The Pod Farm

[altolamprologus]

I plan on setting up a 2 gallon glass tank with just saltwater. Is that all I need ? No light? Just saltwater and crushed food??

Also how will I take the pods out to put in my DIsplay tank?

I assume you are talking about Tisbe pods, correct? If so, then yeah it's really that easy. Container+water+food is all you need. To harvest them, just siphon out the water through a sieve (I use a brine shrimp net-they're like $8 at petco) and shake them out in your display tank and replace the removed water with fresh mixed saltwater. Turn off your pumps when you add the to the display tank so they have a chance to find the rocks.

[Blennylover14]

I assume you are talking about Tisbe pods, correct? If so, then yeah it's really that easy. Container+water+food is all you need. To harvest them, just siphon out the water through a sieve (I use a brine shrimp net-they're like $8 at petco) and shake them out in your display tank and replace the removed water with fresh mixed saltwater. Turn off your pumps when you add the to the display tank so they have a chance to find the rocks.

 

Thank you! Will this only grow tisbe? I'm a big fan of trigger and amphipods. The big guys lol

 

Also How will I know I'm getting the pods in my net? Can I see them??

[altolamprologus]

Amphipods can be grown in the same setup, you just might want to do it on a larger scale since each individual is considerably larger. They will eat copepods if given the chance so keep them away from other pod cultures.

 

Tigger pods prefer to eat phytoplankton (and are more nutritious when they do) so the setup is the same except crushed dry food is replaced with phyto

 

You'll be able to see them. Tigger pods and amphipods can be seen individually and Tisbes can be seen in the net when there's a hundred or more in there (at least when using white nets).

[Blennylover14]

Amphipods can be grown in the same setup, you just might want to do it on a larger scale since each individual is considerably larger. They will eat copepods if given the chance so keep them away from other pod cultures.

 

Tigger pods prefer to eat phytoplankton (and are more nutritious when they do) so the setup is the same except crushed dry food is replaced with phyto

 

You'll be able to see them. Tigger pods and amphipods can be seen individually and Tisbes can be seen in the net when there's a hundred or more in there (at least when using white nets).

If I do a mix of phytoplankton and crushed food will that do well? How much phytoplankton should I add?

[altolamprologus]

It can work, but I prefer to use 100% phyto so the water stays clean. Dry foods dirty the water up quickly. Just add enough phyto to give the water a light green look. I use live phyto and a light so I don't have to replenish it as often

[Blennylover14]

Thank you! My mandarin will let you know how it goes after she is a pudgy fish

[metrokat]

Pod culture stinks! I aerated it some. Stinks like stagnant water.

They're alive, I can see them. Stinks though.

Stinks.

[altolamprologus]

That's just the smell from the culture cycling. Just cut back on food until the smell goes away.

[metrokat]

S T I N K Y

 

okay.

[altolamprologus]

S T I N K Y

 

okay.

Sorry I forgot to mention that. Whenever I start a new culture I always push them to the back of the cabinet thing they're in so I don't have to deal with them for a few weeks.

[metrokat]

Ignore my picos scratched acrylic but you can see a big juicy pod in this pic:

 

They look a little pinkish to me but are not the tigger pod variety IMO.

Any idea which kind of pod this might be?

 

At my last water change I tried to siphon some out but they had a firm grip on the acrylic so not sure how I can feed them to my big tank.

[altolamprologus]

Looks like an isopod. Don't worry though, it's not a cirolanid.

[metrokat]

so Draco is not going to want these guys for lunch?

[metrokat]

I have an update, the culture doesn't stink anymore. I think the issue was the tight fitting lid that is on the beverage dispenser. I'll have to make some slits or something with the dremel. I still see pods so I'm glad they survived the no air week.

 

Some of the pods are like upside down rocket launchers, they blast off from the surface to the bottom rapidly. others do the choo choo train, erratically chugging along. VERY TINY!

[altolamprologus]

so Draco is not going to want these guys for lunch?

He'll eat them

[absolon]

I have 2 12 bio cubes one has a mandarin and one does not. Its amazing how striped of pods the mandarin keeps his tank while the other cube is crawling with pods.

 

I found that if i make bundles of LR rubble using old media bags and a pellet of food to encourage them to move in i can make a sort of mobile pod condo that i can move into the mandarins tank for seeding/feeding. Luck he eats frozen like a champ so i no longer do this.

[metrokat]

Its been a whole month since I started my pod culture. I've done a partial water change already, I thought the bottom of the container was looking gunky and gray. I see lots of pods on the container wall and in the substrate. I have a tiny micron sieve on the ready.

 

When do I harvest? Is there a population explosion I should have expected?

Do I need to put in a heater?

(Total culture volume is under 2G)

 

Thanks Alto.

[absolon]

I would think that keeping temp stable could only help the pod population. Also if you have a sieve already i would say next time you do a water change strain out the water for pods and feed with that. To harvest i would just scoop/pour the culter water threw the sieve and then pods into tank and use the water you poured out as an excuse to do a small WC.

[altolamprologus]

Harvest just like absolon said.

 

No heater is necessary. All of my cultures (14 of them) aren't heated and are really close to a window so the temp fluctuates between low 60s and high 70s (not in one day though). I had one culture heated a while ago to about 75 degrees and they didn't seem to like it.

[herranton]

All of my cultures (14 of them)

Do you ever worry you will get busted for running a meth lab or something?

[altolamprologus]

Do you ever worry you will get busted for running a meth lab or something?

Sometimes. If you look in one of my windows, all you see is a whole bunch of buckets and 2-liter bottles and half of them are green. I've wondered quite a few times what the neighbors think. But then I realize I don't care

[bizzarro]

Sometimes. If you look in one of my windows, all you see is a whole bunch of buckets and 2-liter bottles and half of them are green. I've wondered quite a few times what the neighbors think. But then I realize I don't care

 

Nah, you're in Cali. To them you're probably some organic food home grower.

[metrokat]

Yesterday I did my first harvest. I poured out about a quart of the culture through a micro sieve and washed it out in the tank during lights out. Replaced the salt water in the culture, added some live phyto and a pinch of reefcleaners filter feer formula.

 

The mandarin has a muffin top today. Is it possible he found the pods that quickly?!

[altolamprologus]

Yesterday I did my first harvest. I poured out about a quart of the culture through a micro sieve and washed it out in the tank during lights out. Replaced the salt water in the culture, added some live phyto and a pinch of reefcleaners filter feer formula.

 

The mandarin has a muffin top today. Is it possible he found the pods that quickly?!

He probably found a bunch of them, but that's what they're there for after all! Don't worry, enough will survive to continue breeding.

[AMAYEU]

Started my tigger pod culture yesterday. Using Reef Nutrition Live Phyto Feast and Tigger Pods. Used 1/4 of the tigger pods and put into a 20 oz container by the windowsill with tiny pieces of macro (chaeto/ochtodes/dragons breath). I also made another container with the 1/4 tiggers the same way. The remaining 1/2 is still in the frig. Lets see how this goes!