Tigger & Tisbe Pods

[40B Knasty]

5 month update pictures. Zoom in and really look close at all the peach colored tigger pods along the glass wall.
I am glad to see a lot of people's experiences are turning around for the best with a tweak or two to your setup and seeing a better result in a matter of less than a week or two.
I did this thread to make sure a person already owning a dragonet, has dragonet on the brink of starvation, or wanting a dragonet to be honest about giving a great quality of life to this kind of fish. It seems like a tall task, but it is really not and the benefits of doing your own pod colony pays off in so many ways. Money per bottle, gas money to the LFS, online purchasing, and shipping fees. The overall heath benefits they provide being the major one for me.
For the people doing a pod setup. Post how it has benefited your fish. Whether it is size/girth, coloring up, or a healthier slime coat protecting your fish if you are living with ich like I am.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Do you keep the light on a timer or do you leave it on 24/7?

Just started a culture today in a 5 gallon tank.
It has one gallon of water and the bottle of pods.
Two 2 week old 1" x 1" x 4" sections of Marine pure and a golf ball sized live rock.

Lol, reread the entire thread to remember that I only want 1 bubble per second coming out of the naked airline tube.

Didn't remember seeing more on the lighting other than it's a T5.

Thanks for an awesome thread!

 

[40B Knasty]

Do you keep the light on a timer or do you leave it on 24/7?

Just started a culture today in a 5 gallon tank.
It has one gallon of water and the bottle of pods.
Two 2 week old 1" x 1" x 4" sections of Marine pure and a golf ball sized live rock.

Lol, reread the entire thread to remember that I only want 1 bubble per second coming out of the naked airline tube.

Didn't remember seeing more on the lighting other than it's a T5.

Thanks for an awesome thread!

I run the T5 on a timer for 8hrs for the chaeto. Not for the pods. A light I would imagine is not needed. I notice my pods actually are most active at night when the lights are out.
Be careful with using MP. They are known to leech AI(aluminum). With bio weekly water changes. You might have an adverse side effect. That's why I went with a 1-1 1/2lb dead rock with high porosity.

 

[smileyjoe]

This is awesome!! I've been researching about culturing my own pods as well and haven't really found alot of useful info till this thread. Thanks for all the great info and now I'm stoked to start my first culture. One question.... What does your water temp stay at? Was just curious if I needed a heater or not.

 

[40B Knasty]

This is awesome!! I've been researching about culturing my own pods as well and haven't really found alot of useful info till this thread. Thanks for all the great info and now I'm stoked to start my first culture. One question.... What does your water temp stay at? Was just curious if I needed a heater or not.

No heater required. Mine is at a room temp between 62-65F. Just make sure if you are going to do room temp. When you harvest some pods. Bring them up to tank temp by floating them for a good half hour in a bottle with not to much water so it does floats. The pods can go into temperature shock if you do not. One member is running a heater. So they can just dump the pods in the tank asap. Tigger pods are very good about handling degrees up to 90F from what I have read online, because when the tide pools start to evaporate. The temperature can climb high and fast in that California Sun.

Thanks everyone for the compliments about starting this thread and that the info given being very helpful to a start to your own take to having a successful colony. So far the tips have been paying off to your success! Please by all means if there any suggestions to help this thread. Post way. So far the ammonia badge was the best idea added to the thread to help keeping an eye on water change times.

 

[Bryn]

Which Ammonia badge is that? This one http://www.seachem.com/ammonia-alert.php

 

[tammieh]

Which Ammonia badge is that? This one http://www.seachem.com/ammonia-alert.php

That's the one I purchased.

 

[40B Knasty]

Which Ammonia badge is that? This one http://www.seachem.com/ammonia-alert.php

That's the one I plan on picking up soon.

 

[40B Knasty]

@James Moreno, checkout this thread.

 

[ectoaesthetics]

I am so impressed your Tigger pods have done so well inside! I have tried to culture them indoors twice and it was lack luster. It was enough to keep the culture through the winter here in Colorado. But for what it is worth I typically keep them outside in a bucket with nothing but a heater for support (set at 65F).

They are extremely hardy outside. I think they really enjoy stuff blowing into their bucket and the cycle of sun and night. If your culture ever seems to falter just throw a handful in a dark bucket add some phyto and wait for them to rebound.

I'm so blown away to see how dense your culture is; I could not come close to this with my indoor cultures -maybe I should have tried the power . I will definitely be trying my hand a Tsibe at the end of summer now thanks to you.

 

[40B Knasty]

I am so impressed your Tigger pods have done so well inside! I have tried to culture them indoors twice and it was lack luster. It was enough to keep the culture through the winter here in Colorado. But for what it is worth I typically keep them outside in a bucket with nothing but a heater for support (set at 65F).

They are extremely hardy outside. I think they really enjoy stuff blowing into their bucket and the cycle of sun and night. If your culture ever seems to falter just throw a handful in a dark bucket add some phyto and wait for them to rebound.

I'm so blown away to see how dense your culture is; I could not come close to this with my indoor cultures -maybe I should have tried the power . I will definitely be trying my hand a Tsibe at the end of summer now thanks to you.

I am not a fan of the tisbe pods. They seemed to sensitive. Plus having to buy a new micron net size, and less of a nutritional value. My tisbe pod tank is now filled with Tigger pods just from a few hundred transferred over. After 2 weeks there has to be at least 5,000. Here is my old tisbe pod tank turned tigger.

 

[ectoaesthetics]

LOL, thanks for the heads!

