Amphipods as clean up crew

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I have a theory. I collected to many amphipods in the Long Island Sound so I am giving a few thousand away to someone who is coming tomorrow to take them, but in the meantime I am keeping them in a bare tank as I can't put them in my reef as it is overwhelmed with them already.
I have to change the water twice a day as there is no bacteria or anything else in there and these things eat so much. I think they are a fantastic, free, self maintaining clean up crew. I have collected these things all my life and I just thought of them as food, for the fish, not me although I never tasted them. I was thinking last night about this. I was thinking mostly about Supermodels but amphipods also came through. There is no algae in my tank, but there should be. I have an algae trough but there is no algae growing in it, just amphipods, tubeworms and brittle stars. I feed the amphipods in the spare tank with flakes or pellets and they are all over it like a cheap suit. A pellet has a life span as long as Lindsey Lohan's fame.
I am thinking that these suckers that are all over my tank are eating any algae as soon as it grows. I could be wrong as I am wrong about most things including ways to grow hair. Amphipods are also legal as there is no commercial use for them that I know of. There is no "Save the Amphipod" movements. I am going to look for some algae and if I find some, I will put some in the little pod tank I have to see if they eat it. If they do, I will set up a small pool in my yard and raise some just for kicks because I can't harvest them in my reef. I can collect them every day but I have a life and any minute a Supermodel may come knocking at my door.
This may be bigger than the internet, bigger than Myley Cyrus, more important them Spam or Hamburger helper.



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PSU4ME

JoePa lives on!!!
Staff member
PREMIUM
They are great scavengers......I'm trying to grow copepods and I'll turn the water green with phyto and in a day to 2 days it is clear again......I don't think people realize how much they actually eat.

And as always Paul.....Let me know when you want to send a few thousand my way.......I'll fire up the paypal account :)

I don't think I have 1 left in my tank, my wrasses are maniacs.
 

Snid

Active Member
Watching this closely... Indeed. You may have just found a little side business.
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I don't need a side business. But I love to collect amphipods and do all summer. PSU4ME, I once sent a bunch to Arizona and he thanked me for the boiled shrimp
 

Paul B

Well-Known Member
Wow. But most of the ones I collect are not the endangered Illinois cave amphipods. Those cave amphipods look like Sissy amphipods, I only collect manly amphipods.
 
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