The Pod Farm

[altolamprologus]

Do the cultures smell at all?

The original ones don't smell at all. If anything, they smell like fresh mixed saltwater. However, the 5 gallon culture I just set up last night smells bad, but I assume its just from cycling and should go away.

[zemuss]

Following

[altolamprologus]

So a small update:

 

-the white pod culture crashed again. I assume this species of pods simply cannot tolerate low temps for extended periods

-I set up a 5 gallon bucket for pod culturing. I will post pics later.

-According to a reed mariculture representative, Tigiropus californicus get their red coloration from a number of factors including diet and sunlight. The pods in the window get a very nutritious diet and ample light and have retained their red coloration, even after a few generations. The new 5 gallon culture is only getting a small amount of ambient light so I expect them to lose their red coloration, but only time will tell.

-I also added some new pods to the existing cultures to replenish the gene pool. I estimate this will be needed every 6 months or so to prevent too much inbreeding, which could cause a crash.

[zemuss]

This is certainly something I would like to do.

 

I am wondering if I can start with a bottle DR G's? is there a site to order White Copepods and Tiger Pods?

[plainrt]

cool info...........im now gonna give it a shot

[altolamprologus]

This is certainly something I would like to do.

 

I am wondering if I can start with a bottle DR G's? is there a site to order White Copepods and Tiger Pods?

The white copepods can be ordered from reefcleaners or a number of other websites and tigger pods can be ordered from here

[wamb0010]

The original ones don't smell at all. If anything, they smell like fresh mixed saltwater. However, the 5 gallon culture I just set up last night smells bad, but I assume its just from cycling and should go away.

 

 

uggh i set up my 5 gallon last night bucket last night (only half full), i put in base rock. I had to set it up in my bedrooom since I have no other space. Hope it doesn't stink too bad

 

also - i bought the pods from reefcleaners. I will see if mine make it. I am running a five gallon bucket, half full, some live rock, bare bottom, airline and a nano-glo led light 12 hours a day. I ordered some 2L of phyto from some dude on here who is slangin' it for $15 including shipping.

[altolamprologus]

uggh i set up my 5 gallon last night bucket last night (only half full), i put in base rock. I had to set it up in my bedrooom since I have no other space. Hope it doesn't stink too bad

 

also - i bought the pods from reefcleaners. I will see if mine make it. I am running a five gallon bucket, half full, some live rock, bare bottom, airline and a nano-glo led light 12 hours a day. I ordered some 2L of phyto from some dude on here who is slangin' it for $15 including shipping.

Sounds like a great setup. Can you post pics so we can see it and other people can get ideas? Also, you may want to try adding a small heater to keep it at normal reef temps

[altolamprologus]

It's been a while since I updated so I figured I'd post some new stuff. Like the dork I am, I have been reading threads on marinebreeder.org about copepod culture and learned a few new things My jar with the highest pod density seemed to hit a population wall where they just stopped breeding. This happens with mysids when they sense the population is getting too high, but I didn't know the pods did it too. So anyway, since they slowed down on breeding for a little while the population declined slightly, but nothing major. There's still a few thousand pods in there. I guess I need to harvest pods more often.The bucket culture has a very high density and I'm continually having to add more water(it's only about 2 gallons in a 5 gal bucket) to lower the density. Once it gets up to a high density in a full 5 gallons of water, I will start to harvest from there.

 

I have also been looking into starting a culture for Tisbe biminiensis(generic white pods) to add variety as well as to have a good food source for my future bangaii cardinal babies. Unlike tigger pods, Tisbe pods need circulation, which is perhaps why my previous cultures didn't work. These will need to be cultured in a bucket or tank with an airstone, but other than that, they are just as easy to raise as tigger pods.

 

I attempted to get an accurate measure of how much phytoplankton I use, but since I use it for my aquariums too, that was impossible. This weekend I will be buying a new bottle and will separate 6 oz of it into my old phyto bottle(which will be cleaned of course) so I can see exactly how much I'm using.

