Pod Population

[wsboyette]

I am entertaining the notion of establishing a pod population in my 45G FOWLER, and eventually supporting a mandarin using a pod pile. I am considering starting the population by adding three or four generous cultures at first, then once a month adding a culture for say, six months. What I am wondering about is whether my existing clowns, damsels, sally lightfoot crab & hermit crabs will decimate the pod population faster than I can build it ? And if not, would the pod pile sustain a mandarin without further addition of cultures (assuming an establishment period of 6-8 months) ?

 

[chickenofthesea]

IMO, it would take a much larger system with a well established pod population and a sump where the pods can reproduce with out being consumed in order to support a mandarin with out adding more pods at regular intervals. Yes, the other fish like em too, at least my clowns did.

 

[wsboyette]

I have sort of a small (3" x 10" x 10") fuge box that might fit in my sump (it's 10 gal. & rather crowded with skimmer & carbon reactor & pumps); if I keep a culture of pods in there fed with phytoplankton that may support a mandarin, would it not ?

 

[senji]

i stocked my tank with over 5,000 pods then bred them in a bubble trap sponge in my sump before i got my mandarin. have had him for 4 mos now and verry happy. i just take the sponge out 1nce a week and shake it in the display to release thousands of pods then replace the sponge.

 

[wsboyette]

i stocked my tank with over 5,000 pods then bred them in a bubble trap sponge in my sump before i got my mandarin. have had him for 4 mos now and verry happy. i just take the sponge out 1nce a week and shake it in the display to release thousands of pods then replace the sponge.

I just have a 10 gallon aquarium for a sump, with no bubble trap. Could I just put a sponge block in the bottom of the sump tank & get the pods to breed in it ? How do you get the pods to breed in the sponge block ?

 

[senji]

they will automatically as they love it more than rock use a ferry porus sponge though i use the blue and have herd the green work well aswell.

 

[wsboyette]

I guess then that you just sqirt some phytoplankton into the sponge periodically to feed the pods ?

 

[senji]

i dont feed my pods uver they gat all detridus they need passing though the sponge

 

[Derbird]

You could look in to a hang on refugium for breading. It would have the added benifit of having a place for macro algea to help with nitrates too

 

[wsboyette]

The hang-on fuges I saw were all expensive full filtration units equipped with skimmers, etc. I already have a sump with skimmer. And I don't seem to need any help with nitrates, as they have not been above 2.5 ppm since the system became well established. The sponge block scheme looks most viable to me.

 

[NanaReefer]

i stocked my tank with over 5,000 pods then bred them in a bubble trap sponge in my sump before i got my mandarin. have had him for 4 mos now and verry happy. i just take the sponge out 1nce a week and shake it in the display to release thousands of pods then replace the sponge.

What kind of other sponges would work? I have ton's of pods in my fuge, along with some cheato. However taking the chaeto out to shake in the DT is sort of a pain

 

[wsboyette]

What is a *bubble Trap Sponge*? Thanks

It is a block of very porous, coarse foam, here is an example of one: Foam for 24 Gallon Aquapod

 

[DTECH07]

Key is (regardless of size of display) the Pods have a safe place to reproduce without getting picked off. Shrimp, Wrasse, Tangs and other things will eat them outside of the Manderine so it's important to know who will and won't be eating the pods once they leave their breeding area you setup. What will happen if you have a Pod Only Manderine is that he may starve over time while everything else eats the food you place in the tank. Your Podpopulation will thrive in the safe area you make to provent from getting eaten if you1)Use Pourous Rock(2)Blue Sponge(3)Macro Algae(4) Pod homes which you can find on you tube as a DIYThey'll eat the waste from your main tank or from the Marco Algae, how and where you want to set up this are tank or refuigum is up to you, hangon or below.Also if your tanks are health you will see the Pod population take faster than you would believe. That's my two cents but I have a 55gal Refuigum that's loaded with them so if you go that way letme know and I have a hand full of Chaeto (free) for you.Dtech07/Darryl

 

[wsboyette]

OK, here's the scenario - if I put as much blue foam block in my 10 gallon sump tank as possible, load it up with pods and seed it with some phyto, then create a pod pile of rubble rock in the 45G DT, and allow some months for it to build up & flourish, will it be enough to support a mandarin along with my existing four fish & five crabs ?

 

[NC2WA]

So the question of "how much live rock do you have in your main display" and how porous is it needs to be asked..having a fuge is a great idea, but if you dont have enough live rock to support the reproduction of pods, having a fuge is a moot point IMO.

 

[wsboyette]

So the question of "how much live rock do you have in your main display" and how porous is it needs to be asked..having a fuge is a great idea, but if you dont have enough live rock to support the reproduction of pods, having a fuge is a moot point IMO.

I have 50 lbs of LR in my DT, not the most porous but still lotsa little holes that pods could hide in.

 

[NC2WA]

how long has the LR been in the tank? (that is, cured) ?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Respectfully, there is no way to grow enough pods in that small of a tank with that quantity of rock to keep a mandarin alive. Sponges, fuges, and other systems all help, but...
Occationally one can get a mandarin reputed to be feeding on other foods, but even those rarely last that many months/years. I suspect competition is a big issue. Now if it was the only fish in the tank, or just other tiny fish...

 

[wsboyette]

how long has the LR been in the tank? (that is, cured) ?

Nine months.

 

[NC2WA]

IMO, not long enough need at least 1.5 to 2 years of tank life....also I agree with Mike that you need more LR 75-100 lbs to sustain the mandarin's diet...keep in mind, 90% of all deaths are due to starvation to lack of pods...

not saying it can be done, but need alot of live rock that has been in a tank for at least 2yrs and you are able to replace the pods easily OR get it to eat prepared foods.