How to Acclimate Your Pods by greg.chernoffParticularly for animals that live in water, acclimating from one environment to another–even if quite similar physically and chemically–can present serious stress. Yes, “pods” (copepods, amphipods, etc.), are known to be incredibly resilient and adaptable. Indeed, the tidepool-dwelling harpacticoid copepod Tigriopus californicus is regarded as one of THE toughest of all invertebrate species. All that said, pods too benefit considerably from acclimation. Allowing a slow steady physiological adjustment to the new surroundings can greatly increase survivorship during the introduction. This is particularly important when attempting to seed a system with pods. Reducing stress in this way might also increase fertility and fecundity, thereby accelerating the pace at which the population increases. Acclimation techniques for pods differ a bit from those applied to fish or inverts. Featuring copepods of all life stages, products such as 5280 Pods contain individuals so small (i.e. the young, miniscule, nauplii) that there is no practical way to separate them from the shipping water. As a consequence, this water is all added to the system–eventually. Generally speaking, when utilizing a drip acclimation system and drip counter, two or three drips per second is usually more than sufficient water flow. Still seem like overkill for pods? Satisfied that the tank will almost certainly become seeded since a few individuals are bound to survive no matter how roughly treated? Consider that the large females (especially those bearing eggs) are the most valuable as seed stock. At the same time, their larger size makes them much more susceptible to predation. Why? Because they simply are easier to see! And just subsequent to being added to a new tank, they usually are somewhat disoriented, which makes them yet more prone to an opportunistic predator. What to do? Just introduce the pods into the tank after lights-out. Not only are most fish less active around this time but they also have a very difficult time seeing the pods. By morning time, the new pods will have had sufficient time to recover and hide. Adding your pods directly to the refugium (if present) can additionally help to limit predation losses long after acclimation. The following may be suggested when seeding pods: Check the contents of the package to ensure the copepods are there and moving; copepods are easier for some people to see than others. Open the package and gently pour contents into a spacious container (e.g. 5-gal bucket). Allow culture to breathe for 5 to 10 minutes. Deploy drip acclimation system OR begin adding small amounts of tank water (approximately ¼ cup) in 5-10 minute increments until shipping water has been diluted by a factor of 4-5x. Gently pour the contents of the bucket into the refugium or sump. With just a little bit of care during acclimation, plus regular feedings of a quality live phytoplankton such as OceanMagik, you should have an abundance of fat, juicy pods in your reef.
Shaun Small says February 4, 2020 at 11:27 am I hope I really win some of these free pods. If I do, i am going to follow these directions 100%. The last batch of pods I bought,I was unaware that pods need acclimation too. Reply
chrisacraven says September 27, 2021 at 7:29 pm I did research and I even still missed this, acclimate pods seemed unnecessary. Big mistake, now I am waiting for payday to get new pods and backup pod tanks running so I have emergency pods Incase of a crash Reply
Frank lessary says February 7, 2020 at 8:01 am i hope i win more pods don’t think I did it Wright Reply
Blake Angers says February 12, 2020 at 5:00 pm I’ll be receiving my pods any time now. I’m glad I read this information on proper aclimation before introducing them into my refugium. Reply
Randolph Anderson says February 24, 2020 at 3:15 pm Wow. This was something I didnt know. Guess this is why mine didnt survive. Reply
Maël says March 29, 2020 at 2:56 pm Very interesting. I’m fench and i would like to add some pods in my future tank. I think you can’t deliver to France ? Reply
Dustin says April 19, 2020 at 7:09 pm Just ordered some pods and brine these acclamation directions will help tremendously thanks Reply
Luis Gonzalez says May 17, 2020 at 10:07 pm It’s easy to overlook these steps since they are small. First thought is its fish food and just dump and go. Great information and eye opener to the fact that hou could save them and have a seed affect in the system. Reply
ps23lm says May 23, 2020 at 6:17 pm I will wait about a hour after lights are off to put the pods in, right now they are in a bucket I am adding a little tank water to about every 10 minutes Reply
Janice Ohearn says September 13, 2020 at 4:12 pm I didn’t realize this either. How about putting acclimation instructions in shipment? Probably would save a lot of lives. Thanks for the info. ? Reply
jeffanddeannawilliams says September 16, 2020 at 9:44 pm So excited about adding my copepod’s tonight for my new mandarin goby. I’m hoping to get them seeded quickly for a thriving mixed coral reef tank! Thanks, D Reply
pumas0511 says June 18, 2021 at 4:50 pm Great information. I just got my order of the EcoPods from here. Thanks @Algaebarn #Algaebarn. Reply
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