Want to add copepods to my tank

[GR00VY]

I have 29gallon tank. Right now I have 2 clowns and a rainfordi goby (love that little guy). I don’t have a sump or refugium. I was thinking of adding an intank refugium that sits inside my tank, hung from the rim. I see some for sale or I could modify a breeder box. I want a place that will house them and keep them safe and multiply from the clownfish and rainfordi goby. I would like to not hang more stuff off the outside of my rank that is why I was thinking in tank. The intank refugiums I have seen for sale all have slits and holes in them for water movement and so the little critters can fall through to the tank. What would I put in there with them? Rock work? Cheato ?

 

[Spare time]

They should be able to survive in the rockwork of your tank as long as you don't get a predator that only eats pods.

 

[GR00VY]

I know my clowns and rainfordi will pick at them, at least from what I have read. I do not plan on getting anything that particular eats them only.

 

[Spare time]

Make sure to put them in at night. I think they will be fine in the tank. You can always feed live phyto to keep their populations up

 

[Engrene4]

Depends chateo is a great hiding place for coepods but the remove phosphorus from the water it could be good or bad depending on if you are keeping corals in that tank and what type.

 

[GR00VY]

I am looking at algae barn. What would you recommend for me to put in my tank. They have a variety. Not sure where to start.

maybe with 5280 pods sized for my tank???

 

[Engrene4]

me personally i would put a small bag of chateo in and then i would go for the 5280 pods that sounds sufficient enough

 

[GR00VY]

Where would you put it? Just in tank under some rubble? I have no sump or refugium.

 

[Engrene4]

i would do the modified breeder box idea, after you have constructed it put it in a place of medium flow not high, in this case it might blow the pods all over, even so they will find other places to live in your tank

 

[Jeeperz]

I would use the Eco pods over the 5280

 

[GR00VY]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the help.

 

[bjc451]

I added a local source of pods then after 3 weeks I siphoned the sand bed and just feeding skimate no air and I am breeding some in a bucket

 

[bjc451]

I added a local source of pods then after 3 weeks I siphoned the sand bed and just feeding skimate no air and I am breeding some in a bucket

 

[GR00VY]

Would I need any special lighting for in tank refugium or can I use my regular lights and schedule? I read that it is good to have an opposite schedule lighting when using chaeto. If I put a small in tank refugoum in my tank I can’t really run separate lighting. Currently I run 2 current marine pro lights. They kick on at 9am and sunset at 630. Moonlight for 3 hours and then off. So from about 10pm to 9am my tank is dark (11 hours).

 

[Engrene4]

i see then i would make a black box over the top of it and paint the box black or get a black aquarium safe covering and then i would make a certain flow system that have baffles in both openings to let water in and out but not light and then you can mount the lights in the top in a certain way where light wont leak out. here is a pic of the baffle idea i have in mind.