Looking for Live Food - Pods

shiveley · #1 05/03/2007, 09:22 PM

Does anyone know where I can get some live Tigger Pods in the Sac Area? I need to replenish the pod population in one of my tanks...and soon.

funman1 · #2 05/03/2007, 09:27 PM

CRS usually has them, and so does Exotic (Although they seem to keep them in the fridge LIVE!?!?!)

GreshamH · #3 05/04/2007, 02:09 AM

We suggest they keep them in the fridge as it slows their metabolism

I've froze them and brought them back

Very hardy animals. Have to be if you've seen thier environment

MrMikeB · #4 05/04/2007, 02:45 AM

Wow, frozen?! I would have thought they'd explode if they were frozen given their makeup? Cryogenically preserved pods...

GreshamH · #5 05/04/2007, 12:57 PM

Well, I froze the bottle. I supect they had a little pocket of extra salty water around them

Most came back though.

I had read a paper about it, so I had to see how it worked. Far too much DOA/DAA though, more then the paper that's for sure.

shiveley · #6 05/04/2007, 03:58 PM

man, those things are expensive, aren't they. I saw them at Exotic today, but it appears as though a significant quantity of them were no longer "live"... maybe they were just sleeping.

Paliya · #7 05/04/2007, 04:31 PM

shiveley,

I don't think that their shelf-life is super long in the fridge. At times Exotic has bottles that are active. Every pod swimming around... then there are times when a significant portion of them seem dead and lying on the bottom of the jar. I've bought a bottle when the pods were laying on the bottom (I thought they were hibernating). But after 24 hours of letting the bottle sit at room temp with the lid off (and 2 drops of DT's phyto), the ones on the bottom were still not moving. I'm 90% sure they were dead.

I think the trick is to keep checking back. Eventually you'll see them restocked with very active, live bottles of tigger pods. That's when you gotta stock up

It's a great product and it keeps my spotted dragonet fat & happy!

If anyone ever organizes a group by, they can count me in for a couple of bottles.

-Pat

Izsabelle · #8 05/04/2007, 06:40 PM

Seahorsesource.com sells 2000 tisbe pods for 49.95 and 400 for 14.95.

I might be interested in sharing the shipping costs for 2 day delivery.

MrMikeB · #9 05/04/2007, 06:55 PM

I think on of our own sells pods (miracles38). You might want to check with her to see what she can do for you.

shiveley · #10 05/04/2007, 07:09 PM

I thought kim did phyto? Hmm, either way, I'd be interested in splitting the shipping costs with someone if they were interested in ordering some as well. Wacky Gold-Faced Sleeper Gobies strip-mined my prop tank...not a pod to be seen. I need to replenish it before my gorgs starve.

MrMikeB · #11 05/04/2007, 07:11 PM

You might be right about what Kim is selling... I could be confusing everyone, and myself.

Izsabelle · #12 05/04/2007, 07:35 PM

Shiveley, I am interested in getting the pods from Seahorsesource.com. If you are interested in placing a order, lmk.

shiveley · #13 05/05/2007, 12:03 AM

Well, we have a couple of choices. I noticed that some other people did a group buy for Tigger Pods directly from Reed and got a decent (but not great) deal. So we could go that route as well, or we can try and get a group discount from Seahorsesource.com and see what they can do for us. What would be your preference? And, is there anyone else that would be interested in doing something like this?

Tigger pods-Some of the Greenville boys recently did a group buy on some Tigger pods from Reed mariculture, so I thought I'd review them here.

The pods came very well packaged in a styrofoam box with package peanuts and cold packs. I paid for 2nd day shipping but got next day at no extra charge!!

The pods, as they claim, are HUGE!! definitely the biggest copepods I've ever seen. they'll give small amphipods a run for their money! they were very active when I received them, and I even stored them in the fridge for a few days for a fellow reefer with very little die-off.

The normal price is $20 + shipping for a 6 oz. bottle (with around 500 pods, I believe), but if you order 4 or more bottles (which we did) they're $15/bottle and, IMO, worth every penny.

My pod population increased dramatically--with both the large tigger pods and my smaller pod population did eventually increase as well. Before I harvest any cheato, it is literally crawling with both kinds of pods. The tigger pods are huge--even bigger than the ones in the bottle. They almost look like a mysis shrimp.

duec22 · #14 05/05/2007, 12:17 AM

I've gotten bottles of them several times. I've keep them in my fridge for over three weeks with them still comeing back to life when brought back to room temp with maybe only a 20% die off, but I did let them warm up and feed a couple times.

Paliya · #15 05/05/2007, 12:53 AM

I would vote for a tigger pod group buy - but I'm in for either.

-Pat

kevin95695 · #16 05/05/2007, 01:08 AM

Ding. I'm in.

Is it just me or are there a lot of group buys afoot lately...??? What's next? Can we group buy killowatt hours?

shiveley · #17 05/11/2007, 06:26 PM

It has recently come to my attention that one of our illustrious members does in fact propagate and sell pods locally.

