Cultivating Pods in a Refugium (Sand and Oil Slick)

drblank1

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I have a refugium in use populated amphipods and copepods. The fuge is branched off from the sump return pump and then the output is cycled back to the sump. The fuge contains live rock and chaeto with an AI Prime Fuge light. The baffle is such that the water diverts under the baffle and up through more live rock and bio balls before it overflows back into the sump. I want the pods to slowly make their way into the display tank via the return pump. My questions are:

1. Would it be more beneficial to pod propagation to add a layer of sand to the fuge?
2. Because the water is divert UNDER the baffle, there is a layer of clear oily substance collecting on top of the water in the fuge. What is this? It is bad? If I added a small power head to mix up the water so the oil wouldn't collect in the fuge, would this be detrimental to the pod population?

Thanks in advance.
 

jnvd3b

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I have a refugium in use populated amphipods and copepods. The fuge is branched off from the sump return pump and then the output is cycled back to the sump. The fuge contains live rock and chaeto with an AI Prime Fuge light. The baffle is such that the water diverts under the baffle and up through more live rock and bio balls before it overflows back into the sump. I want the pods to slowly make their way into the display tank via the return pump. My questions are:

1. Would it be more beneficial to pod propagation to add a layer of sand to the fuge?
2. Because the water is divert UNDER the baffle, there is a layer of clear oily substance collecting on top of the water in the fuge. What is this? It is bad? If I added a small power head to mix up the water so the oil wouldn't collect in the fuge, would this be detrimental to the pod population?

Thanks in advance.

In my mind the more surface area the better. That could be sand if you want, or a ‘pod hotel’ or simply more algae. Some people use ulva and many other algaes as breeding zones for pods. I am sure Chaeto as well but with the tumbling most chaeto does there might be better algaes if pods is the main goal. Pods do swim into the water column during certain part of the life cycle but for breeding they would be better off with a lot of surface area rather than constantly being washed away into the display
 
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drblank1

drblank1

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jnvd, thanks for the reply.

could anyone tell me what might be the clear oil layer collecting on top of my fuge water?
 

Softhammer

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Poop, or literally protein and fatty waste, you have inadvertently created a protein skimmer. I have skimmer in both halves of my sump for this very reason.
 
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drblank1

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Poop, or literally protein and fatty waste, you have inadvertently created a protein skimmer. I have skimmer in both halves of my sump for this very reason.
Thx, but what is strange is I don't have any fish in the tank yet. Did a fishless cycle and waiting on my quarantined fish. Just dry rock, dry sand, chaeto, and pods I've added to the fuge. And I noticed the oily substance before I added the chaeto pods. :confused:
 
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drblank1

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Can you post some pics?
I drilled it near the bulk head drain so the outflow would create a suction effects. Keeps the top of my water mostly clear.
 

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