Will high Ammonia and/or Nitrate/Nitrite harm Copepods?

[ReefWitch]

I am still cycling my tank and my levels are all over the place. I am going to start my hang on back refugium after the first week and I am planning to add Chaeto and Algae Barn's 5280 pods. Will the pods be okay while the ammonia and other stuff settle? I plan on feeding the pods phyto.

 

[Lavey29]

I am still cycling my tank and my levels are all over the place. I am going to start my hang on back refugium after the first week and I am planning to add Chaeto and Algae Barn's 5280 pods. Will the pods be okay while the ammonia and other stuff settle? I plan on feeding the pods phyto.

You would be wasting money on dead pods and dead chaeto. Give your tank 3 or 4 months with lights off to develop biodiversity and microfauna. Then as you turn lights on start your fuge add pods and phytoplankton. Your ugly phases will be much more manageable then.

 

[ReefWitch]

You would be wasting money on dead pods and dead chaeto. Give your tank 3 or 4 months with lights off to develop biodiversity and microfauna. Then as you turn lights on start your fuge add pods and phytoplankton. Your ugly phases will be much more manageable then.

thank you.

 

[Lavey29]

thank you.

I waited 3 to 4 months for lights and 6 months for the fuge and had minimal bouts with the ugly stages. I tried adding pods the first month. Fish ate some then they just disappeared probably dead.

 

[Spare time]

They are surprisingly tolerant little critters. However, I'd wait to add the refugium til after the cycle since you don't want to drain the tank of phosphate when there is already likely very little and add competition for the cycling bacteria (chaeto will likely remove ammonia and nitrite)