:rollface:Hi all,
My goal for this thread will be to invite collaborative input on how to MAXIMIZE POD PRODUCTION in refugia! I feel that this purpose of refugia is always overlooked in online forums, or diverted into related topics (e.g., nitrate reduction, DSB vs BB, caulerpa vs chaeto, flow, etc). Now some of those topics DO have a bearing on the production of pods, and to the extent that such topics are relevant to pod production, they are acceptable topics for discussion here. Other than that, such topics are best left to other threads. I invite you all to offer experiences, links, and even hearsay so that we can get a good discussion going for posterity regarding how to maximize refugia-generated zooplankton, pods, microfauna for feeding a Display Tank.
To start with, we shall assume that one purpose of refugia is to provide a predator-free zone in which small crustaceans and other life forms can FEED, BREED, and flow into a DT as FOOD for corals and fish. Thus, RDSBs for nitrate reduction would be located in a separate refugium.
Query #1: Sand Bed
There are several alternatives available when it comes to sand (or the lack thereof). Bare-bottomed refugia make it easier to keep detritus from settling, but also do not provide a habitat for those organisms which live in, or lay eggs within, a sandbed. Therefore, I think that BB refugia will generally be excluded from this section because, whatever their benefits, they are not ideal environments for the purpose herein (producing microfauna).
RDSB vs. SSB (Remote Deep Sand Bed vs Shallow Sand Bed)
Does anyone have any knowledge of the extent to which a DSB located in a refugium would contribute to a greater number and VARIETY of micro-food critters making their way to the DT? THIS WOULD BE A GREAT AREA FOR INPUT! There is practically nothing online on this subject other than occasional references by Ron Shimek. :fun5:
There are a number of reasons not to run a RDSB, but is pod production one of the reasons in favor of a DSB generally?
Also, do the various types of "Miracle Mud" products contribute to animal life in any way, either directly or indirectly (e.g.-they feed plants, plants feed animals)?
PLANT LIFE LOCATED IN REFUGIA
To what extent does plant life contribute to pod production within a refugium? I have heard that dosing phytoplankton to a refugium is one way to greatly improve the production of food organisms.
MACROALGAE - Given the fact that whenever I prune balls of chaeto, there are a TON of little copepods and amphipods which fall out, I imagine that they are either feeding directly on such macros, or feeding on something else that feeds on macros. Is there any data for this? How best to maximize pod-production with the use of various macros?
LIVE ROCK
Since LR brings such critters into our aquariums, we can assume for this thread that there will at least be a small quantity of LR in the POD-FUGE. For nutrient-export reasons, people may opt to raise LR above the level of sand, place LR in higher-flow areas, etc.
WATER FLOW
To what extent does water flow impact the productivity of a POD-FUGE?
TO LIGHT, OR NOT TO LIGHT?
To what extent does light, or the lack thereof, contribute to the production of microfauna? I've read somewhere that it is important to have a "dark period" in a refugium since some animals only feed in the dark. Is this true? (If so, we will all be frustrated that we ever added Caulerpa lol - do some research on this if you don't understand)
OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST
Are there any other practices which contribute to improved diversity and quantity of animal life in refugia?
I appreciate everyone's feedback and input here. I think that maximizing production of micro-fauna is a neglected purpose of refugia, and that our corals and fish will appreciate an increase in the amount of such "zooplankton" critters that refugiums are capable of producing.:thumbsup:
Thanks!
Lee
My goal for this thread will be to invite collaborative input on how to MAXIMIZE POD PRODUCTION in refugia! I feel that this purpose of refugia is always overlooked in online forums, or diverted into related topics (e.g., nitrate reduction, DSB vs BB, caulerpa vs chaeto, flow, etc). Now some of those topics DO have a bearing on the production of pods, and to the extent that such topics are relevant to pod production, they are acceptable topics for discussion here. Other than that, such topics are best left to other threads. I invite you all to offer experiences, links, and even hearsay so that we can get a good discussion going for posterity regarding how to maximize refugia-generated zooplankton, pods, microfauna for feeding a Display Tank.
To start with, we shall assume that one purpose of refugia is to provide a predator-free zone in which small crustaceans and other life forms can FEED, BREED, and flow into a DT as FOOD for corals and fish. Thus, RDSBs for nitrate reduction would be located in a separate refugium.
Query #1: Sand Bed
There are several alternatives available when it comes to sand (or the lack thereof). Bare-bottomed refugia make it easier to keep detritus from settling, but also do not provide a habitat for those organisms which live in, or lay eggs within, a sandbed. Therefore, I think that BB refugia will generally be excluded from this section because, whatever their benefits, they are not ideal environments for the purpose herein (producing microfauna).
RDSB vs. SSB (Remote Deep Sand Bed vs Shallow Sand Bed)
Does anyone have any knowledge of the extent to which a DSB located in a refugium would contribute to a greater number and VARIETY of micro-food critters making their way to the DT? THIS WOULD BE A GREAT AREA FOR INPUT! There is practically nothing online on this subject other than occasional references by Ron Shimek. :fun5:
There are a number of reasons not to run a RDSB, but is pod production one of the reasons in favor of a DSB generally?
Also, do the various types of "Miracle Mud" products contribute to animal life in any way, either directly or indirectly (e.g.-they feed plants, plants feed animals)?
PLANT LIFE LOCATED IN REFUGIA
To what extent does plant life contribute to pod production within a refugium? I have heard that dosing phytoplankton to a refugium is one way to greatly improve the production of food organisms.
MACROALGAE - Given the fact that whenever I prune balls of chaeto, there are a TON of little copepods and amphipods which fall out, I imagine that they are either feeding directly on such macros, or feeding on something else that feeds on macros. Is there any data for this? How best to maximize pod-production with the use of various macros?
LIVE ROCK
Since LR brings such critters into our aquariums, we can assume for this thread that there will at least be a small quantity of LR in the POD-FUGE. For nutrient-export reasons, people may opt to raise LR above the level of sand, place LR in higher-flow areas, etc.
WATER FLOW
To what extent does water flow impact the productivity of a POD-FUGE?
TO LIGHT, OR NOT TO LIGHT?
To what extent does light, or the lack thereof, contribute to the production of microfauna? I've read somewhere that it is important to have a "dark period" in a refugium since some animals only feed in the dark. Is this true? (If so, we will all be frustrated that we ever added Caulerpa lol - do some research on this if you don't understand)
OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST
Are there any other practices which contribute to improved diversity and quantity of animal life in refugia?
I appreciate everyone's feedback and input here. I think that maximizing production of micro-fauna is a neglected purpose of refugia, and that our corals and fish will appreciate an increase in the amount of such "zooplankton" critters that refugiums are capable of producing.:thumbsup:
Thanks!
Lee
