When to add pods?

[ReeferMadness0347]

My tank is done cycling. I used Fritz TurboStart(worked great in my opinion). Took about 6 days. Never saw an ammonia spike, did see nitrite spike a bit .25 ( currently 0) and my nitrates are 5.0 PPM.

My tank is a shallow 45 with 45 pounds of live rock. No light yet. Since it’s going to be a few months before I get any coral I’m pushing around a few lighting ideas and saving up money.

I have two clowns that have been in the tank 8 days now. They are eating and doing very well in my opinion.

I would like to start getting ahead on my pod population and was wondering when would be the best time to add them. Also with my tank being new would it be wise to add phytoplankton as well?

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

Just to be clear I started out with dry rock*

 

[tankstudy]

I would like to start getting ahead on my pod population and was wondering when would be the best time to add them. Also with my tank being new would it be wise to add phytoplankton as well?

I like to add pods when my tank starts turning a bit green. This will help to sustain them.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Nice looking! you can add pods anytime. They do not need light and will multiply nicely as well as help as clean up crew. I would wait on phyto until you have a bit of a pod population going. Then sparingly until you get a more mature tank.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Your tank needs to be mature when you add pods, otherwise they don't really have a place to hide nor enough food to reproduce enough to establish a good population.

I would wait until you have some corals in and more fish to provide a good bio-load for them, otherwise I think you'll be sending the tank multiple times before you get a good population going.

 

[DeniseAndy]

nautical has a great point. Maybe wait a bit to get some algae going and food available for them. I forget that I have not started a truly new tank in over 10 years. I use live rock from one of my systems. Let the rock at least get some brown and that will help them eat. Although, you are feeding the clowns, so that will help too.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Your tank needs to be mature when you add pods, otherwise they don't really have a place to hide nor enough food to reproduce enough to establish a good population.

I would wait until you have some corals in and more fish to provide a good bio-load for them, otherwise I think you'll be sending the tank multiple times before you get a good population going.

Agreed, they are likely to starve in a dryrock/sterile environment.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I add them when I add fish and/or corals in a new setting

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

I add them when I add fish and/or corals in a new setting

Do you end up re-seeding your tank?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you end up re-seeding your tank?

I replenish pods 3X per year

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

I’m incline to go with the general consensus and wait for some ugliness so they have more food.

Is there anything I can be doing during this waiting period that will help “insure” a successful reef tank?

Right now I’m running the basic tests. Ammonia, nitrate,nitrite, PH.

I’m planning on getting salifert test kits in the near future for calcium, KH/ALK, phosphate, magnesium.

When would be a good time to start logging that data?

I expect that these will probably change as the chemistry changes but not sure if having that data will be of any value.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m incline to go with the general consensus and wait for some ugliness so they have more food.

Is there anything I can be doing during this waiting period that will help “insure” a successful reef tank?

Right now I’m running the basic tests. Ammonia, nitrate,nitrite, PH.

I’m planning on getting salifert test kits in the near future for calcium, KH/ALK, phosphate, magnesium.

When would be a good time to start logging that data?

I expect that these will probably change as the chemistry changes but not sure if having that data will be of any value.

Don't rush. Patience pays off and impulse will get the best of you. Feel free of course to visit various pets stores and attend any area swaps to get ideas of wish list items and theyre cost. Just don't give in to the waiting period and say " It was just one frag". It will lead to another and another.
Nice thing about R2R, many forums to browse, members tanks to view and many questions to get answered

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

Don't rush. Patience pays off and impulse will get the best of you. Feel free of course to visit various pets stores and attend any area swaps to get ideas of wish list items and theyre cost. Just don't give in to the waiting period and say " It was just one frag". It will lead to another and another.
Nice thing about R2R, many forums to browse, members tanks to view and many questions to get answered

My plan is to take it slow. Which I am all for. Nothing good happened fast. I just don’t want any “downtime” to go un-utilized if possible.

 

[ReeferMadness0347]

I’d like to thank everyone who took time to answer my questions!