Hello all! I'm new to the hobby and I'm currently in the process of cycling my 40G NUVO from IM. I'm trying to plan for eventually getting a Mandarin and I'm looking into my best options for establishing a healthy pod count for the fish. I plan on getting a captive bred Mandarin, but I still would like to have ample supply of pods in case of difficulty with eating prepared foods. Here are the options I've been considering:
I'm open to any thoughts or other options here as well!
- Adding a small DIY refugium in my media basket. I'm concerned this space is too small and I won't be able to keep a high enough population with this method. It's roughly a 4x2 inch space.
- Culturing the pods outside the tank. I would prefer not to do this, if at all possible, but I will if it's necessary.
- Getting a HOB refugium. Most likely the CPR medium or small. This option is preferable to me, as I would ideally like to have the benefits of the refugium, as well as the added ease of not having to maintain a separate pod culture.
I'm open to any thoughts or other options here as well!