PaulB's amphipod collection thread

[Paul B]

On such a beautiful day as today I was on my boat. I diden't go anywhere with boat gas at over $5.00 but it was great for collecting. Luckilly for me (and my fish) my marina in the Long Island Sound is a Mecca for amphipods, copepods and grass shrimp. I collected a load of pregnant shrimp and amphipods.
I just pick out the larger pieces of seaweed, fish and crabs and dump it in. My fish are in their glory. I do this almost every week in the summer and have been for many years.
I know a lot of people do not live near the sea but all I can say is
Move :lol:
Have a great day.
Paul

 

[Alexpescado]

Paul, that is very cool. Where are you collecting in the sound? I used a seine net by the Coast Guard station(west end 2) late last Summer and was amazed at the diversity of sea life in that was in the net.

 

[Paul B]

Alex they are all over the Sound but I get them at my marina in Port Washington. With a scene net I could collect thousands of them in a few minutes.

 

[Awibrandy]

I'm two blocks from the beach, but not sure on trusting anything coming out of it. Besides, the lifeguards don't let you go near the rocks.

 

[jejton]

I live near the sound also but am not sure how safe it is, pollution-wise, to put anything in my tank from the local waters...though i do eat fish from caught in them occasionally.:scratchch

 

[reefs4life]

Wow that's cool...finding little animals in the Sound here in New Rochelle is how I got into the saltwater hobby about 3-4 years ago. I'm sure the shrimp I've seen are the same as the ones you collected. This might sound stupid, but would you be able to take a pic of them just for reference. Thanks

 

[Paul B]

Thats also how I got into the hobby. I have been scrounging around the Sound all of my life.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bfg_grass_shrimp.aspx?menuitem=14422

 

[reefs4life]

Thanks...I'm going to try to find a whole bunch of those little guys next weekend, hopefully they're around here

 

[Josh]

Do you have any photos of the pods you are collecting?

 

[juan319]

althought most of us do not own a boat, another great topic.

 

[Paul B]

AS for the pods, I really can't take a picture of those. They are the size of a new born brine shrimp.
You don't need a boat. I diden't go out on my boat to collect. You can go to any boat ramp or town dock. These things are all over the place, all you need is a net for the shrimp and for amphipods and copepods you don't even need that. Just tear off a clump of seaweed clinging to a wooden dock and it should be full of amphipods and copepods.
Reefs4Life New Rochelle is loaded with them. If you go down to Orienta by the small beach you will find them and if you can get on the boat docks you will collect 1000 shrimp in 15 minutes.

 

[Josh]

I'm wondering how to gather the copepods but not the amphipods....

Seems like a good source of food for a tank.

 

[Paul B]

Josh just collect seaweed or pick up some smaller rocks in the mud at low tide. Suspend a net or strainer that has tiny holes in a bucket of seawater from the Sound. The copepods will go through the net and eventually inhabit the bottom of the bucket. You should shake them up once in a while to get them to move off the rocks. If you look with a magnifying glass or I use a jeweler's Loupe you will see them by the hundreds.
I often just take rocks from the Sound and put them in my tank temporarilly until the creatures leave the rock for my tank

 

[Awibrandy]

Paul, I can be quite dense at times so please forgive the dumb question. Can this only be done at docks? Far Rockaway beach has pillars in some parts, and I am wondering if I could possibly find any of these little creatures there. And would they be safe to put in my tank coming from Rockaway beach?

 

[Paul B]

Awilda they should also be at Far Rockaway but that place is relatively clean with not too much seaweed. If you are talking about grass shrimp you would not find them on an ocean beach, you would need to find a protected bay with quieter water.
If there are any boat docks there or protected inlets or canals you will find them.
I know they are at the Coast Guard Station near Seaford.
They are a wild animal and subject to paracites, (unlikely though) my tank seems immune but fortunately the shrimp will live in fresh water so you could give them a fresh water bath for half an hour and they will be completely paracite free.

 

[Awibrandy]

Cool! I know there use to be a Marina on the other side (the bay). I'll check to see if it is still there, and if they will allow me on their docks.
Thanks Paul!!

 

[KathyC]

Awilda..you can always come over to my dock and collect them

Paul..I can see the dip getting rid of external parasites, but what about internal ones?
I recall reading somewhere that it might be better to keep them in a holding tank and allow them to excrete..their excretions..like some folks do with worms before introducing them to your system. Do you think that might make it somewhat safer?

 

[Paul B]

Kathy, I doubt that internal paracites on shrimp will effect your tank. If they are internal paracites they will not become epidemic like ich. Ich is really an external paracite although it lives imbeded in the gills. Also ich does not live on shrimp although it could be imported with the water. I personally have never had a problem with this and put material from the sea in my tank almost weekly.

 

[KathyC]

Kathy, I doubt that internal paracites on shrimp will effect your tank. If they are internal paracites they will not become epidemic like ich. Ich is really an external paracite although it lives imbeded in the gills. Also ich does not live on shrimp although it could be imported with the water. I personally have never had a problem with this and put material from the sea in my tank almost weekly.

I'm sorry for not being more clear, I wasn't questioning ich as I'm aware those are external. Do you know what internal parasites could potentially be an issue and if 'cleaning them out' is perceived as helpful.
With the copepods being as small as they are, how do you not get their water into your tank??

Any specials precautions or suggestions regarding snails?

 

[Paul B]

Kathy, I don't think any internal paracites on a shrimp or even a fish would infect another fish in a tank. It may happen but I have never heard of it. Many wild fish carry internal paracites some are quite large.
As to the copepods I of course do get water in my tank with the pods. In my tank it does not matter as I use NSW from there anyway. Some people are afraid to use NSW for fear of introducing paracites. If you run a system where you quarantine everything like many people do then you may not want to add wild copepods, shrimp, amphipods or NSW. I run my system differently and do not worry about ich or any other paracite. I am not saying to do this. Many tanks are very prone to ich, especially newer tanks. Some tanks like mine seem to be immune.
I don't want to start an ich war thread so I diden't want to go into it. Although I have been collecting these creatures and NSW for decades, not all tanks are created equal. Maybe the NSW imparts some sort of partial immunity or maybe the introduction of natural organisms on a continual basis has an effect, I really don't know.
If you want to collect wild creatures with little concern for paracites, you could isolate them for about 6 weeks in a tank with no fish. The paracites would be gone by then. Grass shrimp could be put in fresh water and left there because they can live in fresh water indefinataly but the copepods and amphipods do not last more than a minute or so in fresh water.
I am not even sure if northern paracites would infect fish in a tropical tank. Our water goes down to the fortees here in the winter, I would be surprised if a tropical paracite could live here. I am not positive but I doubt it. I know they would not be able to reproduce in our cold sea.
I have been using our local snails all of my life. The only problem is that hermit crabs kill them. I don't use them in my reef, I have them in a seperate tank. The batch of snails I have now are going on three years old.