She is currently raising two separate types: the larger tigger type pods and another smaller variety of white pods.

These are normally sold by the bottle, which should contain between 50-100 pods each.

I think that it would make much more sense to buy locally then to place an order with some distant online company with exorbitant shipping fees. If anyone is interested I think that she would be able to begin fulfilling orders within the next couple of weeks.

I'm definitely planning on picking some up (I NEED PODS), so if you would be interested in getting some as well, please post your request under this topic heading and she will get back to you with the details.

And remember, the "Buy Local" slogan doesn't just apply to farmers...

dots · #18 05/11/2007, 07:22 PM

I am sold on the tigger pods at the moment. I was doing some midnight recon on the tank recently and noticed some odd free swimming "bugs" going for the moonlit areas of the surface water while the pumps were off......after some thought this is the first time I have seen these buggers before and believe it is due to the two bottles of the tigger pods that I put in a few months ago and have managed to breed and propogate in the system.

GreshamH · #19 05/12/2007, 04:32 AM

~120 miles is distant? We're just over in the Bay Area

GreshamH · #20 05/12/2007, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paliya
shiveley,

I don't think that their shelf-life is super long in the fridge. At times Exotic has bottles that are active. Every pod swimming around... then there are times when a significant portion of them seem dead and lying on the bottom of the jar. I've bought a bottle when the pods were laying on the bottom (I thought they were hibernating). But after 24 hours of letting the bottle sit at room temp with the lid off (and 2 drops of DT's phyto), the ones on the bottom were still not moving. I'm 90% sure they were dead.

-Pat

We had some problems with a couple batches in the last few months that didn't last that long. We figured out what had happenned though and corrected it. It was a very simple error that had a even simpler solution

Tigger-Pods last far longer in cooler temps, refriderators included. As I stated above, it slows down their metabolism. Typically the die off people see is due to old age in the adults. Adults are only ~half of what is in the bottle usually and by the time the die off typically the adult females have all ready released multiple broods. If they can mate physically, they will. They just live to eat and breed

If yours was 90% dead, drop me a PM and I will get you another

Izsabelle · #21 05/12/2007, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by shiveley
It has recently come to my attention that one of our illustrious members does in fact propagate and sell pods locally.

She is currently raising two separate types: the larger tigger type pods and another smaller variety of white pods.

These are normally sold by the bottle, which should contain between 50-100 pods each.

I think that it would make much more sense to buy locally then to place an order with some distant online company with exorbitant shipping fees. If anyone is interested I think that she would be able to begin fulfilling orders within the next couple of weeks.

I'm definitely planning on picking some up (I NEED PODS), so if you would be interested in getting some as well, please post your request under this topic heading and she will get back to you with the details.

And remember, the "Buy Local" slogan doesn't just apply to farmers...

Please PM me with the details!

Thanks!

TeeLapia · #22 05/12/2007, 11:38 AM

Who is the local supplier? I am interested. I was about to make an order at tiggerpod.com, but if I can get my hands on some right now and throw them in my sump that would work better!

fishsoldseprtly · #23 05/12/2007, 01:17 PM

I am in for a group buy as well.
I would rather pay the $20 and shipping for the 500 LARGER pods.

Paliya · #24 05/12/2007, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GreshamH
We had some problems with a couple batches in the last few months that didn't last that long. We figured out what had happenned though and corrected it. It was a very simple error that had a even simpler solution

Tigger-Pods last far longer in cooler temps, refriderators included. As I stated above, it slows down their metabolism. Typically the die off people see is due to old age in the adults. Adults are only ~half of what is in the bottle usually and by the time the die off typically the adult females have all ready released multiple broods. If they can mate physically, they will. They just live to eat and breed

If yours was 90% dead, drop me a PM and I will get you another

Gresh - I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't feel right taking you up on it. I would say closer to 50% were dead in one of my bottles, but I don't think it was due to an error on your part at all. I was assuming they were in the fridge for too long

What I meant in my post was that I was 90% sure that the pods laying on the bottom were dead, instead of hibernating.

I hope I did not imply anything negative about your product in my post. I love the tigger pods. Everytime I go to Exotic or CRS I check for them

If there's a group buy for them, I'll be part of it.

Best regards,
-Pat

shiveley · #25 05/15/2007, 11:40 AM

I don't think that a Group Buy on Tigger Pods is going to happen. They have specific purchasing requirements regarding these types of situations which would require more coordination and planning then I, for one, would care to pursue. Maybe someone else, with more clout in the Club, can proceed with this. I think that I'm just going to go with our local source and buy home-grown...

The following proposition is a great deal, and good for the club as well; I just don't think that I can make it happen.

From Gresh at Reed Mariculture:

I now only do group buys thru club sanctioned group buys. The club must be a current MASNA member and has to put the order in 1 month in advance so that we don't short any of our dealers. 20% off MSRP, free shipping and a 10% of the final invoice is donated back to the club.

If you want to proceed with this, have a MARS BOD member contact me at gresham@reefnutrition.com and we'll go from there. I can probably work around the month advance notice, but I can not work around any of the other details.