how long for pods to populate tank?

[CTaylor]

Hi,

I have a 38 gallon neon goby only tank lol. Two tiny sharknose gobies I have from LA will eat only copepods.. They will eat and totally spit out any other food, incl small mysis, chopped up other frozen meaty foods, small dry pellet. They are nothing like my 1 1/2 " long blue and sharknose gobies and new red neon gobies that eat everything. They are juvenile gobies, and I guess they eat only tiny live food.

Half the bottle of pods I bought I used to seed the tank /live rock and the small 'fuge packed with chaeto and some live rock.

About how long will I have an established population , IF they have taken hold. One which is growing enough to feed the gobies. I have a total of 6 gobies -- 4 red neons.. which I can feed frozen food, so they wont be super hungry for pods. And the two baby sharknosed.

I dont want to buy another $25 bottle of pods lol.. that's how much each goby cost. ugh

[Anemone]

Neon gobies (of all types) love pods. If you're expecting to create a stable breeding population in the tank with these predators, you'll probably not be pleased. Now the fuge may develop a population, but the size of the fuge and availability of food for the pods will dictate how much the fuge help the pod population in the main tank.

If your little neons are really only eating pods, then you should monitor their growth/size, and be prepared to quickly order more pods in a bottle if you detect them getting skinny.

Good luck,
Kevin

[Daddi0]

Might need to start culturing pods?
Cheers! Mark

[CTaylor]

I'm seeing a few copepods (and that's what I meant -- not amphipods) now on the front acrylic. Maybe they are establishing already. And the baby gobies are not emmaciated. Thin, yes, but not concave thin. **What should I feed my little 'fuge' to feed the copepods?

Side note, LA will not tell me what exact food (or at least a really good idea) they use next after copepods for baby gobies to get them next to eat regular frozen food. Is is that that they must have a host fish in the tank to clean? in order to 'ween' onto 'regular' foods?

Thanks

[scattered]

Originally Posted by CTaylor

I'm seeing a few copepods (and that's what I meant -- not amphipods) now on the front acrylic. Maybe they are establishing already. And the baby gobies are not emmaciated. Thin, yes, but not concave thin. **What should I feed my little 'fuge' to feed the copepods?

Side note, LA will not tell me what exact food (or at least a really good idea) they use next after copepods for baby gobies to get them next to eat regular frozen food. Is is that that they must have a host fish in the tank to clean? in order to 'ween' onto 'regular' foods?

Thanks

Feed phytoplankton. I keep a 10G pod tank to replenish my nano. I have fine filter sock material in the second chamber of my nano and I replace it with that which has been growing a new population in my pod grow out tank when I do semi monthly cleaning and filter material swap. That is actually on a rotating scheduling. After two weeks I replace the foam an GAC with that which has been cleaned and lives in the pod tank, then two weeks later it is the micron sock...lather, rinse, repeat.

[CTaylor]

Thanks scattered. Phyto is also expensive. The copepods in the tank now are eating something, and it's not phyto I've added b/c I haven't added any. Will they eat something more simple for me to add. I know keeping fish is a responsbility. I'm just not looking increase it more than it's at. Perhaps adding someting like powdered type food used for SPS or filter feeders since it's so small?

[Uncle99]

If your going to culture PODS, then you should culture phyto first, it's quite easy, and combined, is very cheap to do.
A test estimated count of Copepods, of 3 separate LFS stores bottles of copepods was dismal IMO, maybe 100 live only in each bottle, that would last 1 day for a mandarin at best.
Store bought Pods, make super profits for stores, am much is crap

[CTaylor]

TY uncle. But no I am not culturing pods . I was just trying to see how long it would normally or ideally take to see a population build up on my tank as is with my small refug. I think it's already happening as the gobies are not emmaciated. But I wonder if it's benefical to add some fine powder type food to the 'fuge, perhaps the copepods will eat that. The ones in there and my larger reef tank are eating something, and I don't add phyto to it.
I'm trying to keep it simple here

[scattered]

Originally Posted by Uncle99

If your going to culture PODS, then you should culture phyto first, it's quite easy, and combined, is very cheap to do.
A test estimated count of Copepods, of 3 separate LFS stores bottles of copepods was dismal IMO, maybe 100 live only in each bottle, that would last 1 day for a mandarin at best.
Store bought Pods, make super profits for stores, am much is crap

100 pods is a snack for a mandarin

I've had 'acceptable' results ordering amphi/copepods online, but nothing to write home about. Enough to kick start a refugium but it took a few weeks to really build up a decent population from that seeding.

[MondoBongo]

my general guideline is 6 months.

this isn't based on any exact measurements, more just my observations of how many pods i can see in glass surveys.

there seem to be some ups and down in the first 6 months as tank params stabilize. sometimes it's faster, sometimes it's not. really depends on the setup.

what i can tell you, is that you should be able to start seeing them fairly quickly (within weeks) on the glass. i usually look in the corners around dusk or night time (with a flashlight). you'll see the little white specks moving around.