Need copepods

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Engloid

New member
Since I just upgraded from a 30gal to a 125, and got a mandarin "goby" I would like to boost the population of copepods. I was searching the tank tonight with a flashlight and just didn't see as many as I had hoped to see, and don't want this mandarin to go hungry.

At the Aquarium, they have the little bags of phytoplankton and copepods, but it's $17. It says the bag will have about 150-200 of them in it, but I don't think I've seen a bag of that yet that had that much. Anybody here have a pretty nice supply and would be willing to donate some, or at least sell a bit cheaper?

I have also considered just putting some phytoplankton in my tank to help the ones in there to reproduce faster. Any thoughts on that? I think putting in some more copepods would be the sure way to go about it.
 
Unfortunately you probably jumped the gun on the purchase of a mandarin if you don't already have an established population. With that said you can buy kits online that have a good amount in them. I can't remember off the top of my head who offers them but prehaps you can Google the subject and find some or someone here will chime in. I agree the little bags of pods at the Aquarium look pretty pitifull.
 
Check with Aquatic Marine or Coral Reef both of them can get Tigger Pods (Tigriopus Copepods) from Reef Nutrition. The bottles that they get in have pretty dense populations in them. Also I know of an online source that can't be named in this forum that has copepod/amphipod bags at a really good price. CR and AM might have some in right now, but I would call and check first. I would suggest starting a culture for the pods otherwise you will have to buy a tone of bottles and there may never be "enough" pods for your dragonet to really be happy and healthy. Let me know if you need instruction on how to setup a culture.
 
I think Inland Aquatics might sell cultures of those.
Also, Mandarins can be trained to eat frozen if you're willing to put in the work.
 
The place where several of us get clean up crew livestock has copepods. How are you set for snails and crabs?
 
TriMax said:
The place where several of us get clean up crew livestock has copepods. How are you set for snails and crabs?
Click to expand...

I have a few turbo snails and probably 20 small hermits. This "place"...is it the one that the group buy was from a while back? R2R?

I saw somebody at the swap had some chaeto for sale, and it may have had copepods in it...but at the time I didn't expect to be getting this dragnet. I think he will be fine, but I don't think you can ever have too many copepods.

In looking in the tank last night with a flashlight, I found two small crabs that I didn't know I had. I think they may be the mitrax crabs. The largest had a body about 3/4" across.
 
No, Reef2go. You will need lots or copepods. In fact some folks rely on having the copepods grow in a sump or refugium so their mandarin will not eat them all and starve to death. They usually only eat the pods. I have heard of them being "trained". That is not usually the solution if you start out with very few pods. The fish dies before it gets trained if you do not have lots of pods for it to eat while being trained.
 
It seems rather simple to start culturing copepods. I may do that if I have to, but I think that in the long run, a 125 gallon tank will support enough copepods to keep a mandarin and a wrasse (future) going. You agree? i have about 3" of substrate, crushed coral and sand mixed, as well as about 150lbs of live rock.
 
I had a friend who kept one in a 55 for 7 years. Lots of rock, lots of pods. I wouldn't suggest that small of a reef, but your 125 should sustain a large enough population. The current problem is having enough adult pods to reproduce and feed the mandarin. I would get some eggs and start culturing.
 
Live pods aren't going to be cheap regardless of where you get them from. Also, it is going to take a lot to keep him going long-term if your tank isn't presently "established". There are ways to train them to eat frozen and I suggest you do some research on that. If you're not willing to make the investment necessary to keep him alive perhaps you should consider catching him and returning him. Just my $0.02 and it's not even worth that much.

Dave
 
i have 1000's of them in chato maybe we can do some trading for corals or something i really dont like selling but love trading i also have tiggerpods,Amphipods,Copepods,
 
cee said:
Live pods aren't going to be cheap regardless of where you get them from. Also, it is going to take a lot to keep him going long-term if your tank isn't presently "established". There are ways to train them to eat frozen and I suggest you do some research on that. If you're not willing to make the investment necessary to keep him alive perhaps you should consider catching him and returning him. Just my $0.02 and it's not even worth that much.