[altolamprologus]

A few updates on the pods

 

The 5 gallon bucket produces waaaaaayyyy more pods than the jars, so this has become my main culture. I still maintain the others, but I don't like how little they yield. I keep them mostly for redundancy incase the bucket culture crashes.

 

From my estimates, the jars can be sustainably harvested at about 50 pods per jar per week while the bucket can be sustainably harvested at a few hundred per week.

 

Because my mandarin is in a bare quarantine tank with no pod production, I have been collecting a couple hundred pods per day to feed her. She is in ok condition (could be a little fatter, but nowhere near as skinny as the ones you see in stores) and is fed mainly pods, with a daily suppliment of frozen food. I have noticed a decline in the pod population in the bucket, but there are still several thousand even after being harvested at more than a thousand pods per week for a few weeks.

 

To anyone wanting to start a pod culture, I highly recommend using the bucket/tank method rather than jars. The jars worked fine in the beginning and would be sufficient for just supplimental feedings of fish other than mandarins, but for those of you that want to raise pods for a mandarin/pipefish/seahorses, at least a 5 gallon culture vessel is necessary, with 10 or more gallons being better.

[nickjqz]

Awesome! This is all super cool and interesting!

[th64]

very cool! Will be following as well

[socal007]

nice write-up, will be following

[PinkDamsel]

Yes, very helpful. Pls continue to update as you learn new stuff.

[altolamprologus]

Yes, very helpful. Pls continue to update as you learn new stuff.

Sorry for the complete lack of updates.

 

The 5 gallon bucket is now my main pod source, with the jars simply an insurance against a crash. I have a second bucket setup with live rock and a heater that will be used for Tisbe biminiensis pods. I put a T8 light over the pod cultures and the phyto multiplies fast enough that I no longer have to feed the pods. I added a heater to the T. californicus pods, but after 2 weeks, it seemed like there were less females carrying eggs so I removed it and they are back to breeding rapidly. Perhaps cooler water triggers breeding in this species?

[wamb0010]

I've had my set up running for a long time but I just haven't pulled the trigger to buy any pods. I am now at that point. What kind do you recommend I buy? I just have one 5 gallon bucket, nano-glo led, and an airstone. I don't plan to keep a second set up. Should I buy tiger pods or should I buy the diverse pods from reef cleaners? I have a mandarin and I want to supplement his diet as well as add tank cleaners.

[altolamprologus]

I've had my set up running for a long time but I just haven't pulled the trigger to buy any pods. I am now at that point. What kind do you recommend I buy? I just have one 5 gallon bucket, nano-glo led, and an airstone. I don't plan to keep a second set up. Should I buy tiger pods or should I buy the diverse pods from reef cleaners? I have a mandarin and I want to supplement his diet as well as add tank cleaners.

You can buy the pods from reef cleaners, but it may include amphipods, which eat copepods. For a mandarin, Tisbe sp. pods would be best because they stay on the rocks, not in the water where they could be eaten by tankmates or sucked into the overflow, and they reproduce extremely quickly. However, these pods require a heater. If you don't want to add a heater, go with tiggerpods. When you add them to your tank, turn off your pumps and if you have a turkey baster, squirt them near your mandarin.

[wamb0010]

You can buy the pods from reef cleaners, but it may include amphipods, which eat copepods. For a mandarin, Tisbe sp. pods would be best because they stay on the rocks, not in the water where they could be eaten by tankmates or sucked into the overflow, and they reproduce extremely quickly. However, these pods require a heater. If you don't want to add a heater, go with tiggerpods. When you add them to your tank, turn off your pumps and if you have a turkey baster, squirt them near your mandarin.

