Searching for pod cultivation guru...

[gREEF stricken]

Howdy All,


So, I have decided to take on another angler. With this decision I have excepted the possibility of having to keep in perpetuity, a small tank for holding live food. Probably ghost/glass shrimp. I figured I might try and kill two birds with one stone here"¦ I am hoping someone who keeps pipefish or seahorses has mastered a home haven for cultivating pods? I have tried on a small scale a couple of times but without much help or knowledge they did not florist. Hoping for some tips or techniques from someone out there who is actually doing it and can point me in the right direction. IAE what species work well together? Easiest to bulk up on so I can harvest and add to my large display tanks. Any info is appreciated.

GS

 

[ThRoewer]

I would suggest Tigger Pods as they seem to be the easiest to cultivate in large numbers.
I have several productive cultures of them going. And just discovered another had sprung up in a container where I store some artificial live rock. That one doesn't have phytoplankton but just a decaying shrimp and lots of bacteria.
I'm still working on finding the ideal conditions to get super dense cultures, but even my 5 current cultures would produce enough for one pipefish pair/tank as long as you keep hydroids and aptasia in check.

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[ThRoewer]

This is my "accidental" Tigger Pod culture:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ej1Md972iKU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

These are some of my outdoor cultures:

I culture tigger pods (Tigriopus californicus) in 1 gallon sized clear shoe boxes from The Container Store. Similar containers will work just fine as well

There is also no need for an airstone.

No light or heating is required either, unless you live somewhere where it's really cold.

As food I usually just use flake food.

I use old saltwater from water changes. Higher salinities are actually beneficial.

My outdoor cultures got algae blooms going, but that is not actually required.

In the wild you find Tigriopus californicus in splash pools in rocky intertidal habitats well above the waterline. So there is rarely, if ever, a direct connection to the ocean. Whatever water movement there is comes usually only from the wind, which is why I keep my cultures on the balcony.
Temperature and salinity swings are usually well tolerated. I recovered cultures that had evaporated to salinities over 1.050 by just dumping freshwater in.

I usually harvest with a fine fish net, but dumping through a fine Artemia salina nauplii harvesting sieve will work too. Usually the culture peaks after about a month. At that point you can harvest all and use a part to start a new culture. I usually let them run until the culture starts slowing down. Though even such a culture can bounce back.
You will see a lot of sludge accumulating on the bottom - that's not bad at all but rather beneficial. I usually don't find many nauplii in the water so I suspect they like to dwell in the sludge to hide from the adults who may actually eat them.

 

[gREEF stricken]

Thanks very much for write up. Exactly what I was seekin

...TO THE POD-MOBILE

GS

 

[gREEF stricken]

Ok...finally have a system up, seeded and running. Not seeing much in the way of pods but water clearing after 12-24 hrs...shouldn't I start seeing pods??

GS

 

[gREEF stricken]

Anybody got any input?

GS

 

[ThRoewer]

Do not expect to see a large pod explosion right away. Tigger Pods may need one or two generations to build up the numbers you need.
Best is to leave it alone for a while.

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