Pods

[DYIguy]

I've had amphipods in my tanks since I bought my first live rock. It' only in the last year that I got into copepods. Other than being a good food source, they are a part of the cuc. Tisbe, Tigger and apex ( apocyclops ) seem to be the best in seeding/ maintaining a population in a tank. Wondering what everyone's experience with any/all of these are. I wonder if ( unless you have a heavy feeder like mandarins) if once you seed the tank if the population stays high, or do you have to re-seed from time to time. Is one type better long term than the others. I know that in order to keep any you need to feed them with phyto. Tips, experiences etc appreciated

 

[Rjmul]

One you reach critical mass no need to reseed

 

[diana a]

Tigriopus californicus (tigger) don't last in the aquarium very long. They are big and red which makes them an easy target for fish. The fish can pick them off quicker then they can reproduce.

Apocyclops panamensis (apex) are small and hide in the rocks and are not red.


According to Reef Nutrition, copepods will eat dead phytoplankton, among other things like organic waste and dry foods. There is a perception that live phytoplankton is best, but it's not true for the copepods that are put in our tanks. These are opportunistic animals just like corals and fish.

 

[DYIguy]

Tigriopus californicus (tigger) don't last in the aquarium very long. They are big and red which makes them an easy target for fish. The fish can pick them off quicker then they can reproduce.

Apocyclops panamensis (apex) are small and hide in the rocks and are not red.


According to Reef Nutrition, copepods will eat dead phytoplankton, among other things like organic waste and dry foods. There is a perception that live phytoplankton is best, but it's not true for the copepods that are put in our tanks. These are opportunistic animals just like corals and fish.

Good to know, I would think that if one over feeds phyto, that the pods would eat what isn't eaten by others- I just ordered some Tisbe and apex, along with some fish- not from the same place- I like to know that there are pods in a tank for new fish. i find that some fish only eat pods at first, and take some time to take to frozen and flakes

 

[Rjmul]

Tigriopus californicus (tigger) don't last in the aquarium very long. They are big and red which makes them an easy target for fish. The fish can pick them off quicker then they can reproduce.

Apocyclops panamensis (apex) are small and hide in the rocks and are not red.


According to Reef Nutrition, copepods will eat dead phytoplankton, among other things like organic waste and dry foods. There is a perception that live phytoplankton is best, but it's not true for the copepods that are put in our tanks. These are opportunistic animals just like corals and fish.

I may have overstated what i said. Im not a copepod expert by any means, but whatever can sustain itself long term in my tank is doing so. Im not a huge fan of consumable products in this bobby

 

[DYIguy]

I may have overstated what i said. Im not a copepod expert by any means, but whatever can sustain itself long term in my tank is doing so. Im not a huge fan of consumable products in this bobby

There is so much conflicting info on pods- I thought for a while that apex were the best to get established, now it looks like tisbe are better, just trying to figure it out- One thing I do know is that my tank seems to be in better balance with them in it

 

[MadReefer]

Where is everyone buying pods from? I used to buy from Algae Barn but last 2 times wasn't happy with the purchase.

 

[MadReefer]

I just ordered this from e-Bay.

Copepods

 

[Sump'N Fishy]

I introduced mixed blends of pods into my tank 2 or 3 times after my cycle was complete (early 2021), a 4th time into my refugium before I added a melanurus wrasse and mandarin to the tank. The wrasse aggressively goes after them all day, the mandarin floats around all day picking as he pleases. The thought pops into my head once or twice a month, how is my pod population doing? I continue to fall back on something I learned around 6 years ago when keeping my first mandarin, pay attention to their stomach size/girth, just a quick look every other day, if their stomach looks full, the mandarin is happy and pods are clearly in stock. If the stomach starts to shrink in on them on the sides, it's indicating it can't find pods or it is not eating for another reason. My mandarin has at least doubled in size since I got him and floats/flys around all day looking fat and happy, which convinces me that there is enough pod population to support them both.

 

[MadReefer]

I introduced mixed blends of pods into my tank 2 or 3 times after my cycle was complete (early 2021), a 4th time into my refugium before I added a melanurus wrasse and mandarin to the tank. The wrasse aggressively goes after them all day, the mandarin floats around all day picking as he pleases. The thought pops into my head once or twice a month, how is my pod population doing? I continue to fall back on something I learned around 6 years ago when keeping my first mandarin, pay attention to their stomach size/girth, just a quick look every other day, if their stomach looks full, the mandarin is happy and pods are clearly in stock. If the stomach starts to shrink in on them on the sides, it's indicating it can't find pods or it is not eating for another reason. My mandarin has at least doubled in size since I got him and floats/flys around all day looking fat and happy, which convinces me that there is enough pod population to support them both.

I don't have a mandarin as the ones purchased died. I do have a huge melanarus.

 

[Sump'N Fishy]

I don't have a mandarin as the ones purchased died. I do have a huge melanarus.

I'm not certain, but one theory I have is that they need a very calm almost dead flow area of the tank to reside in when they want to rest. I have a small section of my tank that large rocks block 90% of flow, which is where you can always find him if he is not cruising around the tank. I like to think he knows that he has an area to retreat too when the flow kicks up or when the tankmates start getting wild.

