Outdoor pod breeding station

atoll · Jun 25, 2022

This is a follow on from my other posts on breeding pods outdoors during the summer months here in the UK. A short video of my DIY pod breeding station I made up of mainly left over timber from other projects. The poly containers I bought from ASDA in the UK, your Walmart I guess.

P-Dub · Jun 25, 2022

atoll said:
This is a follow on from my other posts on breeding pods outdoors during the summer months here in the UK. A short video of my DIY pod breeding station I made up of mainly left over timber from other projects. The poly containers I bought from ASDA in the UK, your Walmart I guess.

NICE!

Dannyboy402 · Jun 27, 2022

That's awesome! I've been trying to do the same thing but indoors with a light over my 5 gallon bucket. I feed spirulina powder to mine but i'm not sure if i'm feeding them enough. The water is green like yours but I don't have as many as you do! How often are you feeding your cultures?

LeftyReefer · Jun 27, 2022

I just started my outdoor Tigger pod culture on thursday. Water is nice and green now. The pods i added on Thursday are still alive, so hoping in a few weeks I'll have a bunch more!

atoll · Jun 27, 2022

Dannyboy402 said:
That's awesome! I've been trying to do the same thing but indoors with a light over my 5 gallon bucket. I feed spirulina powder to mine but i'm not sure if i'm feeding them enough. The water is green like yours but I don't have as many as you do! How often are you feeding your cultures?

I hardly ever need to feed them as long as my water stays green they have food. I don't Hinksey being outdoors is beneficial along with a largish surface area to allow oxygen and gas exchange as well as natural light.

Dannyboy402 · Jun 27, 2022

atoll said:
I hardly ever need to feed them as long as my water stays green they have food. I don't Hinksey being outdoors is beneficial along with a largish surface area to allow oxygen and gas exchange as well as natural light.

Thanks for your input I'll try and change the container they're in to see if I can figure out what they like. I have a similar container to yours that I'll try tonight.

LeftyReefer · Jun 27, 2022

My first culture seemed to be doing OK, so i went ahead and started a second culture tonight.

used the same process for the second culture.... used tank water, live phyto, phyto-feast, and a small chunk of banana peel, and a bottle of pods, all added on day 1.

the first culture has gotten noticeably darker green in just a few days. doing (2) in case one crashes for some reason.

Thanks for the inspiration @atoll

cpschult · Jun 27, 2022

I’m trying this but having massive evaporation without rain. I’ve had to add water almost every day (losing a several inches). What’s your average temperature/humidity @atoll

SteveMM62Reef · Jun 27, 2022

When I was a Teen we used the complete Tub out of an old Washing Machine. would get the ones with a center Porcelain Agitator. Place it under a tree, to keep it cool, loose fitting glass top, and replenished the water every couple of days, from evaporation. Raised a lot of brine shrimp. No feeding no water changes and no cleaning.

atoll · Jun 28, 2022

cpschult said:
I’m trying this but having massive evaporation without rain. I’ve had to add water almost every day (losing a several inches). What’s your average temperature/humidity @atoll

Temp here in the UK is up and down like a fiddlers elbow for the last week. We had a heatwave last week but the last few days it's been a lot cooler and overcast. Pods don't seem to.mind nor the changes in salinity although I do top up with rainwater from my water butt's.

Garf · Jul 9, 2022

atoll said:
Temp here in the UK is up and down like a fiddlers elbow for the last week. We had a heatwave last week but the last few days it's been a lot cooler and overcast. Pods don't seem to.mind nor the changes in salinity although I do top up with rainwater from my water butt's.

Added my pods today. I hope they don’t mind all the crud that has been accumulating for years, lol

atoll · Jul 9, 2022

Garf said:
Added my pods today. I hope they don’t mind all the crud that has been accumulating for years, lol

Shouldn't bother them at all. Just don't syphon it all out as the pods eggs are in there.

atoll · Jul 10, 2022

Salt bucket culturing marine copepods.

as well as having 2 largish plastic containers to culture pods I also have this salt bucket one. This is set up exactly as my others using a banana skin and ...

youtube.com

Garf · Jul 16, 2022

Thought I’d keep my eye on ammonia on this culture by dipping an ammonia alert in and letting it sit (I’ve been changing this jug daily to monitor). My previous bubble lamp (with a tiny algae scrubber) culture suffered critically high ammonia levels ultimately. Early days but this one is good so far;