AlgaGen was on hand this weekend at ReefStock and we got the scoop on their newest product, the AlgaGen Apocyclops PODS. AlgaGen PODS contain a mix of live aquacultured copepods, microalgaes and purified seawater, and the PODS mix is used to seed your tank with a culture of live copepods.
The 80z bags are filled with living Apocyclopes copepods which can be added to your tank to create a community of live zooplankton. If you shine a light on the clear package you can actually see all the PODS swimming around in the bag.
Copepods make up a big part of all marine zooplankton, and are at the base of the oceanic food chain. We really like the idea of having an active zooplankton population in our aquarium so that our corals and fish are eating live food as opposed to all frozen or flaked food.
Copepods will grow naturally in your saltwater aquarium, however adding the Apocyclopes PODS will help boost your tanks population. Apocyclops will last for 2-3 months in a bottle and should be stored at room temperature (between 75-80F). AlgaGen also offers six different types of zooplankton starter cultures for use in marine aquariums.
AlgaGen was also showing off their Tisbe PODS which they call a mini refugium starter kit, as the Tisbe bag contains a live culture of Tisbe copepods and also a small ball of chaetomorpha algae. The Tisbe PODS are opportunistic feeders and when establish in your tank will consuming uneaten food and fish waste as well as phytoplankton in the tank and refugium.
Adult Tisbe PODS will many produce eggs during their life span which hatch into nauplii. When these juvenile pods enter the water column they become food for filter feeding reef inhabitants, and both adults and juveniles are a nutritious food source for pipefish, seahorse fry, mandarin fish and other dragonets.
