I recently discovered my 6.6 has a few copepods and I'd like to learn more about them. they look a bit like tiny aquatic pill bugs (rolley polleys).
copepods
- Thread starter malken
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If they look like pill bugs and crawl rather than swim, they are isopods. Isopods are detritivores which feed on decaying plant and animal matter and biofilms; pill bugs are terrestrial isopods, but freshwater and marine isopods also exist and are actually quite common, just seldom seen. Most freshwater species are less than an inch in length, but some marine species are much larger.
Copepods are tiny planktonic crustaceans that are tadpole-shaped and swim around with their antennae; the "Spongebob Squarepants" character Plankton is based on a copepod.
Copepods are tiny planktonic crustaceans that are tadpole-shaped and swim around with their antennae; the "Spongebob Squarepants" character Plankton is based on a copepod.
Do they look like this?
That's a pretty typical copepod; the two bags trailing behind it are egg sacs. The freshwater species are free-living; they eat smaller organisms (other microcrustaceans, rotifers, protozoa, bacteria, algae, etc.) and suspended particles. Some marine species are parasites on fish.
That's a pretty typical copepod; the two bags trailing behind it are egg sacs. The freshwater species are free-living; they eat smaller organisms (other microcrustaceans, rotifers, protozoa, bacteria, algae, etc.) and suspended particles. Some marine species are parasites on fish.
might be, I didn't see any egg sacs, may have been male, not gravid any chance you have a side view?
where can I learn more about them? life cycle, care, species variations, musical prefrence, unusual behaviours ect.
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They look pretty much the same from the side, just slightly flatter. I don't know of any particularly good source for info on them; just google 'copepods', 'microcrustaceans', 'cyclops', 'freshwater zooplankton', etc. and see what pops up.
Copepods have gotten into my daphnia colony and are doing pretty well in there, so any setup for daphnia would probably work for them as well. Just provide green water and/or yeast to feed them and use gentle filtration (sponge filter or ugf). One of these days when I have time and space to fool with it I'm going to try to figure out the best methods for culturing a bunch of the little freshwater microcrustaceans- all the various isopods, amphipods, copepods, ostracods, cladocerans, conchostracans, fairy shrimp, triops, etc. I find the little buggers fascinating.
Copepods have gotten into my daphnia colony and are doing pretty well in there, so any setup for daphnia would probably work for them as well. Just provide green water and/or yeast to feed them and use gentle filtration (sponge filter or ugf). One of these days when I have time and space to fool with it I'm going to try to figure out the best methods for culturing a bunch of the little freshwater microcrustaceans- all the various isopods, amphipods, copepods, ostracods, cladocerans, conchostracans, fairy shrimp, triops, etc. I find the little buggers fascinating.
The more I look at them the more I think they may be something different. I pm'd mgamer about them as they were stowaways from my shrimp and plant order.
One of them is getting a little big and is looking more shrimp like each day. maybe it's just a wierd kind of copepod or something. I'll keep this updated as I get info
One of them is getting a little big and is looking more shrimp like each day. maybe it's just a wierd kind of copepod or something. I'll keep this updated as I get info
I'll do my best when I get home. I picked up a micro sd card so I should have a bit easier of a time posting pics.
My dad keeps telling me he's going to give me an old macro lens but we get side tracked every time I go over to their house. Oh the pics I'll post that day...
My dad keeps telling me he's going to give me an old macro lens but we get side tracked every time I go over to their house. Oh the pics I'll post that day...