Mandarin Dragonet experts!

[a7xsynx42]

Alright, I was thinking of getting one of these amazing fish and I've read that they generally only eat copepods. I have a 45 gallon tank with 50 lbs of LR. I was thinking of getting a package of 100-200 reefpods from this site. Then waiting a while before getting a Mandarin. I guess my main question is how long will a 100-200 copepods last? Would they repopulate fast enough or would I have to keep buying these packs of reefpods every few weeks? Also, how well do they do in a community tank with other relativly peaceful fish?

 

[teresaq]

They would probably eat those in just a day. Do you have a sump or fuge.
If you had a hob fuge to breed the pods, you may be able to have one, They eat a lot of pods
T

 

[a7xsynx42]

Wow, really? I don't have a sump or a fuge.. Could I get a pack of 1,000 and let them in my tank for a few months? Or would they just overwhelm my tank?

 

[scubachris]

some may disagree with me, but i have to disagree. I have a 30g with about 40lb of live rock. No sump, no refugium. My tank was up for about 7 months before i got my fish. I bought 1 bottle of pods in the beginning and put it in a week before i got my fish. Did this just to boost the natural population. I bought a food that i introduce every few days that feeds the pods and helps them reproduce. My fish has been in the tank for about 2 months, and looks healthier now than he did when I got him.

 

[gypsana]

How old is your tank? If it is under a year I would wait.They need a mature tank and pods to sustain a healthy life. The reason they need the pods is because they are very rich in fatty acids. You can do a search for a Mandarin Diner, they can give them a place to eat pellets,roe, or homemade foods. I am going to get one soon, I have a 90+ gal and a 30 gal sump/fuge. As soon as I get him I am going to start a thread about my experience.

 

[deejeff442]

i waited untill i saw pods all over the glass.
i do have a sump with 30 lbs of lr though.
awesome little fish.
also having a mandarin for two months dont tell you if he is doing good.
they can live up to a year with a lack of pods then one day just die.
imo a sump with at least 20 lbs of lr is a must for these guys.

 

[a7xsynx42]

thanks for the replies! i'm not sure if they're pods but i have seen TINY white specs all over my glass. my tank is only 4 months old. would loading my tank up with pods (1,000 or so) now, then waiting a few months before adding him be okay?

 

[deejeff442]

thats what i did ,
but you really need a sump for them to breed.
can you put one under the tank?
on my 90 all i had was a rubbermaid tote with rock in it.
an overflow with a 500 gph pump.they will breed like crazy.
mandarins are known to eat up to 1000 pods a day.
he might be ok for 6 months ,but if the pods cant breed then he will eventually wipe them out and starve.pods bredd extremly fast in a sump.
no sponge or filter sock on the system so the pods can get to the dt.yes the pods go right through the pump.just if you are wondering.

 

[a7xsynx42]

under my tank is closed off.. my own stupid design! maybe i could put it behind the tank? it's catty corner to the wall. also, would having 1000s of pods be too much for my tank? meaning, all my rock wouldn't be covered with them would it?

 

[deejeff442]

never heard of an over population of pods.
you can dump them in either the dt or sump.
it doesnt matter as the pump will circulate them.
you will never just see a mandarin sitting doing nothing they are always looking for pods and eating them.
i have a little guy maybe 1.5 inches he is so cute.
these fish have such a reputation of dying in captivity we need to do all we can for then if we want to keep one.

 

[a7xsynx42]

One more quick thing.. Copepods are those tiny (1-2mm) white things all over my tank? They look like white teardrops with antenna. They eat those tiny things?! If they do then I have thousands of them already! Just on my glass. Is it safe to assume they're on my rock as well? And will a mandarin eat off my glass?

 

[lil.guppy]

I got over a thousand and got my dragon around the same time with no fuge. The little bugs are going crazy and I can usually find swarms of them on my algae cleaner.
It helps when you wait until the lights go out at night before adding the batches.

 

[ifirefight]

I have a 130 gallon with over 200 lbs of live rock. I was unable to keep a mandrin for any length of time until I added a 45 gallon fuge with additional LR. I now have had him for almost 2 years... ANYBODY can keep 1 for 6 months...The one year mark is a sucessful date IMO. If you can sustain one that long you should be fine. They ARE beautiful fish....however mine seems to be shy and I rarely see him.

 

[gypsana]

Sounds like you are determined to get one but unless you have a fuge and wait until your tank is mature you are going to have a fish slowly starve to death or you are going to be spending major dough for seeding your tank all the time. You can get HOB fuges and that would work just as well. Also adding a pile of LR rubble in your DT as gives the pods a place to reproduce. You might see a lot of pods but their population comes and goes. Also you can not have another fish that eats pods like a wrasse for instance.

 

[a7xsynx42]

I deffinatly don't plan on having him starve to death! That's why I'm on here asking questions. What all would I need for a HOB fuge? Inlet and outlet pumps and some LR? Thanks for all the input!

 

[cranberry]

You can make intank mounds of rubble that the pods will use as a refuge. You can also dose your tank with phyto to increase pod populations. Actively seek out a mandarin that is taking frozen.

 

[teresaq]

Originally Posted by a7xsynx42
http:///forum/post/3032546
I deffinatly don't plan on having him starve to death! That's why I'm on here asking questions. What all would I need for a HOB fuge? Inlet and outlet pumps and some LR? Thanks for all the input!
you can turn a hob filter into a fuge, There are plans around on how to do it. I will have to look, just add rubble, cheato and a small light.
T

 

[a7xsynx42]

Okay, here's what I'm thinking because I'm cheap

I'll take a gallon sized clear container, cut a few nickle to quarter sized holes in it. Punch tons of thumbtack sized holes in it. Throw in some live sand, some crushed coral and broken up LR. And put it in the corner of my DT. Add a few hundred copepods and that should be a good breeding ground, right? Anything else i should add?

 

[deejeff442]

you still would need to get the water in there circulating.
you dont need sand or cc just rock.

 

[a7xsynx42]

I have some light flow in there but it's not much. Maybe I'll point a powerhead at it? Is the circulation just for the copepods so they have a way of getting in and out?