To this I must say there are reputable places to buy pods, I can personally attest to the products sold by oceanpods.com. I have purchased them and they multiplied in CRAZY numbers, so much in fact that I kept a mandarin happy in a 10 gallon. I kept a culture in a seperate tank and I would honestly say that the number of pods in the 5 gallon culture tank doubled every 3-4 days after they got established. So they can be bought and CAN multiply in amazing numbers.

Plus OP.com had some of THE BEST online customer service I have ever seen. I ordered my shipment in the dead of winter, and there appeared to be some die off of the pods (got a bit cold cause the stupid delivery boy put them by the garage instead of the door) I called them and a few days later an extra bottle majicly appeared on my door step, and it wasn't their fault, I also never asked for the extra bottle as it wasn't the companies fault.

So I would not be quick to dismiss this option, as I will be adding a bottle or two to every tank I put up in the future.