Copepods?

[Cawhitlock83]

Just recently acquired a green mandarin dragonet, and would like to introduce copepods to my tank to give him a great food option. However, I have no idea what I'm doing with these little guys. I have a 110gal, plenty of live rock and substrate... I purchased Sustainable Aquatics Copepods (parvocalanus crassirostris) from a local shop and can't seem to see anything. Everything I'm finding online shows a much bigger pod. How do I add these to my tank? Should I add the whole bottle at once? How often do I need to add them for the dragonet?

 

[CasaReefer]

Welcome to R2R.... Great First Post....

 

[Dine]

So the pods may be hard to see. If you stare close enough, as your eyes adjust, you should be able to start making them out.
How old is the tank? Any other fish? The mandarin will gobble them up, possibly before they can multiply. If you have a refugium you can add them to that. It would give them safe haven to reproduce. If you don’t it’s possible you may have to add the pods periodically to replenish. Best to do it at night. Maybe turn the flow down for 20 min or so when you do.

welcome!

 

[flyline]

Welcome

 

[Nano427]

Add them to a refugium, sump or rear chamber. You’ll want to hope they will reproduce and supply your tank. My guess is that you’ll need to buy a few more bottles of pods until they become established well enough to give a constant supply for your mandarin. Good luck, mandarins are beautiful fish.

 

[Idoc]

Some pods are extremely small and difficult to see.

Before adding the pods, turn off your pumps and best to do at night when your fish are less likely to attack them as soon as you release them. Pour them into the tank and wait about 20min before turning on pumps again. For the first 24hrs, you should turn off your skimmer and remove any filter socks as well.

You'll need to replenish often...possibly monthly with a mandarin! If you have a refugium where the pods can be safe, then they may be able to reproduce there and sustain the system. But, regular replacement will probably be required.

 

[Cawhitlock83]

So the pods may be hard to see. If you stare close enough, as your eyes adjust, you should be able to start making them out.
How old is the tank? Any other fish? The mandarin will gobble them up, possibly before they can multiply. If you have a refugium you can add them to that. It would give them safe haven to reproduce. If you don’t it’s possible you may have to add the pods periodically to replenish. Best to do it at night. Maybe turn the flow down for 20 min or so when you do.

welcome!

I see a few things floating. I’m assuming that’s them?!

The tank is roughly 4months old. Upgraded from an established 29gal. Currently have 2 clarkii clowns, a sailfin tang, a blue velvet damsel, a scissor tail damsel, a long tentacle anemone, a sea hare, a long spine urchin, 2 decorator spider crabs, an emerald crab and a ton of cleaner crabs and turbo/margarita snails. And now the mandarin dragonet.

I worry with them being so small I wouldn’t know when to add them? Do I add the entire bottle - water and all?

 

[Eve]

Just recently acquired a green mandarin dragonet, and would like to introduce copepods to my tank to give him a great food option. However, I have no idea what I'm doing with these little guys. I have a 110gal, plenty of live rock and substrate... I purchased Sustainable Aquatics Copepods (parvocalanus crassirostris) from a local shop and can't seem to see anything. Everything I'm finding online shows a much bigger pod. How do I add these to my tank? Should I add the whole bottle at once? How often do I need to add them for the dragonet?

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WelcoMe!!

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

Do you have a refugium? I would recommend Tisbe biminiensis pods in the future. Just add the whole bottle to the rocks at night when flow is low or into the refugium if you have one.

 

[Dine]

I see a few things floating. I’m assuming that’s them?!

The tank is roughly 4months old. Upgraded from an established 29gal. Currently have 2 clarkii clowns, a sailfin tang, a blue velvet damsel, a scissor tail damsel, a long tentacle anemone, a sea hare, a long spine urchin, 2 decorator spider crabs, an emerald crab and a ton of cleaner crabs and turbo/margarita snails. And now the mandarin dragonet.

I worry with them being so small I wouldn’t know when to add them? Do I add the entire bottle - water and all?

Yes add the whole bottle. Lights out with low flow. Gives them the best shot at making it to the rock alive if you don’t have a refugium. I’d plan on adding another couple bottles over time while you try to establish a population. As for the water. It wouldn’t be my first choice but you would need a screen fine enough to strain them out. Not likely you have that on hand so you prob don’t have a choice about adding the water.

