# Copepods?



## Tourmaline (Nov 23, 2015)

Yesterday, after getting my first shipped fish acclimated and in his tank, I noticed some little white bugs crawling on the inside of the glass. I freaked out, thinking they were some kind of parasite. After looking at 30 pictures, they look exactly like copepods that people say are harmless. 

Now, my questions are:

They are harmless, right? 

Where did these things come from? I've never seen any in my other 7 tanks, just this one, and I sit in front of them for hours a day. All the plants and things in that tank came from another tank of mine. 

If I wanted to get rid of them, how would I?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Yep, they're completely harmless! Likely they came from my tank then since Roman was in one of my planted tanks previously. They're lovely free live food for your boys! ;-)

Just do some water changes is all. Eventually they will go away! You may see Detritus worms too, they're pretty common with Copepods, Amphipods, and Infusoria ^_^ Again, all extremely harmless and just means your tank is healthy!


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## Tourmaline (Nov 23, 2015)

There's so many in there. I turned on the light this morning and all I saw was tiny white specs zipping everywhere. Good to know they're not harmful, though.

Now if only Roman would go on a hunting spree..


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## gogo7 (Feb 9, 2016)

copepods are a very good natural fry food.
i'm surprised that they don't get much play in the freshwater fish forums as much as they do in the saltwater forums. 
i've isolated one species i picked from my live plant source and have been feeding it freshwater phytoplankton, as well as detritus. i plan on using them as a food for my first baby betta batch.


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## Witchipoo (Dec 13, 2015)

If you decide to get rid of them can i have some to seed my spawn tank? 
I don't know if i have any, but I don't think so. 
I could pay for a $5.95 to $7 or so, one price box and maybe a couple $ for a bit of a plant and a few ounces of water. 
I could seed a fishless planted tank and start adding them at time of mating so i would have two good populations for free swimmers!
I have the tank in place, running, with Vincent in it. It's a bare bottom 20 long with lots of floating live plants and weightd silk plants. Banana leaves and for now, a rooibos tea bag that He is busy building a bubble nest under.
I'm waiting for infusoria to culture, and for IAL and bbs kit to arrive. I have a microworm culture to start too. But I would love a built in variety for them!


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

They are harmless small snacks for your fish. Stronger water flow gets rid of them if the betta doesn't. I only ever had them in tanks with low/no flow (sponge filters).


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## gogo7 (Feb 9, 2016)

Witchipoo said:


> If you decide to get rid of them can i have some to seed my spawn tank?
> I don't know if i have any, but I don't think so.
> I could pay for a $5.95 to $7 or so, one price box and maybe a couple $ for a bit of a plant and a few ounces of water.
> I could seed a fishless planted tank and start adding them at time of mating so i would have two good populations for free swimmers!
> ...


wowee witchipoo.... that's a lot of stuff going on. sounds like you're culturing things....live copepods are definitely a way to go.
if vincent is your avatar, then he's one happy betta. and well taken care of.
rooibos teabags?
i haven't heard that yet. i thought about using teabags to lower ph, but didn't wanna look like the new guy with a reef tank.
but i'm willing to give it a try.
i'll tell you my story.
try a bunch of new plants from your local pet shop. keep the water and like you said, setup something on the side.
i've been ordering saltwater pods online for a while now for another project to no avail, and was pleasantly surprised when i bought a coulpla bunches of plants for my new bettas ... to find the bag they were packed in was teaming with freshwater copepods. that was a nice surprise. very nice . 
i haven't got them under the scope yet, but i will...
just because,
this is a species that is prolific in my reef vase, yet not a food source for the larvae of the gobies that breed in it.
when i get the chance, i'll scope the freshwater species that i have.
















this is a harpacticoid copepod with euplotes and other protists.
the other is a juvenile, not sure of the stage.


i hope i'm not using bad internet etiquette by bombing your thread here tourmaline, i've just been dealing with copepods (sw) for far too long and seem pzzled that they're not used in freshwater as much. they seem to be a natural choice, beside daphnia. 
.


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## Tourmaline (Nov 23, 2015)

I'd have no idea how to catch the darn things to ship them. They're the size of dust specs and only seem to come into the open when the lights are off. 

I don't mind you bombing my thread, I'm learning, and so is anyone else who stumbles onto this and doesn't know a thing about Copepods. Continue.


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## Witchipoo (Dec 13, 2015)

Vincent is the giant black dragonscale in my profile. 
My Avatar is my goofy little Mick, my copper and steel feathertail with more fins than he should have. ; ) 
I'm more inclined to trust water and plants from private tanks, way less chance of viruses and parasites than any store that gets mass shipments from who knows where. I can't take the chance with fry.


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