Pod Propagation Tank

[SoloChromis]

My upcoming 60g cube is going to be home to a host of pod munchers (leopard wrasse, ruby red dragonet, marine betta etc.) and although I won't be purchasing any fish that don't have a hardy appetite for prepared food, I still think it'd benefit the fish to have a good, consistent population of pods to snack on throughout the day, as it's a staple of many of the fishes' natural diet. Because of the tight dimensions of the tank (2'x2') I won't be able to incorporate a refugium on this build, and after considering my options for a while I came up with the idea to dedicate a 10g tank I have laying around to breeding pods that I can then toss into the 60g whenever I feel it could use a boost. As far as equipment I'm thinking...

* 10g tank
* Aqueon HOB filter
* 10 lbs of live sand
* BRS rubble rock

... Simple as can be (for now anyways :rolleyes:). No lighting, and the occasional feeding of phytoplankton or reef chili should do the trick. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys :beer:

[ichthyogeek]

Hmm...won't the betta eat the dragonet? From what I've read, marine bettas (Calloplesiops altivelis, right?) get big, and can eat smaller fish. Also, I thought that marine bettas liked larger plankton rather than pods?

You may wish to read the "Don't purchase a mandarin" sticky, as it's pretty useful for dragonets of any kind.

The setup sounds good. I'd suggest getting a cheap heater set to 80F to boost production rates. Are you trying to grow amphipods? or harpacticoid copepods?

[Devaji108]

I have been doing alot of research on this very topic...
some ppl have success some dont...
from what i have read ppl use a air pump to keep the water in motion.
no need for lights
tisbe and tiger pods seen to be what ppl are growing.
that a lot of pod eaters. I think you would need a very large pod population. guessing you would need to add pod daily.

+1 on reading through the mandarin sticky.
plz keep us posted on your pod farm.

[Genera]

I wouldn't get a HOB filter, I'd use a sponge filter. The pods would get sucked up into the HOB and either get crushed or stuck. Also try putting some ulva lettuce and chaeto in there next to a window or put a light on it. Amphipods LOVE ulva and copepods LOVE chaetomorpha. When it needs some pruning, there's nothing wrong with a few extra bucks of LFS credit.

Here is what I have on my pod culture tank, nothing too fancy.
•10 gallon tank + lid
•Sponge filter with an air pump/airline/check valve/airline suction cups
•Heater set to 80°F
•Clamp light (similar to the kind used for reptiles) with a full spectrum/grow bulb (replaced when needed)
•Ulva and Chaetomorpha
•A piece of live rock
•Feeding crushed flakes and phytoplankton 3x a week that I also culture (I can explain this too if you'd like)
•Can't forget water and salt

[SoloChromis]

Hmm...won't the betta eat the dragonet? From what I've read, marine bettas (Calloplesiops altivelis, right?) get big, and can eat smaller fish. Also, I thought that marine bettas liked larger plankton rather than pods?

You may wish to read the "Don't purchase a mandarin" sticky, as it's pretty useful for dragonets of any kind.

The setup sounds good. I'd suggest getting a cheap heater set to 80F to boost production rates. Are you trying to grow amphipods? or harpacticoid copepods?

Nah, I have yet to find any first hand evidence, or experiences from people that marine bettas are active predators of small fish. Really, they're nothing more than an overgrown assessor, so I would imagine only the tiniest of fish (i.e. trimma gobies) would be on the menu. I would only purchase the ruby red if I witnessed him eating frozen, and even then I may pass on it. I think dragonets should really only ever be taken home if your tank is large and mature enough to provide a healthy and bountiful culture of pods for him to snack on, even if he *is* taking prepared foods, as I think some fish just aren't made to survive off of 1-2 feedings a day. For these reasons, and for the fact that I plan to keep basslets, wrasses, and the betta, I've been going back and forth on whether or not it'd be right for me to get a dragonet of any kind, but we'll see, and I'm still burying myself in research about the subject. Thanks for the tip about the temp too, I hadn't thought about that :beer:

[Devaji108]

yeah let us know how it goes...

[Devaji108]

I wouldn't get a HOB filter, I'd use a sponge filter. The pods would get sucked up into the HOB and either get crushed or stuck. Also try putting some ulva lettuce and chaeto in there next to a window or put a light on it. Amphipods LOVE ulva and copepods LOVE chaetomorpha. When it needs some pruning, there's nothing wrong with a few extra bucks of LFS credit.

