newer system with seeded copepods

[JohnnyHildo]

my aquarium is at about 7 weeks old and was started with dry rock and dry pukani. in the interest of having occupants down the road that are notoriously picky eaters i've been seeding it with live amphipods and copepods.
my question being the young age of my setup and probable lack of nutrients should i be supplementing the system with marine snow to sustain the health of the microscopic inverts?
i should add that i don't have a refugium chamber in my sump so is an external tank to culture them in the only other choice?

 

[FullBoreReefer]

Maybe some phytoplankton, and/or flake food ground up to a powder

 

[Reef Frog]

Pods & other micro fauna will grow & populate a DT without a refugium if the habitat is suitable. But it's possible levels could drop and struggle to expand again to the habitat's full potential if the tank is small & has hungry active pod eaters like mandarins & wrasses for example. That's why having a predator-free safe haven for breeding the next generation is desirable.

There are ways to plumb a stand alone refugium into a system. But culturing & adding pods occasionally by hand from an unconnected culture tank would work too, but is more work. An HOB refugium is another possibility. Your pod population may take a little longer to fully establish in a new system started with dry rock as compared to one started with mature live rock, but it will get there and in the end there shouldn't be any difference.

 

[stephenhall1987]

I started my 400g with all dry rock and sand. Coral dipped every live piece that went into my tank, but still have a huge and diverse pod population. If you are running your lights, you will get diatom algae (even in a clean sterile tank), and they will feed off of that. I would wait a good 6 months before getting something like a mandarin dragonet.

Is this the 120g with 40g sump?