Growing pods

Waynerock · Apr 29, 2019

Can someone send me a link or a quick breakdown of what I need to grow pods? It’s finally warm enough in my garage to turn my little 5gal into a pod farm. My mandarin is a pig. Thanks in advance

Sod Buster · Apr 29, 2019

Some porous things for them to hide in and breed. They eat phytoplankton. People use cheato balls, pod hotels, marine pure blocks, plastic dish scrubber pads, shower loofah. I like the loofah or the pads. To feed the tank, just take a pad out and dunk it in the tank 3 or 4 times. They will also need a small air bubbler if you don't want to have a return pump going. A cheap light on a 12 hour timer. I myself use the posiedion reef system phyto/pod kid and get a weekly harvest of both.

Waynerock · Apr 29, 2019

Sod Buster said:
Some porous things for them to hide in and breed. They eat phytoplankton. People use cheato balls, pod hotels, marine pure blocks, plastic dish scrubber pads, shower loofah. I like the loofah or the pads. To feed the tank, just take a pad out and dunk it in the tank 3 or 4 times. They will also need a small air bubbler if you don't want to have a return pump going. A cheap light on a 12 hour timer. I myself use the posiedion reef system phyto/pod kid and get a weekly harvest of both.

Awesome thanks I really appreciate, my mandarin is starting to cost me and I like him fat so gotta do it.
So
Small tank
Phyto
Air bubble
Cheep light
Some rock or something to hide it
GOT IT!!
What about temp? Do I need to regulate or can they handle coldish nights(50-60 degrees) and warmer afternoons (80-90 degree)? Do I need a heater?

hyla84 · Apr 29, 2019

Sod Buster said:
Some porous things for them to hide in and breed. They eat phytoplankton. People use cheato balls, pod hotels, marine pure blocks, plastic dish scrubber pads, shower loofah. I like the loofah or the pads. To feed the tank, just take a pad out and dunk it in the tank 3 or 4 times. They will also need a small air bubbler if you don't want to have a return pump going. A cheap light on a 12 hour timer. I myself use the posiedion reef system phyto/pod kid and get a weekly harvest of both.

Sorry, can you post a picture of a pad? Didn't get it [emoji16]

Sod Buster · Apr 29, 2019

They can get a little cold. A plastic dish pot scrubber.

hyla84 · Apr 29, 2019

Sod Buster said:
They can get a little cold. A plastic dish pot scrubber.

Great thanks!

Journeyman · Apr 29, 2019

hyla84 said:
Great thanks!

Be careful with stuff for dish washing like sponges, scrubbers, pads, etc... They often are treated with anti mold/mildew chemicals.

hyla84 · Apr 29, 2019

I'll clean with bleach and vinegar before use it, just to make sure... Do you ever filter them and change the water if the container?

Js.Aqua.Project · Apr 29, 2019

Are you trying to start a culture? Or do you just want more in your tank?

If you just want more in your tank, I would make sure that your rock has plenty of crevices for them to dwell in and feed a food like @Reef Nutrition Phyto-Feast.

If you are starting a culture, there was a great write up in Reef Hobbyist magazine a few issues ago - I think it was Q3 or Q4 of 2017 - has "How to Train your Mandarin" on the cover. The article goes over bucket culturing T. californicus and A. panamensis copepods.

I sponsor the Marine Biology Club and the high school I teach at, the students have 6 buckets running and they batch culture, harvesting all the adults out of each culture every 3 weeks on a 2 bucket/week rotation. We feed a mixture of live Nannochlorpsis oculata that the students culture and @Reef Nutrition RG Complete.

hyla84 · Apr 29, 2019

I do have a culture, I'll post a picture tomorrow. Would it be possible to have this magazine online? I'm form Italy... I am ctiring tetraselmis, galbana, nanno and synecoccocus at the moment

hyla84 · Apr 29, 2019

Js.Aqua.Project said:
Are you trying to start a culture? Or do you just want more in your tank?

If you just want more in your tank, I would make sure that your rock has plenty of crevices for them to dwell in and feed a food like @Reef Nutrition Phyto-Feast.

If you are starting a culture, there was a great write up in Reef Hobbyist magazine a few issues ago - I think it was Q3 or Q4 of 2017 - has "How to Train your Mandarin" on the cover. The article goes over bucket culturing T. californicus and A. panamensis copepods.

I sponsor the Marine Biology Club and the high school I teach at, the students have 6 buckets running and they batch culture, harvesting all the adults out of each culture every 3 weeks on a 2 bucket/week rotation. We feed a mixture of live Nannochlorpsis oculata that the students culture and @Reef Nutrition RG Complete.