Culturing Pods

ReefJunkySA · May 23, 2014

Reefers, now that we have got culturing phtyo and rotifers under our belt, there is a major demand for copepods and amphipod in South Africa.

I have a few cultures running however, things are not progressing as fast as we want it, pods are plentiful but not reproducing fast enough, they seem to be growing large, but that's about it.

Would love any tips and pointers you guys might have ? We are feeding with plenty phyto and zoo also cycloeeze. Also have heat up to about 27degs

That's all for now!

ReefJunkySA · May 24, 2014

anyone ?

gpdno · May 24, 2014

I have 2 buckets in my fish room that I raise my pods in. I just have a light source on 18 hrs per day and an airstone. I feed them algae that I harvest from my refugium.

ReefJunkySA · May 25, 2014

ok, thanks you make it sound so easy, I'm pretty much doing the same, but feel that their reproduction rates are too slow ?

gpdno · May 25, 2014

I have about a dozen pieces of filter floss in each five gallon bucket. The pods seem to like something to hide in and the pieces of filter floss work well. When I feed I just take a piece and shake it off in the tank and then put it back in the bucket.

That and food and clean water is all I've used. For water, I use the water from my water changes.

I have a Automatic Water Change setup to run three days a week. The water from the tank empties into the first bucket and then overflows into the second bucket. After that the water overflows down the drain.

ReefJunkySA · May 25, 2014

Thanks a stack, I've got quite a few macro algae and a few bits of LR rubble, hopefully I feed phyto and rotifer when the water clears, so I'm sure they have plenty food.

I'm thinking of harvesting plans and what would be best to capture and process these little guys ? I would need to bottle them, though job ahead. We if they are abundant then i guess not.

ReefJunkySA · May 28, 2014

Zooplankton Culture, aka Rotifers - aka Pod food. Burnt matchstick head to indicate size.

Part of an experiment, just to see how long rotifers can last inside a sealed bottle with no food and no air.

[video=youtube_share;cZtFFbpA_vM]http://youtu.be/cZtFFbpA_vM[/video]