 

[ReefGrammie]

I agree with what the other posters have said, add at night, turn off pumps, etc. If you have a refugium, I keep a few sponges in there (usually the ones that come with my pods). Every so often, I put a sponge in a bowl and shake it out in the display tank in the same way, at night, turn off the pumps, etc. I also rinse the bowl in the main tank because I usually see all kinds of critters running around in my bowl!

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Just recently acquired a green mandarin dragonet, and would like to introduce copepods to my tank to give him a great food option. However, I have no idea what I'm doing with these little guys. I have a 110gal, plenty of live rock and substrate... I purchased Sustainable Aquatics Copepods (parvocalanus crassirostris) from a local shop and can't seem to see anything. Everything I'm finding online shows a much bigger pod. How do I add these to my tank? Should I add the whole bottle at once? How often do I need to add them for the dragonet?

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Unfortunately, Parvocalanus crassirostris are strictly a pelagic species and wouldn't stand a chance, long term, in a reef aquarium or refugium. They do not inhabit substrate or crawl on surfaces and are one of the more challenging/delicate species of copepods to culture. This species is primarily used by marine ornamental breeders and was the key component in the relatively recent yellow tang and hippo tang larval rearing success.

I recommend that you acquire species like; Tigriopus californicus, Apocyclops panamensis, Tisbe sp., etc. These copepods are all benthic dwellers, common in the hobby and are widely accepted as a live prey item by mandarins and other planktivorous fishes.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Here's a good guide for Mandarin care: https://www.algaebarn.com/blog/captive-bred-fish/mandarin-goby-fish-care/

 

[Cawhitlock83]

Unfortunately, Parvocalanus crassirostris are strictly a pelagic species and wouldn't stand a chance, long term in a reef aquarium or refugium. They do not inhabit substrate or crawl on surfaces and are one of the more challenging/delicate species of copepods to culture. This species is primarily used by marine ornamental breeders and was the key component in the relatively recent yellow tang and hippo tang larval rearing success.

I recommend that you acquire species like; Tigriopus californicus, Apocyclops panamensis, Tisbe sp., etc. These copepods are all benthic dwellers, common in the hobby and are widely accepted as a live prey item by mandarins and other planktivorous fishes.

So I added them last night with everyone's recommendations of turning off the lights and lowering flow. Should I worry about them not getting eaten? Also, since adding - I have strange white patches that showed up on the sand bed. Could this be the copepods?

 

[Reef Nutrition]

So I added them last night with everyone's recommendations of turning off the lights and lowering flow. Should I worry about them not getting eaten? Also, since adding - I have strange white patches that showed up on the sand bed. Could this be the copepods?

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Not sure what those white patches are. Since this species of copepod is pelagic, it's likely that your filter striped them out of the water column. They are also very delicate, don't tolerate strong current and require live algae to be present at all times for them to survive and reproduce. People that work with this species of copepod only grow them in clean culture tanks with no habitat.

 

[Cawhitlock83]

Not sure what those white patches are. Since this species of copepod is pelagic, it's likely that your filter striped them out of the water column. They are also very delicate, don't tolerate strong current and require live algae to be present at all times for them to survive and reproduce. People that work with this species of copepod only grow them in clean culture tanks with no habitat.

Well, that’s good to know! I should’ve researched a little more. So, would it be ok to purchase and add more pods - a different breed? I worry about the mandarin not eating. I don’t want to starve him!

 

[Reef Nutrition]

Well, that’s good to know! I should’ve researched a little more. So, would it be ok to purchase and add more pods - a different breed? I worry about the mandarin not eating. I don’t want to starve him!

Yes, you should add in some benthic copepods. The genus and species that I mentioned earlier are the way to go. If your LFS carries those species, grab a bottle or two.

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

Yes add more of them. I would recommend tisbe. They are benthic and warm water IIRC.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Though you may be able to sustain enough food for it to live, you may find that over the long haul that continuous additions of copepods may be costly. If you find that this is the case, please don't let it starve. Respectfully. Re-home it if it gets to that point.

New systems are tough to get copepods to reproduce and sustain.

 

[Terry Mattson]

Check our Posiden Reef Systems to grow your own pods. Got tired of buying pods. The mandarin I have is healthy and has an incredible appetite. Refugium has pods and I do dose phytoplankton but still need to supplement pods. The sand goby loves them.