Should I dose Pods?

[Jib]

I've had my tank up and running for 2 months now. Trying to do everything I can to give the tank the best shot of being stable and successful over the long run. It's a 14G AIO with a Clownfish and fighting conch as the only inhabitants.

A few weeks ago I dosed Purple Helix, and am going to dose the Pink Fusion next week to try and get my coralline algae rolling.

Was going to order the Algae from Algae Barn, and was thinking of getting some Copepods as well. Would it benefit my tank to add these guys?

5280 Pods

Each 16oz portion of 5280 Pods contains 5280+ LIVE Tigriopus, Tisbe, and Apocyclops Copepods ranging from nauplii to adult sizes. 5280 Pods is great for seeding new tanks and refugiums, boosting existing populations, or feeding finicky fish & inverts such as Mandarins, Seahorses, Anthias...

www.algaebarn.com

 

[The_Skrimp]

They’re excellent clean up crew and nutritious snacks for your fish. I add pods to my tank every time I see their population dwindling. I think the last ones I added were trigger pods. If you have a refugium with chaeto, they’ll breed in there and you won’t have to replace them as often.

 

[Stuartmercer]

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: yes you should.

 

[Jib]

I think the last ones I added were trigger pods. If you have a refugium with chaeto, they’ll breed in there and you won’t have to replace them as often.

Unfortunately, my tank doesn't have room for a refugium. I have to run two heaters that take up the space I could put one. Any chance they'll breed elsewhere? I've seen other fish that like to hunt pods, will my Clown eat them?

 

[Silent]

They are small and will hide in rock or anywhere they wont be prey.

 

[rahusky]

I have an AIO and add a jar of Algae Barn Pods pretty regularly. My clown fish loves them and I think they help with the stability of my tank. Good luck. Get a jug of the Oceanmagic phytoplankton as long as you are ordering from them.

 

[Jib]

I have an AIO and add a jar of Algae Barn Pods pretty regularly. My clown fish loves them and I think they help with the stability of my tank. Good luck. Get a jug of the Oceanmagic phytoplankton as long as you are ordering from them.

Awesome, I appreciate the thoughts. I had my eye on the phytoplankton as well.

 

[Uncle99]

Won’t hurt, but if your looking for diversity, just maturity brings this.

 

[Jib]

Won’t hurt, but if your looking for diversity, just maturity brings this.

Diversity is what I'm looking for. Just trying to get my tank in as good of shape as possible before I start to add corals.

 

[Uncle99]

Diversity is what I'm looking for. Just trying to get my tank in as good of shape as possible before I start to add corals.

Relax, keep your water chemistry stable with the least flux possible.
Time will bring you there, the more mature, the more diverse.
One year water is different than 2, 2 different than 3,etc.

 

[Jib]

Relax, keep your water chemistry stable with the least flux possible.
Time will bring you there, the more mature, the more diverse.
One year water is different than 2, 2 different than 3,etc.

I feel like I am taking my time. I only have 1 fish and 1 snail. Ive been trying to take the go slow thing to heart. My conundrum is how do I add diversity, when not adding anything else to the tank? That’s what I was trying to solve for with bottled coralline and pods. I do test my water frequently and have been establishing baselines for key parameters.

 

[Uncle99]

I feel like I am taking my time. I only have 1 fish and 1 snail. Ive been trying to take the go slow thing to heart. My conundrum is how do I add diversity, when not adding anything else to the tank? That’s what I was trying to solve for with bottled coralline and pods. I do test my water frequently and have been establishing baselines for key parameters.

Not judging in any way.

Most of the POD adds I’ve seen in the last few years actually held very few live pods.
I can’t believe people pay 30-50 bucks for a bottle of a few PODS.
Time will create diversity on its own through you adding fish and corals on a slow but consistent basis and creates a “balance” in your water chemistry.

But, if you gots lots of money, sure, buying a bottle of 5000 pods, but getting 100 is 100 more than you have.

I might consider carbon dosing which will feed the good bacteria.
I might dose some phyto to enhance the current diversity.

if your cycled, your ready to move forward, just slowly, add a fish or two, wait a month or so, maybe a softy, wait,.......once you see coralline....ok to add stoneys.......after a year.....SPS...

 

[Doctorgori]

I’ve only purposefully bought pods to raise as mono cultures, otherwise the run o mill small glass pods come in on frags, larger ones like gamarus or whatever on macro algae and wild live rock. If you got friend with a mature tank and your friends don’t have pest then buy a aqua clear sponge, leave it in their tanks or sump for 1 month and it will surely contain pods

 

[Jib]

Not judging in any way.

Most of the POD adds I’ve seen in the last few years actually held very few live pods.
I can’t believe people pay 30-50 bucks for a bottle of a few PODS.
Time will create diversity on its own through you adding fish and corals on a slow but consistent basis and creates a “balance” in your water chemistr

But, if you gots lots of money, sure, buying a bottle of 5000 pods, but getting 100 is 100 more than you have.

I might consider carbon dosing which will feed the good bacteria.
I might dose some phyto to enhance the current diversity.

if your cycled, your ready to move forward, just slowly, add a fish or two, wait a month or so, maybe a softy, wait,.......once you see coralline....ok to add stoneys.......after a year.....SPS...

Oh I understand your not judging, and I appreciate the thoughts you've provided. I wouldn't say I have lots of money, but working from home due to COVID has freed up some disposable income which has been steadily flowing into my tank.

Dosing anything scares me a little, but I'll look into the carbon idea. Someone else also reccomended the phyto, so I'll pick some up along with the pods and coralline.

I’ve only purposefully bought pods to raise as mono cultures, otherwise the run o mill small glass pods come in on frags, larger ones like gamarus or whatever on macro algae and wild live rock. If you got friend with a mature tank and your friends don’t have pest then buy a aqua clear sponge, leave it in their tanks or sump for 1 month and it will surely contain pods

Unfortunately, I don;t have any friends in this hobby, and with COVID still raging not likly meet up with any other local reefers anytime soon...

 

[Doctorgori]

one way to tell if you got a decent pod population is to simply not clean your glass for 2-3 days. You should see 2-3 types and sizes skipping across the glass feeding on the soft algae, in large numbers. AFAIK they don’t sell “glass pods”. but every. now and again someone has gamarus.
Anyway I’m not 100% sure domesticated/retail pods even establish in a reef tank. I’d bet for a small fee maybe your LFS would let you cop some pods or place a pod condo in their sump

 

[flyhpr]

I added a jar of 5280 pods to my 40 G AIO about a month ago. I have been feeding them phyto on an irregular basis. This is some video I took of my tank the other day.