Information on Mandarin Dragonets.

its ok

 

Is there a specific name or brand for "normal" copepods you recommend to start out with?

 

usually any type of pods that come in on live rock and chaeto or other macro algae are fine.

 

I would bet that more than 80% of the pods that come in on live rock are from the genus tigriopus... we are talking about a small fluctuation in temperature here! these pods will be perfectly fine anywhere in a reef!

There are arctic pods and temperate pods. the temperate pods (tigriopus) are from temperatures above 70 degrees and pods that are in temperatures below this are arctic. Where do mandarins and wrasses come from? temperate areas... these pods, among other invertebrates/fauna between 100-2500micrometers, are what they naturally feed on in the wild.

 

ive talked to many people including people here on 3reef and they said that after adding these PODS they were all gone within a week only the smaller copepods remain. The problem is not that they wont survive climate wise it is because they are suseptable to predation more than normal copepods which will make it so there population wont thrive and be able to support a mandarin long term

 

You first stated that it was a climate issue because the are "cold water" species.....


I guess the issue is that there are some generalizations that shouldn't be made.

 

i have corrected my mistake i really dont want to get into an arguement this is supposed to be a helpful informational thread and my opinion still stand that the best way to get copepods is buying liverock or macro algae

 

So if I just buy some macro will the pods grow naturally or do I need to get some macro with them already in it?

I'm about to add a small refugium. My tank has been set up for well over a year now however I don't seem to see any pods on the rocks or sand. Not sure if my fish or cleaner shrimp are eating them or if my tank is just lacking? I am looking into the mandarin so I would like to know the best way to get a healthy pod population going.

Oh yeah, I probably have ~85lbs live rock in DT and ~20lbs in sump; ~3" sand bed in DT.

 

Since you all seem so knowledgeable about the little guys I have a question. My brother bought a spotted mandarin for my tank probably about a year ago. He didn't know much about it and neither did I, except that the wonderful LFS guy told him they were hardy and easy to keep. Upon researching I now know that this is not the fact. However, he's been living in my tank the whole time and has even survived a bit of a tank crash. I don't have a pod farm and he eats the brine shrimp i use just fine. Am I just extremely lucky? Should I start feeding him pods if he's doing fine with the brine shrimp?

 

You got lucky.Mine wouldnt eat anything else but pods.If hes fat then hes happy and i wouldnt change a thing.IMO