Scooter blenny, ich or not?

[pegasus]

The 5 bottles I pick up tomorrow are all Tisbe and everything I've actively added to my tank so far has been tisbe. It's what I plan to culture as well.

I know I have other pods, but no way to control what is there currently. I have these gigantic brown pods that came in on some frags. They are weird and I need to try to identify them. They look like amphipods but much bigger and dark on color. I have some huge white ones too. Then I also get mysid in my HOB refugium occasionally.

Amphipod color can be anything from near black to solid white. I don't know how big your amphipods grow, but I've got quite a few that are close to 1/2" long. It's not unusual to find a molt that size almost every day, either in the tank or in the refugium.

 

[seecrabrun]

Amphipod color can be anything from near black to solid white. I don't know how big your amphipods grow, but I've got quite a few that are close to 1/2" long. It's not unusual to find a molt that size almost every day, either in the tank or in the refugium.

Guess they are just amphipods as well. I see these weird almost clear white things floating around the tank and once my eyes focus on it I realize it's a molt LOL
The largest amphipod I've seen so far was a half inch when stretched out, but mostly they stay half curled. It is in my QT though, so I can see it often. It's one of the dark ones as well.

 

[pegasus]

Guess they are just amphipods as well. I see these weird almost clear white things floating around the tank and once my eyes focus on it I realize it's a molt LOL
The largest amphipod I've seen so far was a half inch when stretched out, but mostly they stay half curled. It is in my QT though, so I can see it often. It's one of the dark ones as well.

Yep. The easiest way to tell it's an amphipod is by the typical "C" shape of their bodies. It's a good sign to see molts, as that's a sign that they're growing... and if they're growing, they're most likely reproducing. The bigger they are, the bigger the broods. Gotta love it!!!

 

[seecrabrun]

Good thing. Hopefully that's more food for him if they reproduce.

Also apparently I won't be bothering with the adult brine shrimp at all... Just realized I left it out on the counter and the contents are all room temp now...

Oh well! I'll stick to the babies and I'm hoping the place I'm driving to will have some frozen eggs of some kind. I forgot to ask but they carry cyclopeeze, so I'm hoping they have frozen and not the freeze dried.

 

[jay0705]

Have any of you been able to find nutramar prawn roe yet?. It's great stuff but very hard to find since summer

 

[seecrabrun]

Not I. I've emailed them. According to some posts online there was a shortage due to harvesting conditions? I'm hoping that didn't cause them to stop completely.

 

[pegasus]

I forgot to ask but they carry cyclopeeze, so I'm hoping they have frozen and not the freeze dried.

If freeze dried is all they have, it's still nutritious. If you added a little Selcon concentrate to it, it would be an awesome food for the little guy. Just an option if you can't find frozen...

 

[bang guy]

If they have the freeze dried hydrate it in RO water before feeding.

 

[pegasus]

If they have the freeze dried hydrate it in RO water before feeding.

+1

 

[seecrabrun]

Well they had frozen, but not freeze dried LOL! So I got 2 packs, just in case.

I got all of their tisbe pods and some freshly split phytoplankton that the guy brought in while I was there. It is super concentrated and so should be perfect fit starting my culture.

When I got home I dumped 2 of the 5 packs in the tank and the other 3 in a jar with an air bubbler and light. I added a little phytoplankton and suddenly the jar woke up! I was able to see a handful of tiny pods going after the food and hopefully there are many more that I couldn't see.

I'll set up the dedicated culture station in a cabinet where I can run it 24/7.

I also found a glass jar that I think will be perfect for the refugium. So I just need to figure out plumbing and the substrate.

I was thinking of doing all loose packed rock rubble so there is lots of surface area, which supposedly encourages these guys to breed.
Do you think this is a good idea? And do you think it needs to be live or can I start off with dry?

