tiger pod cultivation....comments??

[2mandrians]

http://www.reed-mariculture.com/copepod/care.asp


I will be using a 5g hexogon plastic tank with cover, but will my cheaoto algea ball die without light? their is only a 15 watt light in this thing, and it even looks burnt out, i will probably get a new light. But will algea ball die or grow? Im going to throw 2, 6oz bottles of tiger pods, anybody have any success in cultivating these things? Could i put open up the window blinds for light? I have massive windows in my kithchen so it will probably get lots of light.

Any ideas on how to make this better?

 

[2mandrians]

oh, and should i add the gravel and a 2-3 pound live rock? its originally designed for a fresh water tank, so its fresh water gravle multi colored rock. How would you clean it, just a good rinse?

 

[demonboy369]

bad news... tigger pods are from cold water. hence the reason you refrigerate the bottle.

they are a good food but not gonna survive in warm water.

order some amphipods or copepods if you want to cultivate them. and the chaeto does need light or it will die. the sunlight may be enough if its bright enough.

 

[MotherFish]

I believe you are confusing "Arctic Pods", Calanus hyperboreus, or C. glacialis, with "Tigger Pods", Tigriopus californicus.
T. californicus are very easy to cultivate at a room temperature of 70 to 78°F.
The reason that they are kept refrigerated is to put them into a state of hibernation to prolong their life while inside the bottle.

2Mandrians, an expensive aquarium in unnecessary.
You can cultivate them in just about any kind of container from a simple jar to a tupperware container to a child's plastic pool.
The macroalgae and light is also unnecessary if all you want to cultivate is the copepods.

A couple of tips for better culture results are:

Water quality.
Don't let uneaten phytoplankton/food decompose on the bottom of the container for too long. Siphon it out every few days and add back new culture water.

Food supply.
Keeping a steady food supply will result in better population density. Once a day feeding is OK, but a couple of smaller feedings per day or a feeding pump is better.

Backup cultures.
No matter how successful you are with phyto or zooplankton, eventually you will experience a culture crash. Keep multiple culture vessels going to ensure that you always have extra stock to replace a lost culture.
Instead of using both bottles to start one culture, start two cultures.

Also test the salinity of the water that they are shipped in first so that you can match it with your new culture water to begin.

 

[captstinky]

Motherfish makes great point. I grew some w/o chaeto on my garage window sill. Summer came, temps climbed, and my cultures crashed. I used 2liter bottles and an air pump. Had enough from three bottles to feed multiple times per week.

 

[snorvich]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15352875#post15352875 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MotherFish
I believe you are confusing "Arctic Pods", Calanus hyperboreus, or C. glacialis, with "Tigger Pods", Tigriopus californicus.
T. californicus are very easy to cultivate at a room temperature of 70 to 78°F.
The reason that they are kept refrigerated is to put them into a state of hibernation to prolong their life while inside the bottle.

2Mandrians, an expensive aquarium in unnecessary.
You can cultivate them in just about any kind of container from a simple jar to a tupperware container to a child's plastic pool.
The macroalgae and light is also unnecessary if all you want to cultivate is the copepods.

A couple of tips for better culture results are:

Water quality.
Don't let uneaten phytoplankton/food decompose on the bottom of the container for too long. Siphon it out every few days and add back new culture water.

Food supply.
Keeping a steady food supply will result in better population density. Once a day feeding is OK, but a couple of smaller feedings per day or a feeding pump is better.

Backup cultures.
No matter how successful you are with phyto or zooplankton, eventually you will experience a culture crash. Keep multiple culture vessels going to ensure that you always have extra stock to replace a lost culture.
Instead of using both bottles to start one culture, start two cultures.

Also test the salinity of the water that they are shipped in first so that you can match it with your new culture water to begin.

This post should be the "gold standard" on the subject

 

[rodcpierce]

order some copepods. Get some old tank water from your next WC, add a small heater set at 80, and an air pump with air stone. Toss in one of them frilly girly bath sponge things (ask your gf or wife, she will know exactly what im talking about) and toss in the pods. Feed phyto or some general flake food weekly, but just small amounts of flake food, and leave them in the dark. They will mass produce like crazy.