copepods

[hodge_williams]

I am in the middle of setting up my new 125 gallon DT with 40 gallon sump (no current place for a fuge).

Question is if I have 140 pounds of LR do I need a fuge to grow copepods to feed a mandarin once established?

 

[sassafrass]

No however it will probably take about 6 months for a sustainable population to become established. something else to consider is no other fish that eat the copepods like a six-lined wrasse ,etc...

 

[kfisc]

And then some, if all the accounts I've read, and my own experience, are a judge; they'll clean a tank out in days, and even a well-established fuge has a hard time keeping up.

 

[hodge_williams]

thanks...
So the best is to have LR and a fuge as long as I do not have any other fish that do not eat the copepods.

 

[caorca]

That should cover it. I would think about buying a batch of live copepods to get the whole process going that much faster.

 

[K' Family Reef]

a 140 pounds of LR is a lot of LR
that should more then enough to support a mandarin without a fuge!... if a person can see even just one pod then there are many many more in the tank... w/ a 140# of lr there are so many places for mysid copepods amphipods... you should not have a problem whatsoever...

if you can buy pods at lfs
(a lot of times they will have a local person who will bring them in and sell them in small containers for 5$) then might be good idea to 1x/mth or so add some to the tank - if you are concerned about the pod population that is...

good luck

regards

 

[hodge_williams]

thanks Neptune's Oasis. I may do that instead of adding a fuge. If I have continual problems I guess I can always add one later.

 

[roxsburyrage]

Hodge from my experience if you want to keep you Mandarian really health try using melvs olive jar method and try getting him to eat small pellet food as well.http://www.melevsreef.com/index.html
He has a method of getting them to eat prepared food it might help.Just would hate to see another mandarian in this hobby die to starvation.If I were you I would put a small fudge if you can with some rubble rock to really get pods growing fast that's what I did.I have had m Mandarin now for over two years and he looks great.