What are the best pods to add to your reef for a sustainable population, and where do you get them?

Daniel@R2R

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What are the best pods to add to your reef for a sustainable population, and where do you get them? Which ones do you keep and recommend for others? Also, how often do you replenish them?
 
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Daniel@R2R

Daniel@R2R

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muzikalmatt

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I first seeded my tank with Reef Nutrition's Tigger Pods about 11 months ago, then added a 16 oz container of Algae Barn's 5280 pods about 3 months later. Most recently (~1 month ago) I added full 6 oz bottles of both Apex Pods and Tigger Pods from Reef Nutrition. I find the pod population does best when I'm consistently feeding Phyto to the tank. I can't say which ones do best exactly, but I definitely see a healthy population of multiple types of pods in my tank now. As far as replenishment, I don't have any heavy pod-eating fish like wrasses or mandarins, so I would think adding a new batch every 6 months is probably plenty.
 

JammiJ

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I used the 5280 from Algae Barn as well, and have had good success with them. I do add more every 3 months or so though.
 

Bryknicks

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I just used reef soup from rusalty and was impressed. I do feed my tank daily with phyto so I'm hoping they can breed in the DT and refugium minimizing my needs to replenish often. The main reason I chose the reef soup was the variations of pods along with the pricing compared to other vendors.
 

andrewkw

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Pods just happen. I would never pay anything for them. A good example that surprised me :- I setup a coral qt tank last month with just used water no rock and enough pods came on the frags I put in that they covered the glass in just over a month. While it can be hard to get nice live rock now it should still be possible to get 1 piece from someone and seed your tank like that. It really doesn't take much.
 

Sallstrom

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When looking in to our aquariums the "pods" that have stuck around for many years without any new input is some type of Gammarus and a type of mysis shrimp(looks like Heteromysis domusmaris). They both probably came from live rock or another aquariums. The Gammarus can be found everywhere.

When it comes to Copepods I'm a bit confused. Yes, they are great live food. But can you really get the species with plantonic stages in their life cycle to reproduce in a reef tank?
 

TriggerFinger

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I’ve only bought one jar of the 5280 pods and phyto from algae barn. I don’t think I have any fish that eat pods (starry blenny and maroon clown?) so they are all over the glass and in the sump. Side note: I forgot about the phyto in the garage fridge for over a month...I guess it cant be used anymore and would pollute the tank rather than help anything?
 

Paul B

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I find the best pods (amphipods and copepods) are the ones in the ocean.
You go to a muddy bay with a bucket. Wear a Speedo if you want to attract the girls. ;Drool

Lift some rocks out of the mud and swirl them in a bucket of seawater.
Remove most of the crabs, lobsters, eels, bikini tops etc, and dump it in your tank.

No need to add more as they reproduce as long as you don't play Rap Music near your tank.
Then go out to dinner, try the Merlot.



I collect them here, but you can't eat those mussels.



If you don't live near the sea, you really need to move. :cool:
 

Mppp

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So when you buy a jar from Algae Barn per say of pods I assume the water they come in is guaranteed not to have any diseases, ich, velvet etc? I've always wondered this as I'm interested in one day having mandarins.
 

mfinn

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So when you buy a jar from Algae Barn per say of pods I assume the water they come in is guaranteed not to have any diseases, ich, velvet etc? I've always wondered this as I'm interested in one day having mandarins.
Do you really think a company that it's main product ( biggest selling) would risk introducing ick into the product line?
 

Vette67

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Best place I have found is aquariumdepot.com. comes with copepods and amphipods. They ship perfectly, and reproduce well in the tank. Every year or 2, I buy more just to refresh the gene pool, so that brothers and sisters aren’t continually reproducing in my tank. But that’s the only reason I add more.
 

Mppp

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Do you really think a company that it's main product ( biggest selling) would risk introducing ick into the product line?

That's like saying do you really think a company that sells saltwater fish would risk introducing ich into their systems/product line????
 

mfinn

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That's like saying do you really think a company that sells saltwater fish would risk introducing ich into their systems/product line????
That's not even close.
Ick come in on fish from the wild.
Pods are a cultured crop, not dependent on wild stock.
 

Mppp

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That's not even close.
Ick come in on fish from the wild.
Pods are a cultured crop, not dependent on wild stock.

It's "Ich" first off and secondly that answer is much more informative than your first. Thank you!
 
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