Copepods, rotifers, refugium advice needed.

[1Clown]

Hi all,

I just put in 100ml of live copepods and 150ml of live rotifers in to my refugium which grows chaeto like crazy. Am I right in thinking they should grow and multiply there without any hassle and hopefully some should make their way up to my display tank via the return section which is next to the refugium, I even removed filter floss I had in between the two sections for this purpose. I also have 250ml live phytoplankton which I don't know what to do with?

My goal is to keep a pair of green mandarins hence I want to build a population of pods up to support that.

Tank is a 60 gallon cube.

Current stock list is:

2 Clowns
2 Bangaii Cardinals
1 Purple Gramma
1 Firefish
1 Algae Blenny
1 Starry Blenny

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Am I right in thinking they should grow and multiply

yes. Next time put the bugs in the dt too. I sprinkle flake food or coral frenzy on top of the chato. if you have good bugs you start seeing feeding frenzys on the chato.
feed the phyto slowly. everything eats it. the rotifers will die off first as everything eats them.

 

[1Clown]

yes. Next time put the bugs in the dt too. I sprinkle flake food or coral frenzy on top of the chato. if you have good bugs you start seeing feeding frenzys on the chato.
feed the phyto slowly. everything eats it. the rotifers will die off first as everything eats them.

So the copepods will eat the rotifers? I thought rotifers were a similar thing to copepods like mysis and brine shrimp. How often and how much shall I dose the phytoplankton in to the refugium? Only reason I never put some copepods in to the display tank was the fear of them being eaten right away.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So the copepods will eat the rotifers? I thought rotifers were a similar thing to copepods like mysis and brine shrimp. How often and how much shall I dose the phytoplankton in to the refugium? Only reason I never put some copepods in to the display tank was the fear of them being eaten right away.

everything eats everything in the tank. It prety amazing how they get into the system. put the cope pods in at nigh in the dt, theyll hide. or split them some in the sump and some in the dt. Also dont rule out amphpods. everything eats them too.
the phyto i dont measure i use some 40ml??, and see if theres any odd reactions like green glass or cyano. then i either increase or decrease the amount.

 

[Coral Reefing Products]

What species of copepods did you add? Tisbe Pods are generally the best all-around pod for tanks and will multiply at a much faster rate than Tiger Pods. They are also much faster, smaller, and better hidden than Tiger Pods(who might as well have a target on their back). Both will eat phytoplankton and rotifers, but your rotifers should flourish as long as there is enough phyto for them to eat in the tank. Rotifers double in population every couple of days as long as they have the food to support them. In fact, we recommend dosing our live rotifers to avoid quick overpopulation.

As @saltyfilmfolks said, adding to dt at night will help prevent immediate predation, and adding the rest to sump. Amphipods will also eat the pods.

We have some really good articles on our website about pods and rotifers you may want to check out. <--- Shameless plug

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What species of copepods did you add? Tisbe Pods are generally the best all-around pod for tanks and will multiply at a much faster rate than Tiger Pods. They are also much faster, smaller, and better hidden than Tiger Pods(who might as well have a target on their back). Both will eat phytoplankton and rotifers, but your rotifers should flourish as long as there is enough phyto for them to eat in the tank. Rotifers double in population every couple of days as long as they have the food to support them. In fact, we recommend dosing our live rotifers to avoid quick overpopulation.

As @saltyfilmfolks said, adding to dt at night will help prevent immediate predation, and adding the rest to sump. Amphipods will also eat the pods.

We have some really good articles on our website about pods and rotifers you may want to check out. <--- Shameless plug

The plug worked. I'm looking now

 

[1Clown]

What species of copepods did you add? Tisbe Pods are generally the best all-around pod for tanks and will multiply at a much faster rate than Tiger Pods. They are also much faster, smaller, and better hidden than Tiger Pods(who might as well have a target on their back). Both will eat phytoplankton and rotifers, but your rotifers should flourish as long as there is enough phyto for them to eat in the tank. Rotifers double in population every couple of days as long as they have the food to support them. In fact, we recommend dosing our live rotifers to avoid quick overpopulation.

As @saltyfilmfolks said, adding to dt at night will help prevent immediate predation, and adding the rest to sump. Amphipods will also eat the pods.

We have some really good articles on our website about pods and rotifers you may want to check out. <--- Shameless plug

Says this in the description.

"mixed adult and Nauplii (baby copepods) of Tigriopus sp. in each bottle."

 

[Coral Reefing Products]

Says this in the description.

"mixed adult and Nauplii (baby copepods) of Tigriopus sp. in each bottle."

You have Tiger Pods, they have a reddish color to them and are larger and darker than the Tisbe Pods. You should allow at least 8 weeks before adding any mandarin if you want your colony to survive. Adding an additional bottle of Pods will help to speed up growth of your colony, but it's not necessary. I would also continue to supplement your tank with more pods every few months once your mandarin have been added. On a side note, the Tiger Pods will eat sone of your Tisbe Pods if you have any in your tank.

 

[1Clown]

You have Tiger Pods, they have a reddish color to them and are larger and darker than the Tisbe Pods. You should allow at least 8 weeks before adding any mandarin if you want your colony to survive. Adding an additional bottle of Pods will help to speed up growth of your colony, but it's not necessary. I would also continue to supplement your tank with more pods every few months once your mandarin have been added. On a side note, the Tiger Pods will eat sone of your Tisbe Pods if you have any in your tank.

How often shall I add phytoplankton my my fuge with the pods in? I heard it can make nitrates increase if not careful?

 

[Js.Aqua.Project]

How often shall I add phytoplankton my my fuge with the pods in? I heard it can make nitrates increase if not careful?

IME adding live phyto has never increased my nitrates as phyto lives on NO3 and PO4 along with light and other nutrients to grow. I would add small amounts (thinking 15-20ml) nightly to your sump with the return pumps off. Feeding phyto regularly to your tank will help maintain a healthy pod population.

The general rule of thumb I recommend is to tape of a 1" square on your tank, about 30-45 minutes after your lights are off at night inspect your section of glass with the aid of a flashlight. You are looking to see pods moving on your glass, if you have a healthy population you will see numerous (50+) pods averaged for consecutive weeks in this space. If you only see a few, you are not ready yet.

If you are willing to put in a little extra work I would recommend culturing your own phyto and pods as it is not a difficult thing to maintain with it maybe taking 20-30 minutes a week. This would help you feel more comfortable and get your Mandarin nice and fat.

The final alternative if you can stand it, put your Mandarin in a basket in your tank and teach it to eat frozen. I have had good luck in the past with Arcti-Pods from Reef Nutrition.

 

[Coral Reefing Products]

How often shall I add phytoplankton my my fuge with the pods in? I heard it can make nitrates increase if not careful?

We recommend 5ml per 30 gallons daily of Nannochlropsis, but it really depends on your bioload, etc. You will also need more to support your Rotifers(they eat LOTS of phytoplankton and fast).

Unlike dead strains, live phyto will not add to overall nitrate but will actually reduce it. Phytoplankton, like other vegetation absorbs nitrogenous waste, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates in addition to phosphates and silicates as energy for photosynthesis. Just as these are the key elements of any fertilizer, Phytolankton too removes these elements for daily growth.