what do i need in my refugium?

[a&m aggie 04']

After xmas im going to put a refugium on my tank. My main intentions of this are to produce pods-- i want a mandarin. What exactly do i need in this, i know i need light
Do i need live rock, or sand??
which kind of caulpera would be best??

 

[iceburger]

ok, if your tank is matured then take a piece of LR from your tank and place it in your refugium, this will jumpstart your pods in the refugium...that is if there are pods on your LR...then get some culerpa, doesnt really matter what kind... make sure you've got some LS or miracle mud in there...
and i would make sure you've got a a large enough pod population to support a manderin...
i personally want a manderin for my 75 but i'm gonna wait a year or so to get one, maybe more...just to be sure that i have enough food for the little bugger...
also, you can start by putting "pod piles" in your display tank by piling rubble from LR in a corner or somthing and then when you do get your refugium put those piles in there...

 

[a&m aggie 04']

i really havent looked for pods until tonight, i dont think i have many but ive seen soem of what seem to be them wondering around my live rock after the lights go off. Im not planning on getting a mandarin for a while but need get my tank ready for one down the road.
Do i have to somehow introduce them into my tank or will the multiply from the few i already have??

 

[iceburger]

i accually set up a "pod tank" on accident, i tore down my 10 gallon nano and took everything out exept a piece of LR and the sand... and just let it sit for about a month with just a bubbler in there...i looked in there and there were millions of pods everywhere in there...if you could, find someone that has an established reef and borrow some sand and maybe some rubble and that should introduce some pods into your tank, if you dont have them already....