life that is blossoming without large predators. <<Indeed...and a prime reason for keeping a newly started reef system "fish-free" for 6-12 months to allow these beneficial crustaceans to establish healthy and sustainable populations>> Right now it seems like a good sign of a healthy tank but should I start to worry or correct at some point? <<Nothing to worry about here>> I'd really like to keep my propagation tank fish free if possible so as not to strain the system. <<Is this propagation tank plumbed to the display system? If not, the addition of one or two "small" fishes would provide nitrogenous waste products that many of the corals use/require as a food source. The corals "can" be kept without fish present, but it's my opinion they do better with at least "some" fish in the system>> Thanks for providing me hours and hours of educational reading! <<Quite welcome>> Laura <<Regards, EricR>>

Re: Propagation Tank/"Pod" Populations - 08/26/06 Thanks for the quick reply! <<You're welcome!>> In answer to your question, no, the propagation tank is not plumbed into my main display tank. I wish it were so that my main tank would receive the benefit of my pod explosion! <<Yes indeedy>> As to adding one or two "small" fish, are there any you would recommend? <<Yep...Sphaeramia nematoptera, commonly known as the Pajama Cardinal. A pair of these would do fine in your 20 gallon prop tank>> In an ideal world, I could find a breeding pair of something to add a dimension to the propagation tank, or would that strain the system? (I'm running a Penguin 350 Bio-wheel filter and a heater with live rock also helping the filtration. I do two 10% water changes a week). <<A breeding pair is a possibility with this species...I have had them breed in reef systems, some careful searching of the NET on your part should yield some information on captive breeding of this species>> I thought about a seahorse as there was no competition for food but read that they require 50 or more gallons. <<Yes...and glad to see you're using the resources available to you!>> Also, do I need a skimmer or are the frequent water changes enough? <<I'm a skimmer guy. You might do just fine without one, but adding one will only help>> Thanks for your help. Laura <<Any time my friend. EricR>>

Raising clowns in rotifer tank? 9/2/06 Good morning! My clowns have decided they like the idea of mating. The female is a black true Perc, and the male an orange false Perc. The laid eggs once; I moved the rock the eggs were on, they hatched, a week later, they all disappeared. I fear the culprit was the introduction of an airstone, <Maybe...> as it was the very next day that I noticed they were all gone. Anyway, I now have a milk jug with rotifers swimming around in it ready for the next batch (and, of course, a milk jug with the green water to feed them!). Is it a good idea or even feasible to raise the rotifers in the former nursery tank and then, once the next round of babies hatches, raise the larvae in the rotifer tank with the rotifers? <Mmm, not a good idea... for control of predation/feeding, and nutrient control reasons> Or would they gobble up all my rotifers and leave me with barren cupboards? <Too likely yes. You might want to invest in the books of Frank Hoff, Joyce Wilkerson... see Amazon.com re... Bob Fenner> Thanks!
Goldie

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