 

 

So I tried the tisbe pods and I think all of them died. There is no movement at all in my set up. I'm not sure if they died in my setup or in route. I ordered them over thanksgiving from marinedepot so it took a long time to get them. I live in MN so it might have been too cold for them to survive shipping. I couldn't see any movement in the bag when I got them, but then again they are so small I couldn't see them and I have good eyes. I floated the bag in my system for 30 minutes before dumping them in. I am thinking about trying the tiger pods because it seems you have been having better luck with that species. Are these also good for mandarins? Also - does chaeto consume phyto? I have been adding what I believe to be a lot of phyto and my water doesn't seem to stay green. I purchased a 2 liter of phyto from a reefer on NR 1 or 2 months before I started using it, but I kept it refrigerated. Do you think this could have caused any problems. Below are pictures of my set up. I have a 5 gallon bucket filled 2/3 to 3/4 full, a few pieces of live rock, mostly base rock but I included some fully cycled rock from my tank to see. Also I have a handful of cheato, a heater, an air stone, and my lighting is a nano glo led. I keep the lid on the pale which slows evaporation, i assume it is getting enough air because of the air stone and the light from the nano-glo penetrates well. Any suggestions on my setup / method would be much appreciated

 

 

[altolamprologus]

I don't think your setup is the problem. Chaeto does not consume phyto so the phyto is probably dead and being decomposed quickly. I don't think I mentioned that Tisbe pods are detritivores, not phytoplanktivores. Sorry However, the chaeto and rock as well as any dead phyto should have provided at least some detritus. I use crushed flake food for my Tisbe and they are multiplying several times faster than the tigger pods. Tisbe seek dark places (although you don't need to remove the light, I run one on mine too) so they may just be in the rocks hiding. A good way to check your population is to add a couple inches of black pvc pipe to the culture then check it a few hours later. If you have pods in there you should be able to see some on the pvc. Also, check the temperature of your culture. They do just fine at 65-80 degrees, but I have found they like 74 the best.

[wamb0010]

I don't think your setup is the problem. Chaeto does not consume phyto so the phyto is probably dead and being decomposed quickly. I don't think I mentioned that Tisbe pods are detritivores, not phytoplanktivores. Sorry However, the chaeto and rock as well as any dead phyto should have provided at least some detritus. I use crushed flake food for my Tisbe and they are multiplying several times faster than the tigger pods. Tisbe seek dark places (although you don't need to remove the light, I run one on mine too) so they may just be in the rocks hiding. A good way to check your population is to add a couple inches of black pvc pipe to the culture then check it a few hours later. If you have pods in there you should be able to see some on the pvc. Also, check the temperature of your culture. They do just fine at 65-80 degrees, but I have found they like 74 the best.

 

Thanks. I added some black PVC piping. I hope a few of them are in there to repopulate! I have some pellet food. SHould I add some of this? I lowered the temp on the heater to 74. It was at 79. So I should not be adding phyto at all for Tisbe? Can you see them pretty easily?

[altolamprologus]

Thanks. I added some black PVC piping. I hope a few of them are in there to repopulate! I have some pellet food. SHould I add some of this? I lowered the temp on the heater to 74. It was at 79. So I should not be adding phyto at all for Tisbe? Can you see them pretty easily?

Crush 1-2 pellets with the back of a spoon and add them. Don't add any more than that until you confirm there are pods in there. If there are still pods, add a pellet once or twice a week. You can add phyto if you want. When the phyto cells die they would provide food for the pods, and it would be insurance against forgetting to feed for a while. The easiest ones to see are the females carrying eggs. Males are fairly easy to see if you look close and all bets are off trying to find juveniles in a bucket. But if you pull the pvc out of the water and look at the surface at an angle, you should see the bumps where the pods are and they tend to move a lot when out of water.

[Rabidgerbil38]

Though cheato probably doesnt consume phyto I'd be willing to bet it can outcompete for their common food source. Try pulling it out and see if the phyto still dissapears.

[altolamprologus]

The first post has been updated to be more informative and easier to read. Thanks to all who follow this thread

[yoshii]

it's very brightly colored

 

I like this simple version If you have a picture of the different set-ups I think that would help people too

[Squared]

Alto I have a lot of tiny white pods in my fuge, are those good for culturing in a 1 gallon setup? Those would be detrivores right?

 

Actually they look like tiny white pill bugs...not copepods?