copepods?

[bungles]

Didnt know where to place this question on the forum.
 
Looking to get some copepods. For my Dragonet mandarin. Any tips on where to get them and, how to introduce them into the aquarium since they are for food.

 

[meowzer]

What size tank? Do you have a refugium? If you have to buy pods to feed your mandarin, plan on buying A LOT
 
If you have no fuge, just pour them in the tank

 

[bungles]

55 gallon. no refugium. my lfs has some i just called. thanks

 

[jstdv8]

I foyu don't have a fuge you likley won't be able to keep the number reprocing in your 55 that you need to keep the mandarin fed. he will just eat them until there are so few they can't make babies fast enough to keep him alive.
 
I got mine at my LFS they were DT's and i left them in my tank with a lionfish (htat was turned into a reef) for about 3 months. then i added a fuge and then turned it into a reef. My mandarin is crazy fat and i have loads of pods now.

 

[lol]

really, the only way to get your mandarin in a healthy sustainable condition will be to install a refugium so that the pods will be able to reproduce in a safe environment. If you keep buying pods, it's going to get really expensive, really quick. JMHO

 

[carlos413]

They have hang on the back ones that hang just like filters. you can add some live rock rubble some micro algae and some live sand. You can than buy some cope-pods and start your own culture. That's what I did and I have a nice little fat & happy mandarin. the micro algae will also help out in reducing the nutrients from the water. Hope this helps.