Pod population help

I'm working towards a large population by January so I can get mandarin. Not sure how obvious it will be that the population is ready but here is what I've done so far:

Early september: Added 10 gallon refugium with a bottle of tigger pods. Big ball of cheato, LR rubble, mangroves. It's on an opposite light cycle from the tank. So 14 hours of light. Cheato and groves are doing well.

Last week: added another bottle of tigger pods.

Anything else I should do? It seems I don't notice as many pods on the tank glass the last few weeks. I see some on the cheato but not much, and not many are the red of the tiggers that I bought. I do see a decent amount crawling over the sand bed at night in the DT though.

Other things of interest: no pod hunting fish (at least not very much), see my sig. Tank has been up since June. Tank temp is 82. I was allowing for 6-7 months of growth before adding the mandarin and a lightly stocked tank.

Whew. I think that's it. I'd rather not run a separate pod tank as I want a large enough population to be self-sufficient.

Ideas to boost it and keep it high? Ways to tell when the pop is ready?

 

I don't really know the answer to your question, but I found this link that may help you out Melevsreef.com - Mandarin Care

 

Nice link! Thanks for the info. Anyone have tips for dosing phytoplankton into the dt and fuge? Specific amounts and whatnot?

 

Where are you going to get the phyto from? Where it came from will determine the dose you use.

 

Yeah I was gonna recommend phyto. First of all, you DONT need 75 lbs of live rock and the tank doesn't need to be running for that long; that's the way it was BEFORE we came into 2010. I don't even have a refugium; just a separate tank where I'm raising pods. I just dose phyto from Kent marine and my culture is really big right now!;D

 

Keep in mind that no matter how many pods you have - your mandarin will eat em all overtime . Mine start to pick up frozen food when I feed my corals.

 

I'm hoping the refugium will control that... If he can't get there he can't eat them! Haha. From reading, I'm going to start to hatch brine shrimp to supplement the diet once or twice a week also.

Probably going to still wait until January though... until I notice a large change in the population, and I want to give the phyto dosing a chance to boost the pop. Thanks for the help!

 

IME clowns also hunt pods.

IME tigger pods aren't very worth while. The only "research" that supports their viability in our world comes from the manufacturer... I'd recommend you go ahead and get some "regular" pods...

 

I love Tisbes.... and they are easy.

Pseudocyclops are also cool and are the type that swarm in a cluster in the corners of your tank.

 

Link to a retailer perhaps? I'm unfamiliar with these guys. I know I have some type of pods that came with the LR and cheato but it couldn't hurt to introduce some biodiversity in there.