# Finding Amphipods



## Thalamus (Jul 7, 2011)

Being an obsessive freshwater invertebrate enthusiast, I thought it was about time to catch some amphipods. The problem is that I live in a semi-suburban area near a large university, so I don't have easy access to many natural bodies of water. Having scouted the creek and the sludgy ponds at the university and found nothing, I thought I'd hit the 'net for help. So, has anybody got any tips on where to find freshwater amphipods and how to catch them?


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Don't really have tips on where to find them or how to catch them, just a bit of a warning:

Catching animals from the wild can be a really big risk for bringing home parasites and diseases and spreading them into your tank. (Many people have destroyed healthy tanks doing this.) You never know what's on - or in - the critters you catch and bring home to your tank.

Just a word of warning.


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

Not to mention that amphipods themselves are notorious parasites in most cases.


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

I'd say, If you have an empty tank, try making a tank with local species? A friend of mine managed to make one of their bigger tanks full of them. They had a cooler with mostly water from a local pond and dug up some sand/dirt. It probably won't be a crystal clear tank but that might just be because it was a brackish setup. Of course, my friend happens to major in marine biology and know everything about the local species. Definitely do some research on it before you try anything. 

Edit: Oh and make sure it isn't illegal in your state, or if there is an endangered species etc...


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## Thalamus (Jul 7, 2011)

Thanks to everybody for the advice! Being such a newbie, I hadn't even considered the possibility of importing parasites...perhaps I'll just let the amphipods lie, so to speak


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