I know a refugium is going to be my best option and i am going to get a couple of 24 in hob to store chaeto and pods but i am wondering if there are any ideas that people have used to cultivate pods in the dt. I was reading somewhere (trt maybe.. i left that site due to rampant censorship.) that someone made what they referred to as a "pod condo". It was basically a little LR rubble inside a screen with a pvc endcap on either end. This design "in theory" will keep predators at bay and give the animals an in tank refuge where they can breed. this almost seems more effecient than refugium based cultivation because then they wont have to be subject to an impeller. any thoughts/ideas
pod cultivation sans refugium
- Thread starter Pig8enis
- Start date
The easiest way to cultivate pods is to not have a predator eating them.
Pods will live in any tiny space they can find- under rocks, between rocks, in the tiny holes in the rocks, everywhere. Having said that you can either stack some rubble or put it into a small basket of some kind, so they can come and go, yet still have safe area. If you have a sump, that would be a good place to start. Just get a basket from the supermarket that strawberries come in, and fill it with small rubble. They will find it. One other idea is to get a piece of heavy, coarse filter pad and put it on the bottom of the sump. I have done this and was surprised at how many pods were in the material.
If your interest in cultivating pods is biodiversity, and clean up, then you will have plenty in short order. If you want to keep a mandarin, you will really need to give the tank plenty of time to establish the pod population.
Pods will live in any tiny space they can find- under rocks, between rocks, in the tiny holes in the rocks, everywhere. Having said that you can either stack some rubble or put it into a small basket of some kind, so they can come and go, yet still have safe area. If you have a sump, that would be a good place to start. Just get a basket from the supermarket that strawberries come in, and fill it with small rubble. They will find it. One other idea is to get a piece of heavy, coarse filter pad and put it on the bottom of the sump. I have done this and was surprised at how many pods were in the material.
If your interest in cultivating pods is biodiversity, and clean up, then you will have plenty in short order. If you want to keep a mandarin, you will really need to give the tank plenty of time to establish the pod population.
The filter floss idea is very interesting....I think that I am going to do that under my fuge light...give them some algae to chow on at the same time!