 

[pegasus]

Cool! Looks like it's been a very productive day! You had mentioned in your earlier post that the LFS gave you a discount since the pods were almost out of date. I had meant to tell you to be sure and smell the water in the bottles before dumping them in the tank. Rotten egg smell means the bottle is bad and will pollute your tank. A sweet, salty smell is what you want. Sounds like at least some of them are okay. They are tiny little critters, and most of them you won't see. I don't think they get any bigger than 1mm, so it's very hard to see the younger pods... even when you shine a light through the clear water they come in. Anyway, you're off to a good start!

PS: It won't really matter if the rock is live or dry. I would prefer live, but it isn't necessary. They'll flock to either one. As long as there's food available, they're basically looking for a good surface to attach to.

 

[seecrabrun]

Yes I made sure to smell them. I had read about that on the packages I had received before. So far everything I've bought online and in store has been the algagen tisbe in the 8oz packs.

I've also ordered some from algaebarn that I plan to only use in my culture. It's a mix if tiger and tisbe, so not ideal but from what I've read the tiger don't reproduce well in home settings so I figure after a few batches that will have all made it to the tank and eventually be eaten.

 

[pegasus]

Yes I made sure to smell them. I had read about that on the packages I had received before. So far everything I've bought online and in store has been the algagen tisbe in the 8oz packs.

I've also ordered some from algaebarn that I plan to only use in my culture. It's a mix if tiger and tisbe, so not ideal but from what I've read the tiger don't reproduce well in home settings so I figure after a few batches that will have all made it to the tank and eventually be eaten.

Whew... I'm glad you already knew to do that! I've never gotten a bad bottle, but I always check to be sure. Hopefully the tigers will reproduce as well. They may be too quick for a dragonet, but they make nice snacks for filter feeders (if young enough) and LPS corals!

 

[seecrabrun]

Ah, good to know. I have started putting some coral in the tank as well. Currently a Duncan and Acan. So they will somehow catch the live tigers?

 

[pegasus]

Ah, good to know. I have started putting some coral in the tank as well. Currently a Duncan and Acan. So they will somehow catch the live tigers?

If the pods land on them, it's very likely they will become coral food. I have a healthy population of zooplankton, copepods, and amphipods, so I rarely feed my LPS corals. Usually once... maybe twice a month... if I happen to think about it. I have gone much longer, and they've always looked happy and healthy. I only feed them just to be sure they have plenty to eat...

 

[bang guy]

Ah, good to know. I have started putting some coral in the tank as well. Currently a Duncan and Acan. So they will somehow catch the live tigers?

Timing is everything. Coral polyps are most active dawn & dusk. If you feed your fish everyday at dusk you'll start to notice the corals begin to open their feeding tentacles. That is the best time to feed the corals.

 

[pegasus]

Timing is everything. Coral polyps are most active dawn & dusk. If you feed your fish everyday at dusk you'll start to notice the corals begin to open their feeding tentacles. That is the best time to feed the corals.

+1.

 

[seecrabrun]

I fed my Duncan for the first time Friday at dusk. He was very happy. I am impressed with how he has done so far as I just got him Wednesday.

 

[pegasus]

I fed my Duncan for the first time Friday at dusk. He was very happy. I am impressed with how he has done so far as I just got him Wednesday.

I think I should warn you... if you feed your Duncans, they will grow and reproduce like crazy. Just thought you should know...

 

[seecrabrun]

I think he ate some cyclopeeze! I can't be certain yet. But I put some in the tank in the diner and he wasn't interested in the diner. The shrimp tried to get in to get them and made them explode all over the tank and suddenly he started striking a lot. Either a bunch of pods came out of nowhere or it was the cyclopeeze. They are so tiny I can't see them unless it's in the very front of the tank.

I realized though, they look just like baby brine shrimp to me. They range in size but the smaller ones are the size of BBS and they are all the color of BBS which is an orange.

He eats the BBS and so I have high hopes for the cyclopeeze.

Now for an obligatory photo

You can't seeeeeee meeeeeee!