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Do you need to dose phytoplankton...No ....Should you yes . Phytoplankton has way more benefits then just feeding copepods. Your whole reef system benefits from it . The goal is to mimic a natural reef .
Need is a pretty strong word. Do you need salt in your system to keep a salt water aquarium? Yes. Do you need to dose phytoplankton? No. I am quite confident that there are more people out there that do not dose anything to feed their pod population than there are people that do.And by healthy system you mean some natural algae growth for them to feed on?
Should I dump the whole bottle of the copepods in the refugium? And by overfeeding you mean specifically the phytoplankton rightNeed is a pretty strong word. Do you need salt in your system to keep a salt water aquarium? Yes. Do you need to dose phytoplankton? No. I am quite confident that there are more people out there that do not dose anything to feed their pod population than there are people that do.
A healthy system is just that, healthy. Stable parameters with good biodiversity. I personally would not judge the health of a system by how well it grows algae.
Your pods will be fine. Feed them if you like. You definitely do not need to. Be careful not to over do it and pollute the tank with excess feeding.
To date, I have never heard a single pod complain.
I would put half in the refugium and half in the tank. People suggest that you add pods at night time when the fish are sleeping so they have time to find a nice hiding place to settle in without getting eaten.Should I dump the whole bottle of the copepods in the refugium? And by overfeeding you mean specifically the phytoplankton right
Great thanks for the quick replies Sean!I would put half in the refugium and half in the tank. People suggest that you add pods at night time when the fish are sleeping so they have time to find a nice hiding place to settle in without getting eaten.
I was referring to overfeeding the phytoplankton yes. The idea really applies to anything you add to the tank. Try not to over do anything. Start slow and observe.
Agree with Sean here do it a lights out turn the pumps off for 20-30 minutes this gives them a chance to get into the substrate. And yes be careful with the phyto . Even tho it's extremely hard to over dose it to the point of causing damage to your system you don't want to dump the whole bottle in it . I just had a customer dump a ENTIRE bottle of phyto at one time into his system . I normally recommend 10-15ML per 25 gal and adjust to your liking after . There's no right or wrong amount it's all personal preference. Just don't dump the entire bottle in that's wrong lolGreat thanks for the quick replies Sean!
My refugium is set up now, my copepods are arriving in a few days, should I add the phytoplankton in the sump first?Agree with Sean here do it a lights out turn the pumps off for 20-30 minutes this gives them a chance to get into the substrate. And yes be careful with the phyto . Even tho it's extremely hard to over dose it to the point of causing damage to your system you don't want to dump the whole bottle in it . I just had a customer dump a ENTIRE bottle of phyto at one time into his system . I normally recommend 10-15ML per 25 gal and adjust to your liking after . There's no right or wrong amount it's all personal preference. Just don't dump the entire bottle in that's wrong lol
Also is some aragonite substrate and chaeto good enough for the copepods to live in or so I need some sand in the refugium too?I would put half in the refugium and half in the tank. People suggest that you add pods at night time when the fish are sleeping so they have time to find a nice hiding place to settle in without getting eaten.
I was referring to overfeeding the phytoplankton yes. The idea really applies to anything you add to the tank. Try not to over do anything. Start slow and observe.
I'll bet that you start to see them on the glass of the display tank within a day or two. If you glass already has a slight film on it, then leave it be for the next few days and you will start to see the pods on the glass. Cleaning the glass won't hurt anything, but my experience is that they are more likely to show up on glass that is not freshly scraped clean. They will do their thing while you are not watching so that you have a never ending supply of pods.Another question I had was: do I just wait until thery multiply in numbers in the sump and let them naturally migrate into the display via the return pump?
Ahhh I’m so excited!I'll bet that you start to see them on the glass of the display tank within a day or two. If you glass already has a slight film on it, then leave it be for the next few days and you will start to see the pods on the glass. Cleaning the glass won't hurt anything, but my experience is that they are more likely to show up on glass that is not freshly scraped clean. They will do their thing while you are not watching so that you have a never ending supply of pods.
Your refugium media looks pretty fresh so adding that Phytoplankton in small doses daily or every other day like Jay'sReefBugs said earlier will help them get started for sure.Ahhh I’m so excited!
Will do. Thanks man. Yeah the media has been there since the start of the cycling about 3months old.Your refugium media looks pretty fresh so adding that Phytoplankton in small doses daily or every other day like Jay'sReefBugs said earlier will help them get started for sure.
sorry one more question, ive got my fuge light on reverse cycle for 8 hours. Is that a good duration for the amount of chaeto in there?Your refugium media looks pretty fresh so adding that Phytoplankton in small doses daily or every other day like Jay'sReefBugs said earlier will help them get started for sure.
It looks like you have a golf ball size ball of chaeto from Algae Barn. Like most things there is not one right answer to your question. The light schedule you have sounds good to start. It will take a while to get that ball of chaeto going strong, and that is also dependant on your Nitrate and Phosphate levels. Be patient, keep an eye on those Nitrates and Phosphates, and turn your lighting time up or down accordingly to raise or lower them.sorry one more question, ive got my fuge light on reverse cycle for 8 hours. Is that a good duration for the amount of chaeto in there?