Growing pods in the overflow box question

[salttanklife]

My Eshopps sump only has 2 compartments so I can't really set up a refugium due to the skimmer being in one and my return in the other. I was wondering if anyone has tried throwing some lr and cheato in the overflow box to see if they'll grow in there. What would be the downside of doing this, I would imagine it'll be kind of hard to clean. My tank is a 90 gallon bowfront, so it's pretty tall, I think around 30". So I've got plenty of wasted space in the overflow box and I'm trying to make use of it. I'm still a newbie and I've never tried doing anything with growing pods, my tank has been running for about a year and a half now and it's my first sw tank.

 

[salttanklife]

Does anyone think it's even plausible to do so. It might be a dumb question because I've never tried anything with growing pods and don't know how to do it.

 

[YHSublime]

My only concerns with growing in an overflow would be clogging your drain.

 

[salttanklife]

Yeah it would be bad if it got clogged with the return pump still pumping. Maybe it's not such a good idea when you put it like that. I might try throwing just some lr in it to see if my shrimp population will grow.

 

[booth2010]

That's the only thing I can think of too. If you can figure a way to get the macro from the intake and still allow good flow it would probably work.

 

[YHSublime]

I threw rubble rock into my overflow about 6 months ago, no ill effects yet. I see pods in there all the time. i also made pod condos in the sump to rotate between the display and my sump.

 

[salttanklife]

I'm definitely going to throw some rubble rock in there. I've got little shrimp that I see running back and forth in there all the time. I never hear anything about anyone trying to use the dead space in the overflow but it seems like a good place to keep things safe and add some extra filtration at the same time.

 

[salttanklife]

I'm going to do some research on the pod condos as well and give that a try. I want to get a mandarin eventually but I want a good pod population before I even think of putting one in the tank

 

[YHSublime]

Best thing I ever did for my pod population was run the tank fallow for 2 months

 

[Baldguy]

Lots of pods would end up in your filter sock. You would need a way to get them into your DT from the overflow. The condos might work.

 

[salttanklife]

I pull my shrimp out the filter sock every time I change it and put them in the tank. Most of them don't make it to the bottom before being eaten

 

[salttanklife]

I'm going to try the pod condos tied to some fishing string dropped down into the overflow with some loose lr rubble in the bottom.

 

[booth2010]

That'll be the best thing I think, after reading this I saw a thread about pod condos but forgot to mention here

 

[BigDaddyReefer]

Clear hamster ball with Chaeto on sump. That will keep from clogging the skimmer. I am going to try it because I am in the same situation with the eshopps on my 120

 

[jose.j.vargas.18]

You can add a extra sump to have more space like me.

 

[sooley19]

When taking the pods and shrimp out of your filter sock to change it turn off the lights for a bit before so they can hide and populate in your tank

 

[salttanklife]

I keep a sponge inside of my filter sock that the shrimp can go inside of. I usually keep it in for about 3 sock changes and set it in the sump for about a week. I never see anything inside the sump, so I think that idea isn't working. I think they're getting pulled into the skimmer or something. I'll probably start putting the sponge from the sock into the overflow box with the lr rubble and pod condos. I don't really have the room under the tank to add the extra sump under the tank. I was considering a algae scrubber like the one you have, I heard it'll make the pod population explode in a tank. I've got the plexiglass to do it, just trying to find some good lighting to start the build.

 

[salttanklife]

Clear hamster ball with Chaeto on sump. That will keep from clogging the skimmer. I am going to try it because I am in the same situation with the eshopps on my 120

this sounds like a good idea, I'll probably give it a try

 

[jose.j.vargas.18]

You can use a miracle mud too I keep mine inside of plastic container and ruble rock on top , have some mangroves and chaeto and you can see the pods Swiming around they create there houses inside the ruble rock.