Copapods and phyto

[CannaJake]

Good Lord! Find another LFS! There's always gonna be some stuff on them. I did this all back in the mid 90's and live rock was actually Alive. It was like Forrest Gump and Chocolate...You never knew what you were gonna get. But one thing that never happened was the "Ugly phase". To me, Biome is the most important thing. It sounds like you've done what you can to start it up but got burnt on some hitchhikers. Deal with those as best you can. Get a natural predator for them...More than one type of possible. Always better that way. Nature knows what it's doing.

I didnt get the ugly phase either. I think for me it was 10% water changes and beneficial bacteria and 90% luck. As for the hitchhikers fortunately I isolated long enough to find them before they became a problem. Ive only seen one bristleworm in my display tank ever and the aptasia rock was immediately and carefully removed and treated with F aptasia thanks to the members of this group giving me perfect directions to keep it from spreading. Never seen another aptasia in either of my current tanks.

 

[CannaJake]

You do not want to raise a "blend" of Phyto, usually the stronger strain will win out. Get single strains, probably Tet and Iso. @ReefLegends is just one state over so you can get the stuff pretty quick I would imagine. Raising Phyto, Pods and Rotifers are pretty easy, most of the time if I lose a culture it is on me and my laziness. You can also do window sill cultures with a north facing window and some frost over the window. (south maybe too intense).
The rigid line is from Depot in the irrigation section, the corks are from Amazon, I use the Alita air pump to power the bubbles and have air to spare and it is quiet. I used to have 2-3 small air pumps going, but the rate is variable depending on the different levels of water, it was a pain.

I have some led T5 lights I was going to try on the phyto. My air and reservoirs I have dialed in. Im just waiting on the algae barn phyto and guillards f2 I ordered yesterday. I already ordered them or I would try the single strain. I have light timers so I can def get the photoperiod on point.

 

[CannaJake]

I think you can overdose most things.
Overdose pods, if it got out of hand, sure, may create an ammonia spike as they die off, or just waste a ton of money on what populates free!

The system can only support so many based on system age and size.

The sand should stay white in a stable mature system, I’ve not cleaned in more than a year now.

Good luck

Thats helpful to know, I appreciate it because I dont want my sand to look like the tank outhouse. So far Im very happy with the cleanliness.

 

[CannaJake]

That is a good looking mandarin! Mine is pretty much only blue. He looks healthy!

 

[tbaum101]

I didnt get the ugly phase either. I think for me it was 10% water changes and beneficial bacteria and 90% luck. As for the hitchhikers fortunately I isolated long enough to find them before they became a problem. Ive only seen one bristleworm in my display tank ever and the aptasia rock was immediately and carefully removed and treated with F aptasia thanks to the members of this group giving me perfect directions to keep it from spreading. Never seen another aptasia in either of my current tanks.

Actually I really believe it's due to your prodigious copopod purchases coupled with the live rock you put in there. Pods eat things before they become a problem in many cases and in my opinion are the most unappreciated aspect of a tank startup.

 

[tbaum101]

You do not want to raise a "blend" of Phyto, usually the stronger strain will win out. Get single strains, probably Tet and Iso. @ReefLegends is just one state over so you can get the stuff pretty quick I would imagine. Raising Phyto, Pods and Rotifers are pretty easy, most of the time if I lose a culture it is on me and my laziness. You can also do window sill cultures with a north facing window and some frost over the window. (south maybe too intense).
The rigid line is from Depot in the irrigation section, the corks are from Amazon, I use the Alita air pump to power the bubbles and have air to spare and it is quiet. I used to have 2-3 small air pumps going, but the rate is variable depending on the different levels of water, it was a pain.

That's a heck of a setup you got there. I feel inspired

 

[CannaJake]

Actually I really believe it's due to your prodigious copopod purchases coupled with the live rock you put in there. Pods eat things before they become a problem in many cases and in my opinion are the most unappreciated aspect of a tank startup.

Agreed, they are great for clean up and food. I moved some corals and rocks around today and found some pretty nice copas. Apparently my wrasse and mandarin aren't too hungry