Can copepods start first cycle on a new tank?

[smmiller506]

I understand the more common methods of starting a cycle, like ammonia or ghost feeding (or unfortunately, a fish), but can copepods be used to start a cycle? Everyone is always asking about how to create an effective copepod farm in a tank, and having two or three months of predator-free living in a tank may be somewhat successful, especially if you started with 4 or 5 bottles of copepods.

Thoughts?

[MondoBongo]

i don't think they would produce a meaningful amount of ammonia in any reasonable time period to make them viable.

my reasoning stems from this: even in my two gallon(ish) culture containers, i can let pods and a load of phyto go for a couple weeks without seeing any appreciable ammonia in the water.

i would think your best bet would be to cycle the tank normally, add CUC, ghost feed, and add pods. then wait as their populations grow.

additionally, a newly setup tank could potentially be too sterile for them to feed themselves and reproduce. their primary food source (at least for the ones we desire as food) eat primarily microalgae (phytoplankton) and bacteria/detritus.

[gogo7]

some pods will eat the free bacteria that you are trying to cultivate.

[ca1ore]

Plus, if you design appropriate 'predator free' places into you system, they'll propagate at a fearsome rate anyhow.

[anthonys51]

i would also think pods wouldnt make enough waste to fully cycle a tank. meaning when adding fish it might spike anyway . not sure though, just a though

[smmiller506]

OK, thanks all for the replies, it was an idea to help them out.