barnacles

[cheesman]

Hi ive been setting up a 5 gal native(N.W.)/future octo food tank and have some barnacles in it. basically i am wondering 2 things; 1do they need to not always be underwater, & 2 do octos eat them? this may be a stupid question, but ive heard they need air.

 

[CaptFish]

I'm no Barnacle expert but i dont think they need air. I get them on the bottom of our boats where they don't get air.

 

[bathypol]

Barnacles breathe with gills so they can be underwater all the time. They can also stand to be out of the water by sealing their "shell" shut during low tide. This keeps their gills moist allowing them to be in the air for some time.

 

[cheesman]

Cool, thanks. Does anyone know if its safe/enjoyable (for the octo) to feed them to octopi?

 

[DWhatley]

If octopuses don't want them, they won't eat them (other than pollution and preditors, pretty much anything in the ocean is fair game). Just be sure the barnacles don't die undetected in the tank as I am not sure how well they survive. I have been wanting to try (for octo food) the giant purple ones ever since we saw them on a food channel (cooked for human food) show but they are not native to the Caribbean so I won't likely be finding any.

 

[Jean]

Barnacles don't have gills, oxygen exchange is over the body walls. Intertidal species can tolerate being out of water, but don't have to be. You may run into problems feeding them, barnacles are filter feeders feeding mainly on phytoplankton and small zooplankton which they catch with their hairy legs! So not sure how you're going to feed them, perhaps the occasional squirt of cyclopeeze????

J

 

[cheesman]

Barnacles don't have gills, oxygen exchange is over the body walls. Intertidal species can tolerate being out of water, but don't have to be. You may run into problems feeding them, barnacles are filter feeders feeding mainly on phytoplankton and small zooplankton which they catch with their hairy legs! So not sure how you're going to feed them, perhaps the occasional squirt of cyclopeeze????

J

I live like 5 minutes from the water, so i was thinking if i just keep replacing the water it would have enough micro-organisms. Correct me if im wrong.

 

[CaptFish]

I dont know if you will get enough doing it like that. I use Dr.G's Phytoplankton and Kent Marine's ChromaPlex. When I started using these in my tank my live rock and corals, and other filter feeding growth took off. I'm sure it would work with baracles too. The Label says it's for feeding: Soft Corals, Clams, zooplankton, small fishes, inverts, worms, tunicates, and other filter feeders.

 

[DWhatley]

I have tried DT's (don't remember if that is zoo or phyto though) but never heard of Dr. G's and bookmarked them for if I ever have pelagic young. Fortunately, they will ship out of state and if I ever am reemployed, will try it on my other tanks.

 

[CaptFish]

http://www.drgsmarineaquaculture.com/phytoplankton.cfm