 

[40B Knasty]

LOL, thanks for the heads!

yeah nothing against Algagen Tisbe pods. Great product and vender. From my experience it is a great display tank starter pod after it is cycled. I just wouldn't want to see my dragonet who I love so much be skimped on a nutritional value. Cyclopods I have not done. Better nutritional value than the Tisbe pods and a pod size bigger between the other two. So maybe if you are looking for a pod that is harder to find for other fish. That could be a choice. I just have no clue how their mating style works, the temp they need, and if the spirulina would work. What I did was just cheap cut and dry so to speak to encourage others to do and share their experience.

 

[Maximus]

Great info guys. Can someone share a link to the spirulina powder being fed to the tigger pods? Thanks!

 

[40B Knasty]

Great info guys. Can someone share a link to the spirulina powder being fed to the tigger pods? Thanks!

They eat it. My tanks have been only fed spirulina powder for 6 1/2 months.
Brewers Yeast also works too.
Consider it like detritus, but a healthy one.

 

[40B Knasty]

I just love this setup I find the pods really hardy.
I’ve had the tank at 72 degrees 74 degrees 76 degrees they dont care. Trying to keep them 76-78 now just so there is no temp shock when I put them in DT.

They do seem to cycle in that one day there will be a ton swimming around and a few days later most are on the glass (pregnant females, i think) and a few days later lots of small babies.

I don’t bother with water changes and I feed both phytofeast and spirulina, I just kind of wing it. The ammonia alert badge has never gone above yellow, so i guess the MarinePure is working?

Once/twice a week I scoop a bunch out with a net and that’s about all the work I do to the tank besides feed it every couple days.

I was skimming through the web and I remembered you were using a heater in your tank. Just a heads up about heating a tank and I pulled this from Reef Nutritions site.
Reproduction Above 74°F
It is a myth that all Tigriopus californicus copepods do not do well in warm conditions originates from mis-interpretation of a research study of Canadian populations. In these samples from much colder water, it was found that 2-5% more males than females were produced when cultured above 75°F. Such a slight departure from a 50:50 sex ratio will have a negligible effect on the breeding success of a population. Furthermore, although this temperature effect may occur in the cold–water adapted strains collected for that trial, no similar studies are reported of populations from warmer waters. Reed Mariculture's Tigger-Pods were originally collected in California, over a 1,000 miles further south. Our Tigriopus californicus copepods have been cultured successfully at near reef temps (mid 70's to 80's during the summer) for several years now.
So this means for those who do not use Reef Nutritions Tigger pods. You might want to find out what temp is best for the pods you purchase to have more females to have a better population ratio. 62-65F with no heater has been my success story.

I also found out they prefer a brown algae over a green like spirulina, but they will eat a green. The brown is easier to digest. Which Reef Nutritions phytofeast is a high concentration of. I did find that there is a brown algae powder, but it seems to be only in a 1.1lb container at $77. I will have to check the organic store to see if they happen to have a smaller bag and try it out on one of the tanks. Otherwise I will stick with what has been working of a single bag cost of raw spirulina powder for $10.

 

[jnvd3b]

I was skimming through the web and I remembered you were using a heater in your tank. Just a heads up about heating a tank and I pulled this from Reef Nutritions site.
Reproduction Above 74°F
It is a myth that all Tigriopus californicus copepods do not do well in warm conditions originates from mis-interpretation of a research study of Canadian populations. In these samples from much colder water, it was found that 2-5% more males than females were produced when cultured above 75°F. Such a slight departure from a 50:50 sex ratio will have a negligible effect on the breeding success of a population. Furthermore, although this temperature effect may occur in the cold–water adapted strains collected for that trial, no similar studies are reported of populations from warmer waters. Reed Mariculture's Tigger-Pods were originally collected in California, over a 1,000 miles further south. Our Tigriopus californicus copepods have been cultured successfully at near reef temps (mid 70's to 80's during the summer) for several years now.
So this means for those who do not use Reef Nutritions Tigger pods. You might want to find out what temp is best for the pods you purchase to have more females to have a better population ratio. 62-65F with no heater has been my success story.

I also found out they prefer a brown algae over a green like spirulina, but they will eat a green. The brown is easier to digest. Which Reef Nutritions phytofeast is a high concentration of. I did find that there is a brown algae powder, but it seems to be only in a 1.1lb container at $77. I will have to check the organic store to see if they happen to have a smaller bag and try it out on one of the tanks. Otherwise I will stick with what has been working of a single bag cost of raw spirulina powder for $10.

I started with just a seed starting heater mat under the tank, and when the tank was 1/5 full it kept the water at 72-74. Then I increased the temp to 76 when I filled it all the way by changing to an in-tank heater.

My tanks are in the basement and it’s pretty cold down there so I was scared of the temp going below 60, just because I assumed that since putting them in the fridge slows their metabolism down, it may have ill effects. In the summer I may remove the heater altogether.

No matter what the temp has been they seem to be fine.

 

[40B Knasty]

I started with just a seed starting heater mat under the tank, and when the tank was 1/5 full it kept the water at 72-74. Then I increased the temp to 76 when I filled it all the way by changing to an in-tank heater.

My tanks are in the basement and it’s pretty cold down there so I was scared of the temp going below 60, just because I assumed that since putting them in the fridge slows their metabolism down, it may have ill effects. In the summer I may remove the heater altogether.

No matter what the temp has been they seem to be fine.

Cool, just wanted add some extra info to the thread for better productivity. Hope everything is working out for you.

 

[jnvd3b]

Cool, just wanted add some extra info to the thread for better productivity. Hope everything is working out for you.

It is, in 15 years off and on in the hobby, the easiest thing I’ve ever implemented.

 

[tammieh]

I seem to be growing out a ton of hydroids in the tank. Tempted to start over and clean it out. I see babies but still no adults. I seem to be able to kill off the adults pretty well. Hmmm.