How I culture pods, a introduction for those that are interested in doing the same
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tricky_tran
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here is an article i was reading last night after i read this one.
Raising Live Rotifers & Copepods
An article describes in depth how to raise rotifers and copepods (Tigriopus Californicus) as a live food source for your reef tank, especially mandarin gobys.
www.brineshrimpdirect.com
that's correct if he/she don't discard the water after sieving it.
That one is really good read !!! Old (since 2008 last upd. 2011), but it's one of the best I ever seen.
Thanks @tricky_tran.
And if you don't want to be that fanci (making that much and to be that precious on them, @living_tribunal method is good enough for basic or more needs.
Been using this method for a couple years now. Way easier, and no need for light. The ambient room temp and light is plenty. Plus you can buy real phyto paste from that website, and everything you need besides the 5G pails, and actual pods for startup.
FWIW, you can buy everything you need to start culturing pods for about the price of 1 jar of pods on algaebarn.
I understand not everyone has the room, or the desire to culture their own pods, but it really is simple, and only takes as much space as 2 5G pails.
I understand not everyone has the room, or the desire to culture their own pods, but it really is simple, and only takes as much space as 2 5G pails.
hollback
Well-Known Member
You don't need light or air. They will thrive in just a 5 gallon bucket with live phyto.
I have had the same cultures of copepods going since 2004. Here is how I have had my cultures set up.
reefs.com
I have had the same cultures of copepods going since 2004. Here is how I have had my cultures set up.
The Breeder’s Net: A Simple How-to On Home Culture Of Copepods
In my opinion, copepod cultivation may make an important contribution in home aquaculture, when fish fry are too diminutive to eat rotifers as a first food.
reefs.com
hollback
Well-Known Member
Inline air filters are not necessary. Don't get get hung up on them.
FragileReefer
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This is a killer guide! And I'm gonna start using a bit of reefroids to my cultures too. Most copepods are a bit cannibalistic especially when hungry and that can fill the gap. I've been running a few cultures for 6 months and found it to be easier than I expected. I bought a few seives and now work with a few animals but found the care to be all the exact same. I've got rotifers (53micron) Tiggerpods (120/300 micron) brine shrimp (120/500 micron). My needs are a bit different so I harvest differently. When culture is booming I seive 95% of my culture, I take the adults and gunky 5% of the old culture and add that to a fresh clean new saltwater culture. I feed out the baby copepods to my tanks and keep the breeders.
The OP's harvest method works best to have a steady supply, I like to have big blooms and not touch my cultures as often. But try your hands at live foods it's easy and changes the hobby for you. People love to joke that they feed better food to the reef that themselves. But this is the real best food and it's not that hard to give.
The OP's harvest method works best to have a steady supply, I like to have big blooms and not touch my cultures as often. But try your hands at live foods it's easy and changes the hobby for you. People love to joke that they feed better food to the reef that themselves. But this is the real best food and it's not that hard to give.
Michael Gray
Valuable Member
Anybody know how much reef roids he used in culture I'm trying this in a 3g tank but don't wanna foul water and kill off pods I'm not having a explosive amount of reproduction and I been doing it for 3.5 weeks. But maybe I'm fouling water or not feeding enough. I was using spirulina powder but I wanna try the reef roids
hollback
Well-Known Member
What species are you culturing?
Michael Gray
Valuable Member
Tisbe
infinite0180
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When OP says fresh saltwater can i use the saltwater i store in a brute for auto water changes? It sits for a few weeks at a time and i dont clean the brute hardly ever, but its fresh...
Michael Gray
Valuable Member
That's fine yes. Just mixed saltwater
Guess nobody has a answer how much reef roids they feed. Mystery I guess I'll try again and hope not to crash
R33fDaddy
Active Member
I have thousands of pods in My Aquarium Alcatraz (the place where unwanted critters go lol). I feed them sprilina and keep the temperature 77 degrees. I also have live Brine shrimp and Asterina Star fish in the there.
Michael Gray
Valuable Member
How much water is your culture. My culture hasn't exploded. But I was doing a tiny test kid spoon every other day. So clearly it's not to much to foul water. Maybe I was under feeding in 3g of water??
R33fDaddy
Active Member
I have a 5 gallon Petco tank that I'm using. Started off breeding live brine shrimp to feed my fish and then pods absolutely took over. I do water changes just to get rid of some of them. I also have a sponge filter and heater in the tank.
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