Can pods be bought? Mandarin help!

[beginnermatt]

I recently bought a mandarin and I'm in need of some copopods. I was told that the little white salt grains doing the jig in my tank were copos, but the lfs guy showed me some and mine are very different. I have had a tank for a year now, but the rock I have is base rock (the boulders you would find on the shelf) about 40lbs. Any tips or ideas would help me keep this mandarin happy.
I also have a cbs for the last 6 months and it eats brine, pellets and flakes. Do they require any pods? I want to put it in a refugium b/c its being a bully, however I don't want to destroy any pod numbers. Thanks in advance.

 

[dive1]

I have just started a refugum which is a great place to raise your own. I have been picking thru my filter sponges and bag and dropping them in the refugum to seed it. Also you can hatch some brine shrimp and add to the refugum and they will drain into the main tank little at a time.

 

[jeebus]

I had the same situation with a Mandarin and I was able to purchase some pods from a local fish store. It provided a short-term fix, but in the long-term the problem continued and the Mandarin died. From my limited experience a Mandarin needs a lot of live rock to survive, as that is where pods live and breed. At the time I just did not have enough rock to provide enough food for it to survive. Also it takes some time to build up a viable population of pods. To make matters worse the Mandarin is a very finicky eater and it is very hard to find a substitute food. You might try breeding some brine shrimp and see if you can get it to eat them. Good luck.

 

[jeebus]

I had the same situation with a Mandarin and I was able to purchase some pods from a local fish store. It provided a short-term fix, but in the long-term the problem continued and the Mandarin died. From my limited experience a Mandarin needs a lot of live rock to survive, as that is where pods live and breed. At the time I just did not have enough rock to provide enough food for it to survive. Also it takes some time to build up a viable population of pods. To make matters worse the Mandarin is a very finicky eater and it is very hard to find a substitute food. You might try breeding some brine shrimp and see if you can get it to eat them. Good luck.

 

[beginnermatt]

Thanks jeebus. Even though I didn't by live rock, do you think that base rock could be considered live after a year in the tank? Thanks again.

 

[jeebus]

I am not sure about your question regarding live rock. My impression is that its either live rock or its not. Have you put any live rock in your tank ever? The pods themselves might take up residence in whatever rock they could find. However, that does not mean they will thrive there. Pods have to eat too.
My advice would be to talk to whoever sold you the Mandarin. A responsible fish seller should have made sure you understood the feeding requirements of this fish before you left the store. They are very beautiful and fragile fish and it is truly as waste to have them starve. Unfortunately it seems to happen with some frequency due to a lack of knowledge on the part of the buyer and perhaps a bit of greed on the part of the sellers. I hope things work out. If I can be of further help let me know.
BTW: What kind of filter are you using? I find that pods get sucked up into my filter and I can sometimes strain them out. I have an Eclipse hood that uses a mesh filter.

 

[beginnermatt]

No, I have never bought any live rock. If I by some little pieces would I have a problem with cycling again? I'm not to sure on how to treat live rock? I mean getting it from the store to the tank (acclimating) and any maintenance required (supplements).
I use a Second Nature 2000 external power filter.
Good news by the way. I was watching my mandarin for awhile and it appears to be eating those little white things. There about the size of a period mark........................and bright white. Thanks again and I'll check my filter tomorrow.

 

[jeebus]

If your tank is well established you could probably add a small amount of live rock without getting into trouble, just make sure you monitor the ammonia levels and maybe do a couple of water changes. It is also possible that you could find some cured live rock, or at least partially cured. It depends on what is available in your area. If you order it online it is almost always uncured and it takes at least a week to cure it. I am sure that there are a lot more experienced folks than myself when it comes to advice about rock, but that is my 2 cents.
I am glad that your mandarin is eating the small pods (or whatever they are). If you are pro-active in addressing the problem you may be able to avert disaster. Keep a close eye on the fish and you will be able to tell if it is feeding. If you think it is starving don't wait too long to get it some food. Once they get weak from lack of food it is all over. They literally get to weak to eat.
See if you can buy some pods and perhaps set up a breeding colony in a refugium. I'd also recommend getting some advice with another post as to the best method of establishing and increasing a pod population. Maybe someone local can help you out.
Take care and good luck.

 

[clarkiiboi]

IMO I would see if you can return the mandarian and then work on adding some LR a little at a time. If the rock is cured and you dont have far to drive from the LFS you should be able to put right into the tank----ONLY IF ITS CURED LR. (thats what I have done, with no problems).

 

[beginnermatt]

Thanks Jeebus for all of your ideas.
Clarkiiboi, the lfs cures there rock and sell for $7-9/lb. I live about twenty five minutes away. I'm not sure how it is packaged, but do you think I could put it the tank right away.

 

[clarkiiboi]

Yes, have them wrap it in newspaper then bag it, drive home and put it in. I live about 15 mins from my LFS. I wouldn't get a lot though, do it a little at a time. I have gotten 10 lb rocks before with no problem. Some people think the dyes from the newpaper isnt good, which does make me think, but still have had no problems so far, tank has been up for almost a year, the last time I added any rock was awhile ago, but I did have fish in there. Also try to get some with good coraline growth on it to promote it to spread on the base rock. HTH

 

[beginnermatt]

When added to the tank should there be an acclimation period. Like fish or should I just drop it in?

 

[ty@heidi]

If it has been cured at the lfs you should be able to just put it in. About the newspapper wrapping, I have heard the dyes on the newspapper will leach out. As long as the rock is double bagged and has a couple inches of water in the bag so it wont dry out it should be fine

 

[beginnermatt]

Thanks for all the help.

 

[clarkiiboi]

You can just add it, if you want you could take a bucket of your saltwater and give it a dip or two to get the crud out, but otherwise its ok to just add it.