What fish other than mandarin eat copepods...do anthias?

[pitmindi]

Hi, my tank is 6 months old and I am thinking of getting a blue mandarin in a month. I would like an ORA mandarin if they release the blue mandarin for sale to the public soon. My tank is 90 gallons with a 30 gallon refugium. I have stocked it with lots of copepods and ampepods (spelling?) and I have 4 fish currently, 2 clowns and 2 anthias. I dont think either eat the copepods but I am not sure. Does anyone know whether clowns or anthias would compete with mandarin for the mandarin food source of live pods. The clowns are ORA tank bred and raised and seem to eat only pellets and the anthias only eat frozen mysis or live brine shrimp. Can I assume the mandarin would have a good chance of survival since it would be the only fish in the tank forging for live pods?

 

[gogators1088]

no they wont, the only fish that i know of that will eat the pods are both spotted/target and blue/green mandarins, red scooter blennies, pipefish and seahorses
you should be good to go

 

[pitmindi]

Thanks....Can I get two mandarins or stick with one???

 

[gogators1088]

in a 90 you might be able to get away with 2, theyd have to be m/f though and if you were going to get 2 id get the ORA mandarins just to make sure that theyll also eat frozen or pellets im not sure its possible to have a large enough fuge for those guys...i got lucky and my mandarin eats frozen, but hes very shy so i have to target feed him

 

[tcmfish]

Anthias eat copepods.... calenoid ones. Mandarins eat harpacticoid ones.

 

[gogators1088]

if i remember correctly anthias eat amphipods and mandarins eat copepods

 

[jaa1456]

Actually Mandrins will eat both as long as the amphipods are small enough. I have seen one of my clowns pick at larger amphipods I have.

 

[><((((o>]

Six/Four line wrasse eat pods too

 

[Gill_bucket]

Six/Four line wrasse eat pods too

+1 on that

 

[auem]

my pyjama cardinals go mad for reef neutrition's arctic pod...so i guess they do eat live pod too....

 

[tcmfish]

Guys most fish eat pods... You listing what fish do is pointless.

 

[tcmfish]

Oh and "pods" is such a broad term, that it basically means nothing.

 

[SDguy]

I've never seen an anthias pluck a pod (of any sort) off a rock. Unless it's floating in the water column, most anthias won't touch it.

 

[revaltion131]

+1 Anthias usually feed directly from the water column. I've not seen one go picking around the rocks but if they see one free-swimming, they'll zip across the tank to get it.

 

[tcmfish]

But there are pods that live in the water column Not the pods everyone is used to calling pods, because our tanks can't support them.