copepods

[LOVEYOURPOOLGUY]

hello out there,
I was wondering how one would go about getting copepods into my tank, I have currently housed a mandarin for over five months and it seems fine. I am not sure if there are any of these "pods" in my tank now for I have never seen one. Also i am about to set up a sump and was wondering if i could use that as a refugium for the "pods". Also had a question about the sump, I read that the bio balls will do wonders for removal of nitrite, and ammonia, but the nitrate levels will soar. If that is the case, how do you combat the climbing nitrate leves?

thanks

 

[reefrunner69]

I am not sure if there are any of these "pods" in my tank now for I have never seen one.

Look at your rock and substrate at night after the lights are out.

Also i am about to set up a sump and was wondering if i could use that as a refugium for the "pods".

Absolutely

If that is the case, how do you combat the climbing nitrate leves?

Don't use the bioballs, use the LR and LS as your nitrification and denitrification media

 

[LOVEYOURPOOLGUY]

do you mean live rock and live sand in the tank or should I put lr &ls in the sump area of the filter? and do you mean dont use bio balls at all?

 

[reefrunner69]

I mean don't use any bioballs at all.

 

[LOVEYOURPOOLGUY]

okay but what about the ls and lr should i get more for the sump or just rely on whats in the tank? as of right now I have only a 2" dsb, w/about 45lbsof lr.

 

[reefrunner69]

To rely on LR for nitrification you need about 1-1.5 lbs/gallon. More in the sump can't hurt, I won't set up another tank without a refugium.

 

[pipermurphy]

About the pods in question. I was wondering if I had any also, but was told that a few hours after lights out, to get a flashlight and put it on the tank and watch for a little while and boy oh boy was my sand LIVE there were little tiny critters scurrying all over, needless to say I was happy

 

[BigNEMO]

Reefrunner,

I have an EcoSystem and their directions call for bioballs in the first compartment and the third compartment. Are you telling me these are bad?

Why do they sell them then? :?

 

[reefrunner69]

I am unsure what the eco system calls for, I have not used it, in a natural system they are not a good idea, if your system calls for it...I would use them.

 

[LOVEYOURPOOLGUY]

so reefrunner,
would it be feasible just to take, say a 20 gal long tank, plumb a inlet and outlet, put some ls and lr in the bottom and have myself a sump/fuge?

 

[reefrunner69]

would it be feasible just to take, say a 20 gal long tank, plumb a inlet and outlet, put some ls and lr in the bottom and have myself a sump/fuge?

Absolutely, just add a few baffles for removing bubbles and keeping the sand out of your pump, maybe add a skimmer in ther...and your all set

 

[LOVEYOURPOOLGUY]

thats great news seeing as how i have about three 20 gal tanks layin around. It sounds alot better than $200.+ for a wet dry filter. hey man i really appreciate your help. one last thing if i hook up that sump, buy a custom sea life pc w/moonlite, would i be able to keep some corals under that light?
as of now i have 4 green chromis
1 yellow tang
1 blue mandarin
1 sebae clown
1 reef lobster
and about 50 lbs of lr(just got more today!)

 

[reefrunner69]

buy a custom sea life pc w/moonlite, would i be able to keep some corals under that light?

I assume the CSL would have 4 X 65W PCs? If so then yes there is a wide array of corals you could keep.

 

[Porksound]

Bio Balls and other media cause competing bio filtration organisms to take root in a system... LR and LS do the job better than these competing bio media when stocked to the levels reefrunner suggests.

Bio media is sold with a lot of tanks because not everyone uses LR and of course, in a freshwater system you need some kind of bio media... but for a reef tank that media gets in the way...

p