cultivating pods / phyto questions

[saintsnsinners]

I'm thinking about cultivating 2 different types of pods. I head tigger pods are easy and I was wondering what other pod I should try? maybe something smaller that's equally as easy to breed?

Also, are more people buying phyto in a bottle instead home cultivating?

 

[fla2341]

You can try Tisbe copepods.
Tisbe are small, benthic dwelling pods which also eat detritus as well as algaes. They are "easy" and most likely will self propagate in your tank, sump or refugium ( if they dont already exist there).

Tigger pods are large benthic(bottom, surface) dwelling pods and have been grown outside without any addition of algaes, just eating any detritus which falls into their container( ie leaves, bugs etc..) Tigger pods will also eat other pods and have been know to self propagate in the tank, sump or refugium.

What type of Phyto are you looking at? Nannochloropsis, Tetraselmis, Isochrysis.

The culture of algae is easy if you can devote the time, effort and space needed to succeed. However If these are the two you are looking at and you are just looking to add them to your food chain then some of the prepaired algae pastes would due.

 

[GreshamH]

Tigger-Pods are both benthic and pelagic. They do no eat other pods as urban legend suggest they do. They really are not equipped to do so. They however do cling onto each other and males will attach themselves to females well prior to being able to mate, so I can see how people confuse that for them eating other pods.

 

[fla2341]

good to know Gresham. thanks for clearing that up

 

[GreshamH]

Using benthic and pelagic seems wrong given these copepods live not in the ocean, but the upper splash pool zone (upper most part of the intertidal zone). Most pools I see them in area shallow and wide.

 

[saintsnsinners]

So what 2 types of pods would be good to cultivate? I was thinking of using phyto paste to make things easier for me, but I'm not sure what kind. I'm just looking to give my local fellow reefers an option besides the $7 cup of a couple dozen pods. that seems very steep to me.