Adding pods

[JMorris271]

Hi . Can pods be added to the fuge with only lr ant no micro and get a pod population going and if so,when can they be added?
Thanks

 

[davocean]

They need a food source to sustain them, if there is surface algae on LR then that may get you by for a bit but really they should have some sort of macro.
I would add at night when lights are out, I add some to display and some to fuge, maybe turn pumps off for a few.

 

[JMorris271]

They need a food source to sustain them, if there is surface algae on LR then that may get you by for a bit but really they should have some sort of macro.
I would add at night when lights are out, I add some to display and some to fuge, maybe turn pumps off for a few.

Cheato is coming shortly . I was going to add some plankton as well for their munchies. Would this be ok?

 

[Marchillo]

Add at night is key. I turned off my return and my skimmer and added all to the fuge. I waited like 30 minutes for the pods to settle on the cheato. The tank was on moonlight but even after all that I could definitely see a couple of my fish feasting when pumps went on. Lol. I still think everything I did was fine but next time I add the lights will be completely off to the tank.

 

[davocean]

Chaeto is all I use and all you need IMO

 

[JMorris271]

ok. Thanks. All I have now is rock. my question is doI need to wait for chaeto

 

[Reef Frog]

Live rock is a fine environment for pods. Adding macro algae is good too but not "required" to grow & sustain pods. Many species of copepod eat detritus, decomposing plant & animal matter, free floating micro algae that lands on the rock, etc.

 

[CStrickland]

That was my impression, that they live on the chaeto, but eat detritus. That's why pod condos can be made of old sponges, piles or rock, or corrugated plastic. Like, you only need a couple to start the population, and it self regulates based on how much food there is. Pods come in on just about everything, frags, rocks, algae etc. The ultimate number you have is set by resources (how dirty your tank is) and predation (mandarins and wrasses seem especially effective at hunting them).

 

[tg1966]

I have always been unsure on the POD population in our tank. We have a mandarin that is super fat (his name is Tank). We have never added PODs but have a fuge with cheato and a couple corrugated plastic "hotels". That said I have never seen pods in the tank even at night.