Guides / Information

Guides / Information

Guides / Information

Receiving

When Receiving Pods:

When you receive your shipment of pods first take them out of their packaging and give them a quick look over. 

Once ensuring there is no issue due to shipping, make sure to pop the cap/remove the cap to allow the bottle to get fresh air. You are welcome to even blow in the bottle to allow for air exchange. 

It is best to add the pods either 1 hour before the lights turn on or 1 hour after the lights turn off to allow the pods to make it to the substrate without all of them getting eaten. 

If you are unable to empty the bottle of pods into your system the day of arrival, make sure to keep cap off or popped to allow for air exchange but use the bottle as soon as you can.

When Receiving Phytoplankton:

When you receive your shipment of live phytoplankton, open the cap for 15-20 mins to allow for air exchange. After shipping phytoplankton can have a slight sulfur smell and this is due to the volatile gasses it produces.

Make sure to keep the live phytoplankton in the fridge and shake daily. Shaking ensures the cells stay suspended and do not fall on top of one another and suffocate/kill the other cells. 

If you accidentally leave the phytoplankton out overnight it is not the end of the world. Hower you may have a build up of those volatile gasses. Leave the cap off for 5 mins or so and place back into the fridge. 

The fridge slows down the build up of these gasses.

 

Live Bacteria:

Here at Coral Hub U.S. we culture our own bacteria. We are culturing Purple Non Sulfur (PNS) Bacteria which is far better compared to other brands. Our bacteria are ready to go from day one where as other big brand names are inert and take a longer time to activate. One major feature that will be different is the smell. This is a huge indicator on whether you’re actually buying live bacteria or just snake oil in a bottle. PNS bacteria will have an unpleasant smell to it and this is completely normal. Its growing conditions can vary and will also have an effect on the coloration. PNS bacteria has a color range of Brown, Red, Purple, and Burgundy. 

You too are able to culture your own bacteria in a more simplified manner. If youd like to do this while being able to save please purchase our DIY Home Grow Kit that will get your started.

How To’s

Live Phytoplankton:

  • Prepare Saltwater
    • Mix RO/DI water with reef salt to 1.018–1.022 SG.
    • Fill your 3-gallon jar with 2.5 gallons to leave headspace.
  • Sterilize
    • Rinse the jar with hot water or a mild bleach solution (then neutralize with dechlorinator).
    • Cleanliness prevents contamination by bacteria or competing algae.
  • Add CH Phyto Food 

    • Dose 1 ml of each part of Phyto Food per total volume.

  • Inoculate with Tetraselmis
    • Add your starter culture. Ideally, start with at least 10–20% of the jar volume as live culture to outcompete contaminants.
  • Aeration
    • Run airline tubing to the bottom with strong bubbling (not just a trickle). This keeps cells suspended and oxygenated.
  • Lighting
    • Provide 16–24 hours/day of bright white light (6500–10,000K).
    • Keep lights about 6–12 inches away to avoid overheating.
  • Harvesting:
    • Remove up to 50% of the jar.
    • Strain through a 53µm sieve if feeding directly to pods/fish, or store liquid phyto in the fridge (shake daily).
  • Resetting
    • Follow Sterilizing method again and then refill with new saltwater, CH Phyto Food , and the culture will regrow.

Live Pods:

  • Prepare Saltwater
    • Mix fresh saltwater to reef salinity (1.020–1.025 SG). Dechlorinated RO/DI water is best.
  • Add Pods
    • Pour in your starter culture of pods. The larger the starter, the faster your culture stabilizes.
  • Feed the Pods
    • Add live phytoplankton (or prepared food) daily. The water should be tinted green but not opaque. If the water clears in 24 hrs, feed a little more.
  • Aeration
    • Run gentle bubbles to keep water moving and oxygenated. Too much flow can stress pods.
  • Lighting
    • If feeding live phyto, keep the culture in indirect light (12–16 hrs light cycle). If using algae paste, lighting isn’t necessary.
  • Temperature
    • Keep at 72–78°F (22–25°C). Most pods are hardy but don’t like large swings.
  • Harvesting:
    • Use a sieve to collect pods, then rinse them with clean saltwater before feeding to your reef tank.
    • Never harvest more than ~50% at once to keep the culture strong.
  • Partial water changes: Replace 25–50% weekly with freshly mixed saltwater. Then add RO/DI water as it evaporates to maintain salinity.