Pod resources...

[gREEF Stricken]

Ok, I can use Google just like the rest, but I'm asking a community I'm a part of for personal experience. My massive pod tank is up and running, I have lots of rock, 3" of Cichlid sand and gallon zippy or twos worth of mature macro from a sump. Two powerheads and steady 78 deg temps. Where will I get the most bang for my buck for seed pods? My goal is as much diversity in this culture as possible, so copepods and amphipods. Already culture phyto at home...let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks

GS

 

[1guydude]

Hey gs
IMHO ur best bet is to find some good mature old live rock or rubble rock ect... from another reefer. Ull get sponge and stars and all the lil pods ur looking for.
Hths
D

 

[gREEF Stricken]

Hey gs
IMHO ur best bet is to find some good mature old live rock or rubble rock ect... from another reefer. Ull get sponge and stars and all the lil pods ur looking for.
Hths
D

Well you can start with a pair of guppies or a dozen pairs of guppies...which is gonna result in more guppies sooner??

GS

 

[1guydude]

Wat? Lol no seriously.
The more Rock u get that ppl have already matured and had baby pods and stuff in is the rock with all the pods!!!! It's the rock that's gonna seed urs!!!!
I'm trying to help u out not be a SA. When I started. I didn't even jump into the hobby or community...I got a brand new tank for $600 from petco. Went to the lfs and spent $300 on half live LR. Cycled it all. Got the Florida hitchhiker crabs out... ect. It's a lot of work gs. Good luck.
D

 

[1guydude]

With the good hitchhikers comes the bad. Watch for aptasia, flatworms, nudibranch...hths

 

[Blue Lip]

Reefs2 go has 1000 amphipods for $25 often. Reed mariculture is where I got tiger pods.

 

[mfinn]

http://www.algaebarn.com/shop/pf

 

[NanaReefer]

www.livecopepods.com

 

[Blue Lip]

Aquaculture farms on ebay has a variety of copepods. What type of phytoplankton are you culturing?

 

[Gryphon]

What is your end goal in this endeavor if I might ask?

 

[gREEF Stricken]

Aquaculture farms on ebay has a variety of copepods. What type of phytoplankton are you culturing?

I am culturing Nanno. Would like to culture all 3 but haven't acquired additional strains yet.

GS

 

[gREEF Stricken]

What is your end goal in this endeavor if I might ask?

I lost a Mandy to starvation. It was a mega drag. Waited till my tank was 6+ months old and BRIMMING with pods at night to get one...she didn't last 4 months. UNBELIEVEABLE appetite. Just wanna see if I can do it. I see them as an awesome food source and another potential mini revenue stream to keep my reefy fingers OUTTA the family cookie jar. I know I've lost count of how many times I wished I could get one these weird little niche products(pods, macros, Phyto, Rotis)locally without the hassle/cost of shipping.

GS

 

[Blue Lip]

Nannochloropsis works great for rotifers but doesn't meet the nutritional needs for tigerpods. I use phyto-feast by reed mariculture. It contains multiple types of phytoplankton.

 

[gREEF Stricken]

Okay, unfortunately on the scale I am doing this, Fido feast just financially prohibitive. not to mention, I'm kind of a DIY junkie anyway. So that leads me to one of two possible solutions that icy. And by all means correct me if I've missed some. I can either begin to culture rotifers using the Phyto I already have going, and feed the rotifers to my pods. Or I can seek out the other strains of phytoplankton and culture them and make a blend
Which do you see as the more feasible option?

GS

 

[Blue Lip]

Rotifers are not pod food. Most copepods eat phytoplankton. Some eat detritus. I believe if you culture other strains of phytoplankton, you will need to culture each strain seperately. Some of the strains of phytoplankton stink. Phyto-feast has multiple strains condensed. A little goes a long way & will remain good for 6 months in the refrigerator. I thought about culturing multiple strains of phytoplankton until i heard some are difficult & stink.

 

[gREEF Stricken]

Rotifers are not pod food. Most copepods eat phytoplankton. Some eat detritus. I believe if you culture other strains of phytoplankton, you will need to culture each strain seperately. Some of the strains of phytoplankton stink. Phyto-feast has multiple strains condensed. A little goes a long way & will remain good for 6 months in the refrigerator. I thought about culturing multiple strains of phytoplankton until i heard some are difficult & stink.

My Phyto culture station is in my garage so an off odor isn't prohibitive. Define "difficult to grow."

GS

 

[Blue Lip]

I have not cultured phytoplankton myself. I have looked into it because my clownfish spawned & i would like to try & raise them. I have read that nannochloropsis is relatively easy to culture. Some other strains are more difficult to culture because the cultures crash after reaching a certain density. What are you using for fertilizer? I have read that some people use miracle grow but i read in other articles that it produces poor nutritionaly phytoplankton . Guillard's f2 is supposed to be good.

 

[gREEF Stricken]

I have not cultured phytoplankton myself. I have looked into it because my clownfish spawned & i would like to try & raise them. I have read that nannochloropsis is relatively easy to culture. Some other strains are more difficult to culture because the cultures crash after reaching a certain density. What are you using for fertilizer? I have read that some people use miracle grow but i read in other articles that it produces poor nutritionaly phytoplankton . Guillard's f2 is supposed to be good.

I have healthy culture of Nanno going and and almost ready to post an ad for my surplus. I use Guilliards. Works great.

 

[Blue Lip]

Reefs2go currently has 2000 pods for $25.

 

[gREEF Stricken]

Reefs2go currently has 2000 pods for $25.

Thanks BL. Just ordered 2K...jump startin this biznatch. Added Tig Californicus yesterday. Have decided to go ahead and restock each species once every six months so that I can culture all together and not have a single species outcompete over six months.

GS