Dragonet and DSB w/Macro Algae

[seaner]

Hello,

My tank is 120 gallons. I have a DSB with macro algae. I recently purchased a Green Dragonet. He is in the tank with 5 clown fish. Do you think it's a good idea to feed my DSB when I feed my tank? What do you guys suggest. I have read that adding a diced shrimp to the DSB is a good way to feed the pod population?

 

[tom499]

i have two green dragonets in my 180g display with a 30g refugium and still supplement with live bbs. a 120 should be okay for one. on another thread people are discusing something similar.copepods are the best and they suggest buying them. i've cultured them but its not very fast.copepods in my refugium get marine pellets no specific kind.

 

[davocean]

Well first thing is I wouldn't have 5 clownfish, most likely as they mature you will end up w/ one pair, if you're lucky.
Phytoplanton would be a better call for feeding pods, but really best is chaeto in your fuge, which I hope you have.
If not, one mandy in a 120g w/ plenty of LR, maybe pod piles, may be cool.
May want to boost pods w/ a clump of chaeto or online order, but best is somewhat established tank/LR.
FWIW I had one decimate a huge pod population in my 90g before I had a fuge.
HO fuge is doable.

 

[small alien]

I would suggest you begin trying to train your mandarin to accept frozen foods asap. Also, you can supplement with live pods and brine. How long has your tank been up? What is the body weight on the mandarin? What does its stomach look like? What about right behind the head?

I've read about 5 clowns working every once in a while if you have a dominant female, a male and a group of juvis. Of course the same species. I've heard it done with ocellaris and skunks.

 

[davocean]

^^ Normally multiple clown tanks are from the same clutch.

 

[small alien]

do they usually develop a hierarchy like I described or do they all stay the same?

 

[davocean]

^^ Yes, if from same clutch there will become a female, and then a male, and then rest will be sub male or sexless.
In nem forum Mobert has an incredible collection/example of this, check sticky for "27 clowns same tank 27 months."

 

[mak3mydae]

+1 for weaning it over to frozen. My friend had a mandarin that i kept for a month and we both kept it in a 20. It was super fat and ate everything. Its in a better place now though....






In a 90 :lol:

 

[seaner]

All my clowns are from the same parents, but from 3 different clutches. I have 1 Female, 1 Male, and 3 sexless. It took 2 month before the clowns were accepted by the pair. It was a very slow process.

The Dragonet has a round belly, and looks very happy. He is about 2.5 inches in length. With regards to "pod support," I have approximately 200lbs of LR.... about 15-20 gallons of Macro Algae.... and I have a porous rock that is similar to a house hold sponge (with all the holes). It's kinda like a pod condo except 10x the size. I'm going to make the effort to feed my DSB, and pod condo.

Also... I had a lot of visible bristle worms in my display, but they seem to be on the decline Could it be that my Dragonet is eating them?

 

[seaner]

My Dragonet is doing extremely well. I'm going to continue feeding food to my dsb area with the Macro Algae.

 

[small alien]

Can you show us a picture of this "dsb are with the macro algae"? I'm curious.

Good to hear the fish is doing well.

 

[snorvich]

I have a remote DSB on all of my tanks but I also have a 40 gallon refugium on all of my tanks. I thinking feeding phyto to the refugium is the best strategy. You can take a fair number of clowns from the same clutch and evolve a pair and a fair number of nonsexed juveniles but otherwise they are like to become a pair only. I do not believe in training mandarins to eat frozen because they are notoriously poor hunters and with aggressive feeders there will be a problem.

 

[snorvich]

Oh, and by the way I keep the remote DSB with no light.