Crashed Refugium and Amphipods

[Coolie da Loach]

I just purchased a culture of 200+pods, does anyone know how to culture them?
I had planned on culturing them in either a 5 1/2 gal aquarium or a clear rubber-maid tub. Will these work?
Also, is there anything else I need to get them breeding?

 

[Coolie da Loach]

Also, my refugium crashed, and is recovering. Any suggestions on how to get my algea and invert diversity back up?

 

[plack]

I know the wesite oceanpods has some info and links to other articles about how to culture pods.

http://www.oceanpods.com/faq.html#culture
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/breeder2.htm

I am new to refegiums so I will ask ,how did it crash ? I did not know they did !
Is it sompthing besides calerpa going a sexual ? I am just trying to learn what to look for and what not to do in a refegium!
Thanks
Paul

 

[NaH2O]

Coolie - sorry I can't be of much more help here. I was going to give you the links that plack posted. The second link has a ton of information including pictures on setting up a culture.

 

[Coolie da Loach]

The way it crashed was kinda my fault . My refugiums is built in an Aquaclear 110. Last sunday, a small rock jammed up my impeller, as well as several months of calcium buildup. The whole thing back siphoned. Luckily I was in the room at the time this happened, and managed to pull my Cheatomorpha into a bucket of water and also resubmerge my sand bed.
It took me nearly an hour to get everything back in working order, but by then my diatom and coralline growth had been completely descimated .
Now everything is starting to comeback. I noticed my worms and snails starting to reappear, but still no pods .

 

[NaH2O]

It might just be their population isn't large enough for you to notice them, yet. I suspect they will repopulate even more soon! How long has it been since the "crash"?

 

[Coolie da Loach]

It was last sunday. Up until this point, my population increased almost daily. Now, I have seen 5 since then crash. Before that I saw atleast 40 fall into the tank, daily.

 

[NaH2O]

I'd give it a little more time. You may be experiencing a growth in really small copepods right now, as opposed to the more visible amphipods. I think the article linked by plack will help alot with culturing them, too.