Jawfish stupid question
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Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
What you have are cocopods and or amphipods. They are a great sourse of food and your jawfish probably gets some. If you ever want a mandarin goby, they are a must. Good going!
What you may have in your aquarium are mysids. What you may be feeding is frozen mysis.
Mysis are freshwater pods; mysids are saltwater pods. Ideally, the food that should be fed to our marine fishes are the mysids, not the mysis. Many people use the two words interchangeably but they aren't.
Mysis comes from the common Latin name for these freshwater guys, Mysis relicta. Mysids come from the common Latin name for the marine pods, Mysidopsis sp.. One of the most common is Mysidopsis bahia and could be the one in your aquarium.
Mysis are freshwater pods; mysids are saltwater pods. Ideally, the food that should be fed to our marine fishes are the mysids, not the mysis. Many people use the two words interchangeably but they aren't.
Mysis comes from the common Latin name for these freshwater guys, Mysis relicta. Mysids come from the common Latin name for the marine pods, Mysidopsis sp.. One of the most common is Mysidopsis bahia and could be the one in your aquarium.
Lee, I think your right. I went through the huge explosion of pods when the tank was cycling, so I know what pods look like. These critters I'm referring to look like miniature shrimp, white/pink in color. They don't seem to get bigger than an 1/8" long.
So I think your right that they are "Mysids". I wish I could get a picture of them, but I don't have a lens that good just yet.
So would a Jawfish hunt and eats these??
So I think your right that they are "Mysids". I wish I could get a picture of them, but I don't have a lens that good just yet.
So would a Jawfish hunt and eats these??
Slickdonkey
Drink me
I had a jawfish who loved to eat live baby brine, so I would assume they'll eat these guys as well. Remember the cardinal rule of fishkeeping: if it's small enough to fit in a fish's mouth, it will.
I've never seen my current jawfish eat one, but he mostly comes out at night. Mostly.
I've never seen my current jawfish eat one, but he mostly comes out at night. Mostly.
They would be a fine food for any fish that normally eats pods. Some pod eaters are particularly equipped to seek pods out, such as many of the pointy mouthed Butterflyfishes. The live ones are a bit tricky to 'catch.' Mysids of the bahia species know when they are being attacked or hunted and make evasive maneuvers and seek shelter. If the jawfish does hunt, eat, and catch living pods, then it should find the mysids to be a great food.
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Here is a picture of each. First is an amphipod, second is a Mysid shrimp.
I am curious how many have mysids growing in their tanks, common?
I am curious how many have mysids growing in their tanks, common?
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
You should raise mandarins :>)
The second photo is the mysid. Mysids flourish in my refugium. They are carnivores and cannibals. :evil: Their population is self regulating. Feed them newly hatched brine shrimp, and provide places for the babies to hide from their hungry parents, to see their numbers increase. 
If there was a really efficient and inexpensive way to raise large numbers of mysids, someone would be quite wealthy.
If there was a really efficient and inexpensive way to raise large numbers of mysids, someone would be quite wealthy.
Damsel13
Well-known member
well sounds like misids are a great thing to have but what about the amphiopods? I have a ton of those.
steve-s
Well-known member
The live Mysids in your tank are nocturnal and not likely to happen out during daylight hours purposely. The jawfish is also not that kind of a predator where it might seek these kinds of animals out as a food source. Same goes for the gammarids but they are more likely to bee seen in the day. In short, your jawfish is not going to directly benefit from these animals being in your tank. Wrasses and the like however would do quite well.
Damsel13,
The larger amphipods are a good food source. However, their size limits their value to the fishes that are carnivores or omnivores with mouths that will tackle them. As with the copepods, it depends upon the fish's ability to hunt them.
The larger amphipods are a good food source. However, their size limits their value to the fishes that are carnivores or omnivores with mouths that will tackle them. As with the copepods, it depends upon the fish's ability to hunt them.
Damsel13
Well-known member
Thank you Lee,
Do you think my oscellaris clowns eat the amphipods? It seems like since these critters are out at night and the clowns are sleeping then that they wouldn't get many of them.
Do you think my oscellaris clowns eat the amphipods? It seems like since these critters are out at night and the clowns are sleeping then that they wouldn't get many of them.
Anemonefish are not pod eaters. They are omnivores, needing both vegetable and animal proteins. You may get the info you seek in these two posts:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15720
and
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15719
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15720
and
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15719
Hoopsguru
Member
Irrelevant to the direct topic.....but interesting.
This species has been renamed Americamysis bahia and has become available to the aquarium hobby as a food source.
http://www.mblaquaculture.com/content/organisms/americamysis_bahia.php
This species has been renamed Americamysis bahia and has become available to the aquarium hobby as a food source.
http://www.mblaquaculture.com/content/organisms/americamysis_bahia.php
Not totally irrelevant, IMHO. True about the name. They are putting the Mysidopsis in the parenthetical after Americamysis. As if distinguishing them weren't difficult enough. I think that was a big mistake. Most mysids are marine and the name should at least have had mysid in it, if it had to be used at all.
As for the availability, not very widespread yet. They are used by the US EPA for testing toxicity of materials; not easily raised in captivity; and sell for an arm and a leg. Some sources want about up to 9 cents each, delivered.
As for the availability, not very widespread yet. They are used by the US EPA for testing toxicity of materials; not easily raised in captivity; and sell for an arm and a leg.
Some sources want about up to 9 cents each, delivered.
