DIY Pod Condos

[aka_BigRed]

I have a Mandarin Dragonet and I was building some pod piles of live-rock rubble when I was thinking. It would be nice if these piles were easier to move (for cleaning maintenance, etc). Then I decided to make mobile Pod Condos - You can move them around your tank, easily and still provide a sanctuary for pod population to reproduce within. It also allows you to make a couple and rotate them between your display tank, and another pod-rich environment such as a refugium to increase the number of little pod tenants.

They are very simple and cheap to make:

• Materials
  
• Gutter Guard - Sold at Menards/Lowes/HD in about 20' rolls for a few bucks
• 10 or so zip-ties (smaller are better IMO)
• Some live rock rubble

Step 1 - Make the body
Cut about 1 foot of gutter guard and roll it into a cylinder. You could actually make them any size you like but this size worked well in my tank - adjust as you like. Overlap about 3 squares on the end. Use zip ties and secure the overlapped layers every couple squares using the middle row of full squares for best strength.



Step 2 - Put on the bottom
Next cut a smaller piece of gutter guard that is large enough to cover the end of the tube with a couple squares of over hang. Position the bottom on the body so that you get good matching of the full squares of the body edge with the top. It's hard to see in the pics, but you want to zip tie anchor using full, uncut squares. Again, zip tie every couple squares


Step 3 - Trim the bottom
Trim the bottom to fit the tube body with a scissors - being careful not to cut the anchor squares so that it compromises the bottom's structural integrity. Here it is pre and post trimmed:



Step 4 - Fill'er Up with rubble
Now you're ready to fill it up with LR rubble, etc. This is the habitat for your pods, so I tried to fill mine up nice and dense so they have more space to run around, hide, lay eggs, etc. You may have to do some puzzle work to maximize the fill, but do it to your liking. Don't fill it completely to the top only go about 80% full - leaving about 1 1/2 inch or so unfilled. This will allow you to pinch the two sides together an close the top to keep the rubble from falling out.


Step 5 - Close the top
Now pinch the top together and use a couple zip ties to close it. I found it best to put the body seam perpendicular to the top pinch line so it looks nice and isn't as hard on the side seam.


That's all there is. As I said, now you have mobile Pod breeding grounds. You could also loan them out to others to plop in their sump/fuge for a couple weeks to cross-populate your tank with pod species from their system, etc.

[BeanAnimal]

Nice work and nice photos. I am sure people will find this very useful.

[TekCat]

An ingenius idea!!!!

[thatguy]

That's a great idea. This will be much better that my stacks of rubble. I also like the idea of cross-population of pods.

[Aqua Keepers]

These would be great for those who runn BB with little LR in the display. You could hang these in the sump.

[rustybucket145]

Gutter Guard Strikes Again!!! This stuff is almost as good as Duct Tape!!!

This would work really good if you had a friend starting a tank. Just let him use your Rubble Guard 5000 to seed his tank with critters and then give it back to you!! Or for the LFS to give away for free to people purchasing setups from them.

[Steverino]

FYI, WalMart sells sheets of stiff plastic net, similar to this gutter guard but smaller holes. It is in the Craft or sewing section. I used it to create a hang-in-tank box for injured fish. I think it is about $2 for 3 sheets that are 8" x 12". Comes in white, maybe purple too. Good for keeping out some of the fish and snails, but big enough holes for pods.

[rustybucket145]

I paid $2 for like 100' of gutter guard. I only used a 4"x4" square so I have a ton of this stuff left over. Probably gonna make a few tonight.

[aka_BigRed]

Originally posted by rustybucket145
Gutter Guard Strikes Again!!! This stuff is almost as good as Duct Tape!!!

I have to agree, the stuff's great. For as many places as I've managed to use it, I'm kind of surprised it took me so long to come up with this. I'd think it would be useful for people raising fry as well as a hideout for the little ones.

[Aqua Keepers]

I've seen those national sand trades. Now we can do national pod condo trades.

[niko5]

Thats neat!! Right now I have rubble piled up on egg crate in my refuge but I may take that out and hang in several of these thats a cool idea!!!

[Kentanner11]

Cool can you buy GG at HD?

[hahnmeister]

Thats pretty cool... the rubble no longer has the problem of being a detritus trap cuz you can just shake it out. Sweet.

[George Grogan]

Great idea!!

I'll be building a few of these myself!

[aka_BigRed]

Yeah, I love them. Truly one of my better ideas! I see my mandarin hunting around them all the time. I think she's learned that there's always good pickin's near them

BTW, Kentanner11 - Home Depot/Lowes should both sell gutter guard.

[niko5]

Love them! i have them hanging everywhere haha. I got my GG at lowes home depot dident stock in houston.

[MeuserReef]

Originally posted by rustybucket145
Or for the LFS to give away for free.......

LOL

[sac-bobme]

It also looks like a LR bag for a filter ....

[ashrem]

off to HD i go

[ashrem]

Dang it HD dont carry plastic gutter guard around here!

[Steven0000]

im going to go to HD too!

for some reason i don't think they will have it
they never have anything i need

great idea though!
im going to make mine a complete cylinder

[ReefForBrains]

Now EVERYONE will have a roll minus 2 ft cut out of it.

We are all too cheap to throw anything away for fear it will come in handy for the next build. Thia is how fish rooms happen.

[sfilingeri]

Looks good!!!!

[SirSmapty]

Awesome idea. Time to hit up the local clubs and do a Pod sleep over system, and we can all seed everyones tanks

[mypurpletang]

Really good idea.