Filter question

[ashmomicmac]

Hey Gang! I am trying to get a green mandarin fat on a future order of garf mud,BUT, I have a HOB filter for my 30 gal tank. Also it has 25lbs of live rock, and live sand on the bottom too. Current residents include 2 clownfish, 3 green chromis,1 yellow watchman goby, 1 jawfish, 1 coral banded shrimp,1 hawkfish, and the Green mandarin( and a few dozen or more hermit crabs). All levels are normal and the tank is 10 months old. I know I am maxxed out for residents but I am worried about the filter taking all the little life out of the water before the mandarin can. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance

 

[OrionGirl]

What media do you have in the filter? Sponges, and ceramic noodles are actually decent at giving the pods a place to reproduce--the concern is getting them into the tank without chopping them to bits, no problem in a HOB. The bigger issue is simply a matter of scale--you're trying to make a small setup do the work of a much larger one. It can take upwards of 75 pounds of rock to give the pods a decent chance of reproducing fast enough to keep up with just one hungry mandarin--and that's without competition from other fish eating the pods, too. I'd setup a refugium to increase their success rate--or upgrade to a much bigger tank.

 

[ashmomicmac]

The filter uses the blue filter with charcoal stuffing and a noodle pad too. Bigger tank seems to be where I need to go anyway, since I have had such success with this 30 gal. (knock on wood!) Thanks for your help!