 

[DYIguy]

I also have a Melanarus that is constantly on the go- along with picking at rocks it also eats flakes and frozen- my best indicator for pods is my Canary Blenny- fat stomach and still picking at rocks, then I still have a population- also my yellow watchman, if it's sifting the sand then there are pods there too. I buy my pods on ebay- most have free shipping- have bought from Deans, Rasta and reefandfins- all are good
I know pods are part of the cuc- eat detritus, left over food and algae- I wonder if they have any affect on diatoms, cyano etc

 

[MadReefer]

I also have a Melanarus that is constantly on the go- along with picking at rocks it also eats flakes and frozen- my best indicator for pods is my Canary Blenny- fat stomach and still picking at rocks, then I still have a population- also my yellow watchman, if it's sifting the sand then there are pods there too. I buy my pods on ebay- most have free shipping- have bought from Deans, Rasta and reefandfins- all are good
I know pods are part of the cuc- eat detritus, left over food and algae- I wonder if they have any affect on diatoms, cyano etc

I just purchased the 3 pack combo from Rasta.

 

[Sump'N Fishy]

I also have a Melanarus that is constantly on the go- along with picking at rocks it also eats flakes and frozen- my best indicator for pods is my Canary Blenny- fat stomach and still picking at rocks, then I still have a population- also my yellow watchman, if it's sifting the sand then there are pods there too. I buy my pods on ebay- most have free shipping- have bought from Deans, Rasta and reefandfins- all are good
I know pods are part of the cuc- eat detritus, left over food and algae- I wonder if they have any affect on diatoms, cyano etc

How is the rest of your CUC? I've stocked mine twice, not heavily at all for the size of my tank, or at least compared to what the sellers suggest - but 75% of them have been picked off by my melanurus, or at least I believe he's the main culprit. Do you find that to be the case with yours?

 

[DYIguy]

How is the rest of your CUC? I've stocked mine twice, not heavily at all for the size of my tank, or at least compared to what the sellers suggest - but 75% of them have been picked off by my melanurus, or at least I believe he's the main culprit. Do you find that to be the case with yours?

Crabs are good, my bigger snails are fine- Had some nassarius- large and small - gone- I did see a bumblebee the other day- but they seem to stay under the rocks- some say they are predators too- got some chestnuts and ninja stars recently- haven't seen the chestnuts, but the ninja are all over the tank- think the snails I have under the sand are fine too

 

[Boehmtown]

I like tisbe pods, very easy to culture and Hardy, are small and hide well . I got them off eBay. Threw them in a 2 gallon container and cultured a few generations into my tank. My mandarin now eats pellets and I feed live brine all the time so I typically now just throw whatever in once or twice a year. Just some fresh genetics and types

 

[MadReefer]

I like tisbe pods, very easy to culture and Hardy, are small and hide well . I got them off eBay. Threw them in a 2 gallon container and cultured a few generations into my tank. My mandarin now eats pellets and I feed live brine all the time so I typically now just throw whatever in once or twice a year. Just some fresh genetics and types

What did you do culture them? I would like to try it.

 

[Salted]

^ same here if it doesn't require much. Very little free time here.

 

[Boehmtown]

I started by putting a bottle of pods in a 2 gallon drink serving container with an air pump turned way down to like 1 bubble a second. And a couple watt light. Keep the water tinted green with phyto. I did a 1 gallon water change once a week and used a 53 micron sieve for the babies and 120 micron for the adults. Babies went back in adults go in the tank. I basically left it to that till they get going. Once I had a sizeable population I'd suck some of them off the sides with a turkey baster. I eventually started adding fish food instead of phyto and they ate it, or the rotting food fed the phyto and they ate that. I read and think tisbe pods eat fish food so that's why I tried it. Shortly after my mandarin got a taste for the pellets I was using to culture the pods. You kinda get a balance down how much food vs how many to harvest. Eventually it will crash and you just clean everything and start over, so every 12 dollar bottle of pods gets you millions of pods.

This is not the most efficient or cheapest way for sure. It was just easy for me and worked enough for my needs.

If I couldn't get my mandarin eating pellets, long term, I would have probably 3 cultures going like that and spend some time on the setup so it's very easy to maintain.

It's not that hard. I saw a lady in Florida that used to just throw her filter floss in plastic totes and left them outside. And she had billions of pods going

 

[DYIguy]

I started by putting a bottle of pods in a 2 gallon drink serving container with an air pump turned way down to like 1 bubble a second. And a couple watt light. Keep the water tinted green with phyto. I did a 1 gallon water change once a week and used a 53 micron sieve for the babies and 120 micron for the adults. Babies went back in adults go in the tank. I basically left it to that till they get going. Once I had a sizeable population I'd suck some of them off the sides with a turkey baster. I eventually started adding fish food instead of phyto and they ate it, or the rotting food fed the phyto and they ate that. I read and think tisbe pods eat fish food so that's why I tried it. Shortly after my mandarin got a taste for the pellets I was using to culture the pods. You kinda get a balance down how much food vs how many to harvest. Eventually it will crash and you just clean everything and start over, so every 12 dollar bottle of pods gets you millions of pods.

This is not the most efficient or cheapest way for sure. It was just easy for me and worked enough for my needs.

If I couldn't get my mandarin eating pellets, long term, I would have probably 3 cultures going like that and spend some time on the setup so it's very easy to maintain.

It's not that hard. I saw a lady in Florida that used to just throw her filter floss in plastic totes and left them outside. And she had billions of pods going

a couple of questions, what salinity and what temp for the water