Dave
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I completely agree with Dave. Read the Mandarin Primer in the the reef fishes section. I would highly highly highly suggest catching the mandarin if possible. Read up on attempting to "train" them to eat frozen/pellets. At the same time, get some chaeto, rock rubble, and flood light to make a fuge-- if possible. And "culturing" pods is more like a grow out of pods. This can be done, but will take some time. The best way to be this is with a fuge, IMHO. If you don't listen to other, please listen to me, I have learned my lessons the hard way and don't want you to do the same. And the bags with them at the aquarium-- I am not going to speak ill of an LFS (I love to support them). They do have some life in them, and keep in mind, that not all the pods are expected to be alive in there nor are you expected to see all of them-- especially if it is a mixed population of pods. Also, try to look for the ORA Mandarins if you have to get another. I would advocate having an established system before getting a mandarin, but the ORAs have been living up to their hype thus far. And a 125 is more than enough to support a mandarin and wrasses if it is well established. Good luck
 
Hi Paul, missed you at the swap!!

Engloid, good luck with what ever you decide, train , return , or become a pod manufacturer!
 
I had two mandarins that ate frozen mysis and enriched brine shrimp with gusto that sooner or later ended up sucumbing to the same emaciated one day,dead the next day mandarin so many of us have had.....eventually though i think a large enough tank with a large fuge with things like cheato etc to keep the population going is what is needed.
 
I don't think mandarins have a terribly long lifespan. I had one for about 6 years that just refused to eat one day and died shortly thereafter. Just a week prior he was spawning with his mate who is still alive. Therefore, Chris, you may have had nothing to do with the mandarin's death.

Dave
 
cee said:
I don't think mandarins have a terribly long lifespan. I had one for about 6 years that just refused to eat one day and died shortly thereafter. Just a week prior he was spawning with his mate who is still alive. Therefore, Chris, you may have had nothing to do with the mandarin's death.

Dave
Click to expand...

Well that would be nice.
 
Based on some responses, maybe I left out some information and misled by doing so.

When I bought this 125gallon system, it had been up and running for 2 years. It included probably 150lbs of live rock which was not allowed to dry during the move. I bought it locally, so I was able to keep the majority of the water that was in the tank by using many buckets and totes. I also took all the water, corals, and live rock from my 30 gallon tank and put it into the 125. I only had to add about 10 gallons of "new" water to bring this 125 up to full. Therefore, I wouldn't call this an UNestablished tank.

However, in my 30 gallon, I could use a flashlight and find copepods about every 2-4" apart when looking into the crushed coral substrate through the glass. Now when looking into the substrate in the 125gal tank, I don't see as many copepods. I know I still have as many as were in the 30 gallon, but they will be more dispersed. However, I would think that I would have the same density of them in this 125 since it had been running for so long.

Perhaps the 125g had/has copepods that are smaller, a different type or something. I'm not sure. Perhaps the copepods I had in the 30 will be enough to seed this tank and continue a population that will support the mandarin and a wrasse I want to get. That is my thought... but I would feel a little more comfortable if I was able to put in some extra just to give me a little more confidence that the mandarin will be ok.

I have noticed that this mandarin does a lot of hiding within the rocks. He doesn't often come out and wander around on top of the rocks, in clear view. Based on some of what I have read, they will become a lot more active if they are having trouble finding food. My hope is that this mandarin is finding plenty of food within the rocks and small crevices, and therefore has no need to come out in the open often. Any thoughts on that?
 
Sounds like you've got all the right ingredients for success. I know they used to be caught with cyanide a lot and there were a lot of losses but I'm not sure if that's still the case. Problem is in the wild they zip into a crevice and short of cyanide a slurp gun is the only way I think they can be caught.
 
I thought they still used that method Dave. I don't remember where I was reading recently (within the last 3 weeks), but they described that method. I am sure there are other methods that are being used, but that one was described well enough. Also used for the other dragonets and some gobies.

I have no doubt that you have pods, but I believe alot of people under estimate the amoutn that the mandarins eat/day, the rate in which pod populations reproduce, and the amount that are in their system. Even if your tank was set up before, some died in the transit, stress have stunt the repopulation process, and time may have not been adequate to get to a large enough population. Please don't think that I (or anyone else) am ganging up on you saying- "get rid of your mandarin because your tank is not ready". I am simply trying to let you know my experiences, thoughts, comments, and information that I have found. I think that with time, patience, seeding and a good fuge, your pod population will be enough to support a mandarin. i am getting some pods from a certain website, that is censored, tomorrow morning. I am more than happy to let you know what I think of what they send. Good luck to you.

And Chris, your mistakes turn out to be brilliant moves, so I am sure that it was not your fault with the mandarin.
 
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