Would like to pick your brains about fuge, pod cultures and pod tanks

I'm sorry I think I revised my comment while you were responding but I was also curious if Miracle Grow hand any advantages or disadvantages compared to the commonly used Micro Algae Grow or Gillard's F/2...

Microscope side note; anyone know what magnification spec would be acceptable for this purpose?
 
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I couldn't readily determine what an f/2 fertilizer was, or where to get it. However I talked to my LFS and saw a few posts on here about people using the regular liquid MG, so I decided to give it a shot.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Hand...qid=1421264574&sr=8-1&keywords=microscope+usb
I have been following along on this thread. My efforts with my pod cultures have been mixed. Sometimes they grow, sometimes they don`t. I am at the point I need to try something different. So far I have been using 5G buckets with corrugated plastic panels and no light. Maybe I will try smaller containers and some light and algae. The above link is to a microscope I bought to view pods. Just plug and play into computer and works great.
 
Hi, thanks for sharing that link. Since last night I've been looking at vintage microscopes (affordable) and asking friends if anyone knows anything about microscopes haha

Now I'm going to start looking for a PC microscope that allows you to change the optics. I'm a photographer and because of my background I hate anything with digital magnification. After a little bit of research I realized that I would probably enjoy studying the cellular structure of my corals/bacteria/substrate etc. in my tank. I've never been a fan of biology but I would probably enjoy studying some marine biology relevant to all the animals in my tank and do it on my spare time, considering I'm very visual and absorb information better if I can see what the literal content is talking about this would probably work better than any biology class I had in college lol.

I will share whatever findings I come across :)
 
hey guys... for all of you folks culturing pods in a bottle or container, does the water smell???

I put water into a 2 gallon container. dosed pods, fed it some flakes and phyto for 2 weeks. After 2-3 weeks, the water smelled like death. I didn't want to pour anything into my DT after..

lights on for 16hours, room temperature, no water circulation though. and I closed the container.. should I leave the lid open for air exchange?
 
You need circulation, and to keep the water clean. It shouldn't smell bad. A little vegetable like from the phyto, but not gross smelling.
 
I keep the lid partially propped opened. Early on I noticed a mildly nasty smell after about 7 - 8 weeks. Now I do a 100% water change once a month. No more smell and pods seem fine. I use no aeration.

I also noticed that the smell definitely changes depending on what food you use. I get the least smell feeding pieces of algae sheet. The worst smell comes with shrimp pellets. Not sure about phyto as I've never used it.
 
zeebies said:
I keep the lid partially propped opened. Early on I noticed a mildly nasty smell after about 7 - 8 weeks. Now I do a 100% water change once a month. No more smell and pods seem fine. I use no aeration.

I also noticed that the smell definitely changes depending on what food you use. I get the least smell feeding pieces of algae sheet. The worst smell comes with shrimp pellets. Not sure about phyto as I've never used it.
Click to expand...

Zeebies, do you use tigger or Tisbe pods?
 
Back when I was researching pod cultivation, it just seemed like most of the info pointed to Tisbe being overall easier to deal with so that's what I went with.

I wouldn't say Tisbe won by a huge margin over Tigger, but for my purposes, Tisbe was the winner.
 
I set up 4, 1/2 gallon glass jars for my pod cultures. I took some some hair algae and cheato from my sumps which where loaded with pods. I have the jars sitting in front of a 24 inch florescence plant grow bulb which is on for 18 hours. Added a few drops of phyto food for the algae and ran air lines for some slow aeration. After reading the comments from DaveRaz and reading the pdf`s I think I am going to forget the phyto and try other food sources. I have more pods coming to help stock the cultures.
 
Update:

I have pods in my gravity fuge w/ LR & Chaeto and so far so good, chaeto grows out of control and pod population seems to be increasing, last night I even saw a baby snail in there.

My "experimental" pod system is a 5 Gal glass tank w/ LR, HA, Chaeto, some floss floating around, heater, HOB filter - filter media. The Amphipods appear to have died off in this one but copepods are visible on the glass and in the water, HA is growing but Chaeto is not growing as fast as it does in my fuge. Whenever I trim my fuge I dump the Chaeto in this tank. No water changes, flake food every now & then, we'll see where it goes.

Phyto - have not had any time at all to start, I have everything I need to get started but waiting for that window of opportunity when I have enough time to clean/disinfect/fill & get going with it.
 
Excellent info here.

I have a few questions though (who doesn't, right?)

My method-
I culture phyto at about 5 Gal at a time and I have been working on my pod culture.
The pod tank is a small 5gal tank only filled about 1/3 the way up. Put two to three cups of phyto into the pod culture after the water change every week or so. Use condos to seed the sump.

The issue I run into is that I see a few pods on the glass, but not in the column as being described. Wondering what I am doing wrong with my pod culture.

One of the things that I think I am doing wrong after reading this is wiping the diterus from the tank during water changes...not super clean, just a quick wipe...which I will no longer do.

I can grow em like crazy in a sump, but in a pod culture I am failing miserably...Any help would be awesome.
 
5 gal buckets are too deep.Need light penetration to bottom of rearing vessel.Pods love certain macro algae.Easier to culture in bare bottom vessel.A good fertilizer is vermicompost tea with added salt to bring mixture to 1.021.
 
Hi guys any updates on this?
what did you find was the best way to grow pods? with or with out phyto.
photos or better yet vid would help out alot.

chhers
 
I collect amphipods by the 5 gallon bucket, here is a video of some of them. My tank has gravel so the amphipods live all the way to the bottom. I have an automatic feeder in the tank that dispenses sinking pellets, not for the fish, but for the pods. I keep breeding pairs of bluestripe pipefish, mandarins and ruby red dragonettes sio i need plenty of pods all year.



5 gallons of pods

 
Hey Paul your collecting them form the ocean right?
not really an option for me.
I thought i found a thread somewhere of your where you are breading brine shrip for your mandys.

I want to keep a Mandarin in my 40br and have a pod farm to make sure it doea very well.
I have been looking it to it alot.
 
Yeah i saw your cool lil pod feeders. on another thread are they a DIY thing or did u buy it.
so In your option and experience BBS have the nutrition pod eaters need?
I tend to take your advice to heart as your tank is amazing and been up for quite some time and your Mandarins are nice and healthy.
any idea on what % of there diet is BBS?
what i am asking is can a mandarin live only on BBS if my POD farm dose not work.
 
I built that feeder, I don't think you can buy them. I think pods are probably 75% of their diet and shrimp are the rest. A guess of course
 
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