Copepods vs Brine Shrimp vs Tisbepods??

[velbar]

So, the tank has been doing ok. I have lost a few of the coral but I think it was because I hadn't placed them in the right light and flow levels, I am not good at identifying whats what when I get a random assortment but I have had good luck with the orange coral I got as well as the Star polyps.

I just got in a ricordia and another star polyp as well as a few mushrooms that so far have adapted well...the ricordia may even be spreading already but I think its more I am just new to it and vice versa.

I also got in a pair of Mandarine Dragonettes that have been pretty much listless since placement into the tank and I thought it was just needing more time to adapt to the new environment but I am beginning to be concerned just because they haven't really moved from where they settled after acclimation introduction. I thought that the Marine Snow would be sufficient for them but I am questioning it so now I am on a rapid search and research.

I have obviously found several options when I do a "copepods" search and the primary 3 that showed up are "plain ole copepods", "Brine Shrimp", and "Tisbe pods". Now I am perfectly willing to admit I don't know everything, hell much when it comes to many things. so I am asking for some advice and recommendation if not out right experienced explanations. Of the 3 I have found several options for DIY growth of more of less self sustaining colonies but I am also unsure if all 3 really are viable alternatives for the Dragonettes. So, are they? viable, functional, equally sufficient food for them. I have seen kits for 2 liter bottle breeding systems to what amounts to a plastic box mounted on the side of the tank to much more involved ideas. The marine snow seems to be doing just fine for the corals but if I need to add another food source then I will but I am of course looking for the least expensive most effective option and I know there is a world of wealth of information and experience here...


Please

Mike

 

[jay0705]

The fact there not active is not good. generally even after being acclimated they move around the tank. Generally hunting food. That said, tisbe pods will reproduce in your tank. Tigger pods will not. Live brine shrimp is far more nutritional then frozen. Cyclopese frozen is a good frozen food option over brine. However not all will eat frozen.

 

[velbar]

The fact there not active is not good. generally even after being acclimated they move around the tank. Generally hunting food. That said, tisbe pods will reproduce in your tank. Tigger pods will not. Live brine shrimp is far more nutritional then frozen. Cyclopese frozen is a good frozen food option over brine. However not all will eat frozen.

That's what I figured and why I started questioning the food source because I ran chems on the water and everything was good, ever so slighting up above zero but everything else was good. So it has to be food... and why I am in haste because I live in a small enough town that I don't have direct store front access to just about anything saltwater...unless of course its taffy and then there is a great store for that I hear. But the tank doesn't eat it so here I am trying to rectify an error before it is truly costly to life.

So I have a 150 gal tank (72"w x 22"h x 18"d) , halides and marine glo with some led's arriving soon I hope for atinic. Will the Tisbe's reproduce enough, rather how many do I need because I have cleaner shrimp as well that are pigs even though I feed them every other day and the corals as well with the marine snow.

Thank you for any insight

Mike

 

[lmforbis]

You can just dump them into your tank and I believe they reproduce fairly quickly but I am not sure that will be enough, fast enough to sustain 2 mandarins. You can try hatching brine shrimp and target feeding them. Usually you want a good established copepod population before you purchase a mandarin. Your tank is big enough to get a good population going and maintain it as long as you don't get any fish that will compete for the pods like wrasses.
You can also along with adding some to your tank culture them and target feed. I think the target feeding will not be necessary long term just till you get a good population going in the tank.

 

[velbar]

Damn, alright, thus far it sounds like ordering the Tisbe's in maybe a 3x order may be My best bet thus far. I know the damn cleaner shrimp were bred with hogs and as such are pigs now, I caught them attacking a zebra damsel 5 or 6 hours ago.... maybe it wasn't doing well but they certainly didn't help it along and I couldn't preserve it moving it to a small tank for isolation but it sadly went belly up about 2 hours ago after being in the tank just 3 days but others are doing ok at least except for the mandarin's and I got them to be the pride of the tank for now so My grand kids see and appreciate all the colors in life in the tank.

So thus far I have had suggested the Tisbe's are the best bet, unless I am misunderstanding you imforbis, all I care about right this moment is preserving the mandarins, the corals I think I am ok with as they are blooming and flowing in the light and flow and using the marine snow on them every day right now. I am hoping that will reduce some as they acclimate or once I get the Tisbe's settled to keep them going.

Should I try adding them to the refugium and allow them to be pumped back to the main tank after all the filtering... I am trying but I am on uncharted experience but I have done ok enough to keep most everything alive after challenging Myself to be coral primary and fish secondary.

Mike

 

[lmforbis]

What kind of cleaner shrimp? Some are great like the skunk cleaners and others are known to eat fish like the coral banded shrimp.

 

[velbar]

What kind of cleaner shrimp? Some are great like the skunk cleaners and others are known to eat fish like the coral banded shrimp.

They are just the standard reef kit peppermint kind. I haven't even looked at getting any of the others like the coral banded or pistols though I have had one of the peppermint think My finger was on the buffet table when I was feeding them some frozen food lol. Like the krill in the movie happy feet that was convinced it could change its nature to predatory lol...

I have never had a shrimp be a threat in a tank, new concept to My mind but I did know that some of the corals wouldn't be as safe with them in there, more than once I have had to shooo hermit crabs as well as shrimp away from one of the star polyps which for a good while afterwards didn't look so good. I started feeding the tank more than the every other day I was doing. I had been doing the every other day because all that was in the tank was crabs and shrimp and coral and I was trying to not over load the water ... something new and different everyday...

Thank you for any and all help,

Mike