Here is what I have on my pod culture tank, nothing too fancy.
•10 gallon tank + lid
•Sponge filter with an air pump/airline/check valve/airline suction cups
•Heater set to 80°F
•Clamp light (similar to the kind used for reptiles) with a full spectrum/grow bulb (replaced when needed)
•Ulva and Chaetomorpha
•A piece of live rock
•Feeding crushed flakes and phytoplankton 3x a week that I also culture (I can explain this too if you'd like)
•Can't forget water and salt

how often do you restock your DT from your pod farm?
how much % do you take out to add your DT at a time?
is the Pod farm a on going farm or do you restart it with each time you add to the DT?
how long does it take for each "batch"?

thanks I would really love to see a vid ot photos of your setup as I am VERY interested in this!

[joyce322]

How do you get the pods out to put in display tank?

[ViktorVaughn]

My set up is very simple and quite productive. Simply a 10 gallon tank half filled with a light green tea colored water and phyto mixture and 2 airlines at opposite ends of the tank putting off about 2 bubbles a second. No need for a heater, light, or HOB filter. You don't really even need live rock or anything. Usually within 3-4 weeks of setting up you should see the numbers grow and can start harvesting. I bought a 53 micron sieve from brine shrimp direct on eBay and it works great. I just use a turkey baster to suck out the pods and put into the sieve which is in a container to collect the culture water. After the sieve has a good number of pods on it I just turn it upside down over my DT or sump and use DT water to wash them out.

[SoloChromis]

How do you get the pods out to put in display tank?

Just pull out chunks of live rock out of the pod farm every so often and toss it into the display :beer:

[hotelbravo]

a marine betta owner here wondering why the heck a marine betta is on your list for a pod tank. they are not going to care about your pods nor will it eat the dragonet like the other guy stated. mine eats large chunks of chopped squid and shrimp that are damm near bigger than its own head. its mouth is surprisingly large. most people who get marine bettas will tell you they are generally safe with fish but you can get one who wants to eat fish. most will be predatory towards shrimp but mine has yet to show any signs of interest in my shrimp. instead it will carry hermit crabs in its mouth for a while then spit them out

[Devaji108]

My set up is very simple and quite productive. Simply a 10 gallon tank half filled with a light green tea colored water and phyto mixture and 2 airlines at opposite ends of the tank putting off about 2 bubbles a second. No need for a heater, light, or HOB filter. You don't really even need live rock or anything. Usually within 3-4 weeks of setting up you should see the numbers grow and can start harvesting. I bought a 53 micron sieve from brine shrimp direct on eBay and it works great. I just use a turkey baster to suck out the pods and put into the sieve which is in a container to collect the culture water. After the sieve has a good number of pods on it I just turn it upside down over my DT or sump and use DT water to wash them out.

yeah that is what I plan on doing. but just to clarify the tea green water is from your phyto yes?
I have read some ppl dont even add phyto just flaked food. have you tryed this method?

[ViktorVaughn]

Yeah the light green tint to the water is from the phyto and no I haven't used flake, all the articles and literature I read always mentioned phytoplankton as a good food source so I went with it.

Here's the article I found to be the most helpful, my tank is pretty much the same other than a lighter tint to my water. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/2/breeder

[Devaji108]

ah thanks for the link i did't see that one. yup that what I plan to do.
seed the tank a few times then get a Mandarin and keep it going...

[Genera]

how often do you restock your DT from your pod farm?
how much % do you take out to add your DT at a time?
is the Pod farm a on going farm or do you restart it with each time you add to the DT?
how long does it take for each "batch"?

thanks I would really love to see a vid ot photos of your setup as I am VERY interested in this!

I take out 10% every week or so and put them in the fuge at night when all the fish are asleep. My camera is still in the repair place, once I get it back, I'll post a few pics. I can see if I can get any good ones with my galaxy s3, but its camera is pretty bad IMO. I'm planning to upgrade to a small plastic tote for more pods, and maybe increase the amount I take out. I kinda spoil my pods lol. They get macroalgae, heat, rocks and a light.

[Devaji108]

nice! well I look forward to the pics I really hope I can get down a stytem that works for me as I really REALLY want a mandarin...my all time fav. fish.

I have the S4 and i think it takes pretty good pic for a cell phone...