Dumb Question - What are pods?

BongoSolo3 · 11/13/2007, 08:26 AM

I'm reading all about growing pods in a refugium and feeding them to livestock... The is probably a really stupid question, but what exactly are they? How does one 'grow them'??

steri · 11/13/2007, 08:39 AM

Thta's not a dumb question, especially for a beginner like yourself.

First and foremost:

To Reef Central

2ndly: Pods. They are like small bugs in your tank. Some look like bugs, some look like small shrimp like things. They come in a variety of looks. There are copepods, amphipods, ect. They are good for all tanks, Fish only and reefs. They eat detrius (poop and other waste in the tank) and they are a natural food source for marine life. Mostly they hide during the day light hours (because they don't want to be eaten

). Usually as soon as my lights go out, within about 10 minutes or so, I see the little guys moving all over my live rock and swimming in the water. You would be amazed how many of them end up in a tank, considering you can't see them during the day (most of the time).

Most people like to put them in their sump because it's a safe place for them to breed naturally. Here is some more info on them with pics and what not. Just click on a pic for more detailed info on each type of pod.

http://melevsreef.com/id/pods.html

Now, for some species of fish, such as mandarians, they require a diet almost exclusively of pods to survive in a home tank (most of the time). So if you ever consider something like a madarian, make sure you give your tank ample time to build up a significant amount of pods in the tank.

steri · 11/13/2007, 08:49 AM

Oh, and you asked how to grow pods. Most people breed them simply by giving them a space where they can get together and not be eaten quickly (such as a sump or a refugium). Some people place things such as straws in their main tank to give pods a safe place to reproduce in the main display. Personally I don't do that, but I know some that have. Honestly if you have live rock in your tank, more then likely you have caves in that liverock (either main made or tunnels within the rock itself). My thought is that those places provide a more then adequate space for pods to breed.

BongoSolo3 · 11/13/2007, 08:55 AM

I see. So, do you actually purchase a bunch and throw them into the fuge?

blackheart · 11/13/2007, 09:14 AM

They will usually come on the live rock but you can supliment your system with them if you would like.

WaterKeeper · 11/13/2007, 10:52 AM

If you know any reefkeepers with an established tank then you can probably get some from them. Here is a bit more about them You Can't Tell Your Pods Without a Program and see Ron Shimek's articles in [rk] to get some in depth info on the various types. He wrote about the different types at length.

BTW- That linked article I gave you was aimed at me who frequently called them "pods" in my postings.

11/13/2007, 08:26 AM	#1
BongoSolo3 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 112	Dumb Question - What are pods? I'm reading all about growing pods in a refugium and feeding them to livestock... The is probably a really stupid question, but what exactly are they? How does one 'grow them'??

11/13/2007, 08:39 AM	#2
steri Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Aurora, IL. Posts: 2,361	Thta's not a dumb question, especially for a beginner like yourself. First and foremost: *To Reef Central* 2ndly: Pods. They are like small bugs in your tank. Some look like bugs, some look like small shrimp like things. They come in a variety of looks. There are copepods, amphipods, ect. They are good for all tanks, Fish only and reefs. They eat detrius (poop and other waste in the tank) and they are a natural food source for marine life. Mostly they hide during the day light hours (because they don't want to be eaten ). Usually as soon as my lights go out, within about 10 minutes or so, I see the little guys moving all over my live rock and swimming in the water. You would be amazed how many of them end up in a tank, considering you can't see them during the day (most of the time). Most people like to put them in their sump because it's a safe place for them to breed naturally. Here is some more info on them with pics and what not. Just click on a pic for more detailed info on each type of pod. http://melevsreef.com/id/pods.html Now, for some species of fish, such as mandarians, they require a diet almost exclusively of pods to survive in a home tank (most of the time). So if you ever consider something like a madarian, make sure you give your tank ample time to build up a significant amount of pods in the tank. __________________ 220g: French Angel, Emperor Angel, Passer Anger, Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Snowflake Moray Eel, Lunar Wrasse Current Tank Info: 220 with T5HO lighting. ETSS skimmer.

11/13/2007, 08:49 AM	#3
steri Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Aurora, IL. Posts: 2,361	Oh, and you asked how to grow pods. Most people breed them simply by giving them a space where they can get together and not be eaten quickly (such as a sump or a refugium). Some people place things such as straws in their main tank to give pods a safe place to reproduce in the main display. Personally I don't do that, but I know some that have. Honestly if you have live rock in your tank, more then likely you have caves in that liverock (either main made or tunnels within the rock itself). My thought is that those places provide a more then adequate space for pods to breed. __________________ 220g: French Angel, Emperor Angel, Passer Anger, Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Snowflake Moray Eel, Lunar Wrasse Current Tank Info: 220 with T5HO lighting. ETSS skimmer.

11/13/2007, 09:14 AM	#5
blackheart Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Daytona Beach Posts: 892	They will usually come on the live rock but you can supliment your system with them if you would like. __________________ I have been cycling my tank for a month now with 75lbs of live rock when do I add the salt???? click the red house to see pics of my old tank....the better pics are at the bottom :D Current Tank Info: Back to the drawing board!!

11/13/2007, 10:52 AM	#6
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	If you know any reefkeepers with an established tank then you can probably get some from them. Here is a bit more about them You Can't Tell Your Pods Without a Program and see Ron Shimek's articles in [rk] to get some in depth info on the various types. He wrote about the different types at length. BTW- That linked article I gave you was aimed at me who frequently called them "pods" in my postings. __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

11/13/2007, 08:55 AM	#4
BongoSolo3 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 112	I see. So, do you actually purchase a bunch and throw them into the fuge?