Hi all,
This doesn't quite feel worthy of a start to my tank build thread yet, but I am getting much closer to being ready for that. I still haven't settled on a size yet, 125 or 180, live fuge for either. I'm in no hurry to rush fish or corals..... I've already got my Phyto culture rolling, about to start my Pod cultures, and want to get a healthy and established Pod population before adding anything other than my clean up crew. What is best practices now for getting the wide biological diversity now if you prefer to use dry base rock only to avoid pest and hitchhiking? Phytoplankton and Pods along with the traditional tank cycle will only do so much. Different types of pods? I've been out of the hobby for 10 years and I see a lot of these "bacteria in a bottle" items but I came along in the age of a lot of "snake oil" for reef tanks that cost a lot and promised the world but often times did nothing or even hurt your tanks overall health.
EDIT: This may be old and counter to modern reefing thoughts, if so I am more than open to the fact that I could be wrong, but Phyto culture, Pod Cultures, and and BBS Hatchery always seemed to be net positive things for me especially the last two for some of my picky eaters.
This doesn't quite feel worthy of a start to my tank build thread yet, but I am getting much closer to being ready for that. I still haven't settled on a size yet, 125 or 180, live fuge for either. I'm in no hurry to rush fish or corals..... I've already got my Phyto culture rolling, about to start my Pod cultures, and want to get a healthy and established Pod population before adding anything other than my clean up crew. What is best practices now for getting the wide biological diversity now if you prefer to use dry base rock only to avoid pest and hitchhiking? Phytoplankton and Pods along with the traditional tank cycle will only do so much. Different types of pods? I've been out of the hobby for 10 years and I see a lot of these "bacteria in a bottle" items but I came along in the age of a lot of "snake oil" for reef tanks that cost a lot and promised the world but often times did nothing or even hurt your tanks overall health.
EDIT: This may be old and counter to modern reefing thoughts, if so I am more than open to the fact that I could be wrong, but Phyto culture, Pod Cultures, and and BBS Hatchery always seemed to be net positive things for me especially the last two for some of my picky eaters.
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