Pod diet

[Madonia]

What do pods eat aside from phytoplankton?

I dose phyto when I remember to do so, but it’s not consistent (maybe 1-2x/week) and I can see myself stopping it all together in the future due to cost/laziness. But I still want to ensure a healthy pod population. Is this possible without regularly dosing phyto? I know they eat detritus but many big time phyto companies (like algae barn) make it seem like phyto is the only option when wanting to sustain a pod population in the tank!! I don’t really buy it!!!!

 

[Reef.]

Nitrate based plant food.

 

[Madonia]

Nitrate based plant food.

Example?

 

[Madonia]

Heard they like reef roids lol

 

[Reef.]

Example?

organic is probably safest, seaweed based plant food is a good one, or your skimmate can be used too.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Let's see....I think sbash tosses in a bit of spirulina powder to feed the pods, although given how small that stuff is, it's basically like dry phyto powder.

There's also the various microalgaes taht grow on the surfaces of the tank (i.e. biofilms). Pods will graze on it, but they aren't goign to explode in population if you do that.

In general, I think that phyto is probably the best source for feeding to your tank as long as you don't have something like a skimmer to suck out the phyto as soon as you put it into the tank (or alternatively turn the skimmer off for periods of time to allow grazing). Dried algae feeds like spirulina powder would come second best, and after that fish food (yes they will eventually eat fish food if you give them long enough) and then detritus.

Is the part about you not really buying the whole "pods eat phyto" bit because of any biases? Like, A5 wagyu ribeye is ridiculously expensive, and a cheapskate like me might say "I don't buy that this is the superior version of beef" because they don't want to shell out the money for said steak.

 

[Jilly92]

Detritus

 

[Madonia]

Let's see....I think sbash tosses in a bit of spirulina powder to feed the pods, although given how small that stuff is, it's basically like dry phyto powder.

There's also the various microalgaes taht grow on the surfaces of the tank (i.e. biofilms). Pods will graze on it, but they aren't goign to explode in population if you do that.

In general, I think that phyto is probably the best source for feeding to your tank as long as you don't have something like a skimmer to suck out the phyto as soon as you put it into the tank (or alternatively turn the skimmer off for periods of time to allow grazing). Dried algae feeds like spirulina powder would come second best, and after that fish food (yes they will eventually eat fish food if you give them long enough) and then detritus.

Is the part about you not really buying the whole "pods eat phyto" bit because of any biases? Like, A5 wagyu ribeye is ridiculously expensive, and a cheapskate like me might say "I don't buy that this is the superior version of beef" because they don't want to shell out the money for said steak.

Lol I do believe they eat the phyto but I’m wondering how optimal it truly is for the pods vs. how much of a marketing scheme the companies are employing to buy their product. Buying phyto isn’t so much the issue with me- I’ve bought much more expensive stuff on a regular basis because for certain products- there are NO alternatives (example: good power heads, return pumps, and lighting). But if there is a good alternative to an exploding pod population that’s easy to dose then I am all game. It’s annoying dosing phyto daily and it is definitely not cheap. And I don’t want to start a phyto culture.

 

[afboundguy]

I've used dry spirulina powder mixed with RO to feed my pod cultures. It works best in a pinch but if you use it too much it fouls the water... I've also read that people use their skimmate to feed cultures. I currently don't have a skimmer but I purchased one for the new tank build and plan on using that often to see the results since it's free and readily available!!!

 

[KC's CNC Creations]

Lol I do believe they eat the phyto but I’m wondering how optimal it truly is for the pods vs. how much of a marketing scheme the companies are employing to buy their product.

it's not marketing hype, and they are VERY conservative in their recommended dosing most of the time. taking a tank that has a minimal pod population and daily dosing live phytoplankton in a sufficient amount will cause a boom in pod population in a very short time. in less then a week your glass will be compleatly covered in pods. i have always cultured my own so i can't speak for the 'store bought' brands, but i really don't see it being any less effective as long as it's a quality live phyto.

 

[Crevalle]

Spirulina, algae pastes, and flake food can be used. Some will eat macro algae in a refugium too.