Sumps, Refugiums, and Copepods... Oh my!!

[Jedi1199]

I am going to be upgrading my 55g tank to a new 135 in the next couple weeks. This new build will be the first time I have truly used a sump. The design of this one (Eshopps AR300) is input, filter sock, then a double setup where water drains into a refugium and also runs below the fuge chamber to the skimmer chamber. Think of the fuge as a separate overflow box that drains to the return pump chamber.

You can see the design in the photos above.

So I understand the setup and all of that. My actual question is about the refugium. I would love to start culturing Copepods as one of the dream fish I wish for my tank is a Mandarin Goby (or 2).

I have a small ball of Chaeto I can use for this new build.

Do I just buy a couple jars of pods and dump them into the fuge? How do you guys culture pods in your sumps?

 

[Grsfish]

If you add chaeto and or live rock you’ll get pods with them. You can also add copepods into the sump and/ or the tank and they will end up everywhere. If you were going to add pods you should get something like tisbe pods that will reproduce fast in the refugium and on the rocks. No need to add more than one bottle unless you have a lot of other fish that will also eat them off the rocks

 

[CoralB]

You can add the cheato as long as it’s lean free of anything you don’t want into the tank . If I doesn’t turnover in the current you’ll have to manually turn it so and to make sure all side get light . Oh you will need a light . I run mine at night to maintain ph . When yo add the pods I would cut the power and pour the pods into the chaeto with the lights on so they hide through the chaeto then after most have hid then turn the pump back on .just remember to feed them with phytoplankton

 

[JAC-]

You will want to give your new setup time to mature and stabilize a few months before you dump in your pods, but that's along the lines of what I did, and mine is a healthy weight.

I could be way off here, but my understanding is the pods like to live in the chato, but it's not the primary food source. I dose phyto plankton as a food source for the pods. I add it to the display with the return off for 20 or so min and let my wave pumps send it around the tank. I regular see my pods crawling across the micro fauna on the rocks and on the glass, and I feel those are the main source for the mandarin rather then the ones that have made the tip through the return pump.

 

[Pkunk35]

Very cool!

 

[Jedi1199]

You will want to give your new setup time to mature and stabilize a few months before you dump in your pods, but that's along the lines of what I did, and mine is a healthy weight.

I could be way off here, but my understanding is the pods like to live in the chato, but it's not the primary food source. I dose phyto plankton as a food source for the pods. I add it to the display with the return off for 20 or so min and let my wave pumps send it around the tank. I regular see my pods crawling across the micro fauna on the rocks and on the glass, and I feel those are the main source for the mandarin rather then the ones that have made the tip through the return pump.

So this was one of the concerns I have. I would need to actually feed the pods? They won't get food from food that is missed? I have never had pods before. The stuff I have read and watched about culturing them aims at a dedicated culture system rather than in a running system like I want to do.

Is feeding with phytoplankton a safety measure or something that must be done?

 

[JAC-]

So this was one of the concerns I have. I would need to actually feed the pods? They won't get food from food that is missed? I have never had pods before. The stuff I have read and watched about culturing them aims at a dedicated culture system rather than in a running system like I want to do.

Is feeding with phytoplankton a safety measure or something that must be done?

Well, there are many kinds of pods that eat different things, but my thought is yes many of the pods will need to be fed phyto to sustain a population that will be enough to sustain your mandarin. That said, I've alwayse done such so I can't comment on how it would sustain without it.

 

[tbrown]

So this was one of the concerns I have. I would need to actually feed the pods? They won't get food from food that is missed? I have never had pods before. The stuff I have read and watched about culturing them aims at a dedicated culture system rather than in a running system like I want to do.

Is feeding with phytoplankton a safety measure or something that must be done?

Keep in mind your corals will enjoy a nice dosing of phyto as well. If you're trying to populate your sump, I'd say once your tank is ready add pods to the sump in the Fuge section and then feed the Fuge two times a week or so. Feed enough phyto to "dose" the tank - something like 10-15 ml. If you dose it in the sump it'll feed the pods first then go through the return pump and broadcast feed your SPS and some LPS.

 

[Lavey29]

I have had a successful fuge running for like 6 months now. While I see various pods and other critters in there I would not consider it as a farm to fully supply the DT with pods. You really need to establish your own pod colonies there and the fuge can supplement a little but mandarins eat 1000s of pods daily so you will probably have to restock pods every few months there most likely unless the mandarins learn to eat fish food also. My DT pod population was huge for awhile but the wrasses picked it clean. Even restocking is hard with them in there.

 

[Spare time]

So this was one of the concerns I have. I would need to actually feed the pods? They won't get food from food that is missed? I have never had pods before. The stuff I have read and watched about culturing them aims at a dedicated culture system rather than in a running system like I want to do.

Is feeding with phytoplankton a safety measure or something that must be done?

They eat detritus and phytoplankton. I usually feed mine phyto just because I have filter feeders

PS Don't get tigger pods if you are looking for one to thrive in the tank.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Just start your own copepod culture. It's a lot easier then most people think . Dosing of a phyto based product is key to giving them a boost in your system . As the saying goes you are what you eat

 

[chris k.]

do you have to feed pods phytoplankton? i started a pod population in my tank. no fish yet but i seen the pods eating the algae film that grows on the glass. i also broadcast feed my softies benepets benereef reef food. will pods eat this also.

 

[neo1738]

Tried a few times to get pods to reproduce in my fuge never really worked. I now have to dose concentrated pods that I get every 6 weeks from reef nutrition for my goby but honestly I don't mind as the rest of the fish enjoy them too. They now get frozen and pods primarily w 1-2x/week pellet to keep enough on the floor for the peppermint shrimp to stop eating my corals.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Tried a few times to get pods to reproduce in my fuge never really worked. I now have to dose concentrated pods that I get every 6 weeks from reef nutrition for my goby but honestly I don't mind as the rest of the fish enjoy them too. They now get frozen and pods primarily w 1-2x/week pellet to keep enough on the floor for the peppermint shrimp to stop eating my corals.

Have you tried dosing a little Phyto daily? They usually build up a population pretty easily if you have enough food to support them...(not sure if the carrying capacity of the pod population would be where you want it though, especially if you have a fish like a mandarin that eats them all day)

 

[neo1738]

Have you tried dosing a little Phyto daily? They usually build up a population pretty easily if you have enough food to support them...(not sure if the carrying capacity of the pod population would be where you want it though, especially if you have a fish like a mandarin that eats them all day)

I dosed 15ml daily for 100g system for 12 weeks. Tried 8 bottles of pods to fuge and 8 to DT to make sure that the fish wouldn't eat all of them out of the water column, added them at night w pumps off, had skimmer off and filter socks removed for 72hr after adding. Never saw 1 pod in my DT at night. So I gave up that was an expensive mistake. Spending about $30/mo in concentrated pods is a lot less hassle at this point.