Copepods and mechanical filtration

[Willj626]

Would it be possible to keep a breeding population of copepods in a tank that utilizes mechanical filtration?
I'm in the process of setting up a 5 gallon aio tank that uses a pump to draw water through an insertable filter area. I plan to just use filter floss and a sponge in the insertable area with a bag of activated carbon possibly. Would the pods in the tank just get caught on the filter medias and get stuck and die or would they live in the filter, or would they be able to pass through and return to the tank relatively unharmed? Would a trip through the pump hurt them?
I would really like to keep a population of pods going in this tank but I'm afraid using mechanical filtration will kill them off. If anyone has advice, experience, or knowledge on this I'd be grateful to hear it!

 

[fishphotofan]

I think mechanical filtration might be risky and unnecessary. (Risky yes. Unnecessary - I don't know, cuz I haven't seen your setup.) Have you considered using live rock and/or live sand as biological filtration? For a small container like that, they will provide ample filtration and you could aerate the water with an airstone.

Or... another suggestion - how about using a simple under gravel filter with coarse coral substrate? They will thrive in that, as well.

 

[Willj626]

I think mechanical filtration might be risky and unnecessary. (Risky yes. Unnecessary - I don't know, cuz I haven't seen your setup.) Have you considered using live rock and/or live sand as biological filtration? For a small container like that, they will provide ample filtration and you could aerate the water with an airstone.

Or... another suggestion - how about using a simple under gravel filter with coarse coral substrate? They will thrive in that, as well.

It would just seem like kind of a waste to not use the aio setup of it, the back section of the tank would just kind of sit empty and be a wasted area in terms of utilization.
I am currently starting with dry rock and sand to control what lives in the tank but I am dosing with Fritz to begin the cycle.
If I removed the filter floss and sponge (or replaced the sponge with a much less fine sponge) would I then be fine to run just the pump as a means to circulate the water?

 

[fishphotofan]

My main concern would be sucking the pods into the sponge intake, and even into the filter.

But hopefully, someone here can address this question. I can't say that it will NOT work - because I haven't actually tried using a mechanical filter with such small critters. LOL

 

[Willj626]

My main concern would be sucking the pods into the sponge intake, and even into the filter.

But hopefully, someone here can address this question. I can't say that it will NOT work - because I haven't actually tried using a mechanical filter with such small critters. LOL

My thought is that if the sponge is course enough they should be able to pass through the intake and then go through the pump back into the main tank. But I'm not sure.

 

[Jesterrace]

Would it be possible to keep a breeding population of copepods in a tank that utilizes mechanical filtration?
I'm in the process of setting up a 5 gallon aio tank that uses a pump to draw water through an insertable filter area. I plan to just use filter floss and a sponge in the insertable area with a bag of activated carbon possibly. Would the pods in the tank just get caught on the filter medias and get stuck and die or would they live in the filter, or would they be able to pass through and return to the tank relatively unharmed? Would a trip through the pump hurt them?
I would really like to keep a population of pods going in this tank but I'm afraid using mechanical filtration will kill them off. If anyone has advice, experience, or knowledge on this I'd be grateful to hear it!

You could simply skip the floss/sponge and then they would pass through. Honestly with a pod tank I don't really think it would need much in that respect since other than the occasional dose of something like phytofreast there is no waste from feeding and pods are a virtually non-existent bioload.

 

[Willj626]

So I could just remove the media and allow the pump to run?
The tank will be stocked with Macroalgae and eventually some inverts so I guess I'm not too worried about filtration beyond water movement.
Thank you!
I am curious though about using ceramic media/bioballs in the back where the filter is, I've heard people refer to these as nitrate factories. Since my stocking will be so light could running such medias be beneficial for me in this case so as to keep nitrates up for the macros to consume?

 

[Theulli]

My two cents: you need to have mechanical filtration between your macroalgae and your pump, otherwise you're going to clog your pump.

Funnily enough, I just finished cycling my own 20G AIO aquarium and I am working on just this right now - want to maximize copepod populations for a Mandarin. My setup has three compartments - in the first compartment where the water goes down, there'll be macroalgae at the very top, followed by a large but very porous filter sponge, and then in the next compartment where the water is flowing upwards a big pile of Seachem Matrix, which I am hoping will function almost like a deep sand bed and provide a copepod habitat.

From what I understand, copepods can pass through the pump unharmed, and they are so tiny that I can't imagine they'd have trouble moving through a fairly porous sponge, so I am hoping that this setup will give me macroalgae, basically two copepod habitats, and minimize the debris making it through to my pump.

I am literally making this up as I go, so hopefully it'll work!

 

[MrBryan723]

In my experience they live fine with mechanical filtration and I've had scuds live in the filter floss, so I imagine smaller copepods would do well all the same.

 

[Willj626]

My two cents: you need to have mechanical filtration between your macroalgae and your pump, otherwise you're going to clog your pump.

Funnily enough, I just finished cycling my own 20G AIO aquarium and I am working on just this right now - want to maximize copepod populations for a Mandarin. My setup has three compartments - in the first compartment where the water goes down, there'll be macroalgae at the very top, followed by a large but very porous filter sponge, and then in the next compartment where the water is flowing upwards a big pile of Seachem Matrix, which I am hoping will function almost like a deep sand bed and provide a copepod habitat.

From what I understand, copepods can pass through the pump unharmed, and they are so tiny that I can't imagine they'd have trouble moving through a fairly porous sponge, so I am hoping that this setup will give me macroalgae, basically two copepod habitats, and minimize the debris making it through to my pump.

I am literally making this up as I go, so hopefully it'll work!

I like your filter set up! I think I may opt for the very porous sponge as well since I have a ton laying around. I was also planning on putting some ceramic media right in front of the pump. I had also planned on putting one of those pod hotels in the back with the pump, as well as one in display tank so they could colonize both areas. I think that will be the plan for now.