Socks or no socks for Pods

[Alex]

I am trying to build up the Pod population in my sump and DT in preparation for adding a Madarin. My question is this...Will running a filter sock (which I have up until now) have much of a negative impact on my Pod population? If you have experience please share!

 

[DangerDave]

I have tons of pods and run socks....

 

[Alex]

Did you add pods of did they just come in as hitch-hikers? I'm adding them to the fuge.

 

[DangerDave]

Both. They were there early as hitchhikers, plus i added to my tanks and the sump. I like to do it after lights out, and I leave the pumps off for a bit to allow them to settle.

 

[DangerDave]

btw, my mandarin is fat and happy in my frag tank. I haven't added pods is over 6 months. If you do have a hard time keeping it eating, you can make a feeder and feed baby brine shrimp. @Paul B came up with the design, and it works for many people. The link below is one I found using his design. I don't use this feeder, but I hatch them every week, and feed to my entire tank.

Thanks PaulB- Mandarin feeder

This is the hatchery. No need to separate the napalii from the hard egg casings.

Hatchery Dish

Good luck!

Dave

 

[Mark Shelly]

If you add benthic copepods or amphipods (bottom living) vs.planktonic (the free swimming type), you will have more luck seeding the sump as they will be less likely to enter into the water column at night. If your sock and skimmer location in the sump is before the area you want to add them to, they have to go a long way to get back and into the sump and you won't loose as many. Since the reproduce every 7 days or so, they compensate for losses. Tisbe and Tigger copepods as well as amphipods would be good for the sump. However, if you are feeding corals or other filter feeders with planktonic pods, you will probably want to wait until it is dark and reduce or turn off your return flow so they stay in the water column longer.

 

[Alex]

If you add benthic copepods or amphipods (bottom living) vs.planktonic (the free swimming type), you will have more luck seeding the sump as they will be less likely to enter into the water column at night. If your sock and skimmer location in the sump is before the area you want to add them to, they have to go a long way to get back and into the sump and you won't loose as many. Since the reproduce every 7 days or so, they compensate for losses. Tisbe and Tigger copepods as well as amphipods would be good for the sump. However, if you are feeding corals or other filter feeders with planktonic pods, you will probably want to wait until it is dark and reduce or turn off your return flow so they stay in the water column longer.

The filter sock is the first thing the drain water hits when entering the sump. My return pump feeds water to the refugium. I am looking to eventually support a Mandarin.