Question about Mandarin's eating pods
- Thread starter pammy
- Start date
Hi Steve. The reason I ask, is because I can never find pods in my tank, even at night with a flashlight covered with red cellophane.
I don't know if my eyes aren't good enough to spot them (even with a magnifying glass) or if they don't exist in my system. I've had my tank set up for 14 months, and I've added pods three different times trying to get a pod population going so that I could get a Mandarin one day. Last time I added some pods was a month ago. I added them to a rubble pile into my sump, and left the filter media in there too for 4 or 5 days, that came with the pods. Even the next day after adding the pods, I couldn't find any pods in my sump. I don't have any wrasses or anything else known to eat pods, as I don't want them to compete with the Mandarin. I removed my filter sock months ago as I thought i might be losing pods in the sock. I bought a very small spotted Mandarin last night. I looked at large green mandarins, that I think are prettier, but they didn't attempt to go after frozen mysis when the store threw some in the tank, the spotted Mandarin that I bought went right after it. I do know that they can't survive solely on prepared food, but due to the fact that I only have a 53gallon tank with 55lbs of live rock, I thought that I would have better luck with a mandarin if I find one that I could SUPPLEMENT their diet of pods with prepared food. All night, I watched him pecking around, looking like he was eating pods. I couldn't see anything though! So, I'm wondering, do I have pods that I just can't see, even at night with a flashlight, or is he hunting for pods rather than eating them. I HOPE that they are in there, and they are just too small for me to see.
I also bought some tigger pods last night, and thew some in the rubble pile in the sump, and sqirted some with a turkey baster into the live rock in the display. I saved at least half of the tigger pods to try to start a culture of them so that I can add them to my tank on a regular basis. Will mandarins eat tigger pods or are they too large?
I know some people say you need at least a 100 gallon tank to have a mandarin, some people say 50 gallons. Some people put them in Nano's. Live Aquaria says 30 gallons. I've let my tank mature for 14 months, don't have any other predators of pods (that I know of), and have added pods 4 times, so I hope I'm increasing my chance of keeping a mandarin in a 53 gallon tank.
There is 55lbs of live rock in the display, and a pile of live rock rubble in the sump. I really don't have the room to add a refugium.
Unfortunately, the mandarin I bought looks thin. I didn't see that in the LFS when I bought him last night (lights weren't very bright in the tank). So I know that is a bad start already. I think they've had him for two weeks, and there was only a couple very small pieces of live rock in their tank, so I can't imagine there were many pods in there. I'm hoping I have luck fattening him up and keeping him long term.
Thanks!
Pam
I don't know if my eyes aren't good enough to spot them (even with a magnifying glass) or if they don't exist in my system. I've had my tank set up for 14 months, and I've added pods three different times trying to get a pod population going so that I could get a Mandarin one day. Last time I added some pods was a month ago. I added them to a rubble pile into my sump, and left the filter media in there too for 4 or 5 days, that came with the pods. Even the next day after adding the pods, I couldn't find any pods in my sump. I don't have any wrasses or anything else known to eat pods, as I don't want them to compete with the Mandarin. I removed my filter sock months ago as I thought i might be losing pods in the sock. I bought a very small spotted Mandarin last night. I looked at large green mandarins, that I think are prettier, but they didn't attempt to go after frozen mysis when the store threw some in the tank, the spotted Mandarin that I bought went right after it. I do know that they can't survive solely on prepared food, but due to the fact that I only have a 53gallon tank with 55lbs of live rock, I thought that I would have better luck with a mandarin if I find one that I could SUPPLEMENT their diet of pods with prepared food. All night, I watched him pecking around, looking like he was eating pods. I couldn't see anything though! So, I'm wondering, do I have pods that I just can't see, even at night with a flashlight, or is he hunting for pods rather than eating them. I HOPE that they are in there, and they are just too small for me to see.
I also bought some tigger pods last night, and thew some in the rubble pile in the sump, and sqirted some with a turkey baster into the live rock in the display. I saved at least half of the tigger pods to try to start a culture of them so that I can add them to my tank on a regular basis. Will mandarins eat tigger pods or are they too large?
I know some people say you need at least a 100 gallon tank to have a mandarin, some people say 50 gallons. Some people put them in Nano's. Live Aquaria says 30 gallons. I've let my tank mature for 14 months, don't have any other predators of pods (that I know of), and have added pods 4 times, so I hope I'm increasing my chance of keeping a mandarin in a 53 gallon tank.
There is 55lbs of live rock in the display, and a pile of live rock rubble in the sump. I really don't have the room to add a refugium.
Unfortunately, the mandarin I bought looks thin. I didn't see that in the LFS when I bought him last night (lights weren't very bright in the tank). So I know that is a bad start already. I think they've had him for two weeks, and there was only a couple very small pieces of live rock in their tank, so I can't imagine there were many pods in there. I'm hoping I have luck fattening him up and keeping him long term.
Thanks!
Pam
block head
New member
check on the glass near the sand for harpicord pods, mandarins seem to prefer pods that stay on the substrate, rather than pods that swim in the water. harps are tiny and it takes a lot of them to feed a mandarin. psych seem to more willing to adapt to other food. it's not easy, but it can be done.
Yes the "psychedelic" ones are likely to eat mysis but that in itself is not enough to sustain since the graze and eat constantly. You probably have pods and don't know it. You have no other copepod eaters that I am aware of in your tank. You can create mini-refugiums for pods in your tank if you create small piles of rock rubble; maybe in the corners?
block head
New member
i don't think tiggers pods are what u want. maintaining a lg pod source is ideal, creating places were pods can reproduce without being eaten is the trick. in smaller tanks, this is a losing battle. your going to have to use other food to keep up the calories. imo live gut loaded bbs or live brine are your best bet. my mandarin was kept with seahorses for a while. given multiple opportunities most manadrins can adapt to different foods. mine would only eat live brine at first. it would spit out dead brine if ate one by mistake. later it would eat dead brine. then frozen etc,etc. my mandarin will now eat almost anything. it doesn't happen overnight. multiple feedings can be hard on water quality. mandarin dinner's can help contain food. check out other threads on mandarins. look into what your getting your self into. have a good exit strategy if things don,t work out.mandarins are challenging fish
block head
New member
both and your still not going to have enough. these fish should be pecking every 3 seconds or so. they will destroy your pod population. most of these fish slowly starve, look at the belly it should be convex . people have spent thousands on pods and still failed. your tank wont be able to supply enough pods
She is borderline. You can't really predict outcome for sure in this case. I would prefer a larger tank with a refugium but . . . On the other hand, I don't spend any money on copepods and I have four mandarins. Granted they are in larger tanks but they also measure their longevity in my tanks in years not months or days.
block head
New member
checked out your tank on photobucket, very nice. your sump can be a great fuge. some rock ,cheato, add a small light bingo. phytoplakton will help a lot. looking at some of tthe fish u kept in the past pods are very likley on the low side. a skinny mandarin in a smaller,clean, newer tank stacks the deck against u. i'd take the fish back and try again in a few months.
Similar threads
