How long does it take for pods to establish a healthy colony in a tank? Is there a minimum tank size needed to get them going? I am hoping to be able to establish a good colony so that I can get a mandarin, but I don’t want to get the fish if I can’t have a sufficient number of pods.
Pod propagation
- Thread starter walton
- Start date
Eric_n_Ga
Well-Known Member
I have a 3 gallon fuge dedicated to pods . I've dumped 3 8oz bottles in it in 3 weeks . Started seeing a solid number of them with the flash light yesterday . I believe 10 to 15 days is their " reproductive " cycle .I'm hoping to see a good population in a few more weeks . Nothing in my tank to eat them yet either so I think that helps .
ashwinv96
New Member
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 19
There's a variety of factors that impact the rate of growth of pod populations. It is going to be correlated to available chlorophyll in the water in the form of phytoplankton. Phyto distribution is dependent upon flow rate, temp, available light, etc. At the same time, rate of predation will also dictate copepod population.
The best bet is to wait at least 1 month or more after adding a large population of pods. Then see if you can observe a good number of pods on the glass on your tank. If they are fairly evenly dispersed and you can regularly spot them then you should be good to add a mandarin. Keep in mind a variety of other fish will also prey on pods like the six line wrasse and so you may deplete your population quicker than they can reproduce. It is always a good idea to regularly dose a bottle or two when the population seems to be scarce. Also, having a ball of chaeto or other photosynthetic algae in a low flow area like the sump will give the pods a safe place to reproduce away from predators.
The best bet is to wait at least 1 month or more after adding a large population of pods. Then see if you can observe a good number of pods on the glass on your tank. If they are fairly evenly dispersed and you can regularly spot them then you should be good to add a mandarin. Keep in mind a variety of other fish will also prey on pods like the six line wrasse and so you may deplete your population quicker than they can reproduce. It is always a good idea to regularly dose a bottle or two when the population seems to be scarce. Also, having a ball of chaeto or other photosynthetic algae in a low flow area like the sump will give the pods a safe place to reproduce away from predators.
Eric_n_Ga
Well-Known Member
I went with three different species as well to increase the diversity . Now I'm just waiting to see if they took. Every now and then I see a bigger one go shooting through the tank , hoping that's a good sign.
