Red ruby dragonet

[Ocean avanue13]

I love these guys and I know they like pods but I've got tons of me
I have a 35 gallon reef with a 40 gallon sump and tons of macro I have 2 clowns 1 diamond goby 2 firefish and a dragon face, I do have tons of pods so I was wondering if I could get one

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Just remember that they eat a lot of pods daily, like 3-5 pods per minute at times so the number they eat per day is some crazy figure over 8,000... that's per day!

There are several threads about getting them to eat other foods and one of our members Paul designed a small feeder plate for dragonetts with hatching baby brine shrimp. I'm sure you will find it if you look around a bit with the search button.

There are some really good threads about them in the breeding forum and what they are fed might be worth your time to check that out as well.

Good luck with your fish if you decide to get one. Beautiful little fish.

 

[MondoBongo]

i would be concerned about the amount of competition you have there, starting with the dragonface pipefish.

 

[GimpyFin]

In my experience, these guys are easier to keep than mandarins. Very cool looking coloration. If you don't have a lot of pods, they seem to take to other foods a little easier. Reef nutrition ROE on the bottom either with power heads off or a low flow spot where they can pick at it seemed to work for me. Mine was doing good for about 6 months and then found a small gap in the glass top where a cord used to run through. I swear it was actually smaller than he was, but I found him cooked on the glass next day when I went to feed.

 

[Ocean avanue13]

Ok thanks guys, how much more pods would a ruby red eat than a dragon face,
To help with pod #s should I get some more plants in my fuge like a haidens hair plant or something like that I just really love these guys but at the same time I don't want both of them to die

 

[MondoBongo]

i personally wouldn't attempt it in that small of a tank, with that stocking list. change the stocking list to diminish the food competition and i would say a very small one with caution, but in my opinion it would be best to avoid for you at the current time.

 

[CedzAquAddictio]

They take fairly well to other foods besides pods, but the other foods should only server as a supplement, not a replacement for pods.

The main issue you have is that the dragonet will eat more pods per day than your tank and fuge can provide in a month. You can add additional pods, but you will have to do that at least weekly just to keep this fish surviving (not thriving). The secret to these fish is having a sustainable, multiplying pod population that exceeds the needs of the fish.

Unless you had a VERY large sump dedicated to nothing but pod population with no predators, I'd steer clear...

 

[shred5]

They take fairly well to other foods besides pods, but the other foods should only server as a supplement, not a replacement for pods.

The main issue you have is that the dragonet will eat more pods per day than your tank and fuge can provide in a month. You can add additional pods, but you will have to do that at least weekly just to keep this fish surviving (not thriving). The secret to these fish is having a sustainable, multiplying pod population that exceeds the needs of the fish.

Unless you had a VERY large sump dedicated to nothing but pod population with no predators, I'd steer clear...

I agree...

Tank is too small..

I have got mine eating frozen/live brine shrimp, live bbs, frozen cyclops, and small mysis.

I have found them easier to get to eat other foods. But like has been said they are a supplement and not their natural food.

Your tank is to small and a pipefish will eat lots of copepods.

Copepods are really hard to see, if you see pods running around it is most likely amphipods and they do not eat them.

 

[BrokenSpoke]

one of our members Paul designed a small feeder plate for dragonetts with hatching baby brine shrimp

Here is the thread Dkuhlmann is referring to:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2556503

 

[Ocean avanue13]

Ok thanks