How to get copepods to colonize in our tanks?

[beansbro1]

which pods and how much would be good to add to a 65g reef to keep a mandarin happy? would I have to add some monthly yearly?

 

[Reef By Steele]

which pods and how much would be good to add to a 65g reef to keep a mandarin happy? would I have to add some monthly yearly?

To keep a mandarin happy in a 65 I would add 32Oz Blended or Premium which is Tigriopus, Tisbe and Apocyclops or an 16 Oz Manestic which is 1/2 premium 1/2 Harpa and double density, and dose live phyto to help them establish. A 1/2 gallon of Phyto would last 38 days at 60ml per day.

Whether to add more and how often does depend some on the tank. If there is a refugium it is often easier to maintain a population. Observation helps as well. If our mandarins are picking at the rock we assume they are good. If they start floating away from the rock like they are looking for food we add more. Also a person can leave a small area of the glass dirty and see if pods congregate there.

 

[Reef Puncher]

To keep a mandarin happy in a 65 I would add 32Oz Blended or Premium which is Tigriopus, Tisbe and Apocyclops or an 16 Oz Manestic which is 1/2 premium 1/2 Harpa and double density, and dose live phyto to help them establish. A 1/2 gallon of Phyto would last 38 days at 60ml per day.

Whether to add more and how often does depend some on the tank. If there is a refugium it is often easier to maintain a population. Observation helps as well. If our mandarins are picking at the rock we assume they are good. If they start floating away from the rock like they are looking for food we add more. Also a person can leave a small area of the glass dirty and see if pods congregate there.

pods dont ever seem to be reproducing in my tank. is it because im not dosing enough phyto, or could it be my mandarin eats em too fast? i dose about 20ml of phyto a day, or if its the reef nutrition phyto, about 10ml a day in my 70 gallon.

 

[Reef By Steele]

There is a possibility that your dosage is small enough that it gets consumed by the tank without enough left to properly feed the pods. Lots of variables. Is you tank well established with lots of corals? What other fish do you have that might prey on the pods as well. Which species of pods have you added. If from us, sorry I don’t have a way to match R2R name with customers lol.

 

[Reef Puncher]

There is a possibility that your dosage is small enough that it gets consumed by the tank without enough left to properly feed the pods. Lots of variables. Is you tank well established with lots of corals? What other fish do you have that might prey on the pods as well. Which species of pods have you added. If from us, sorry I don’t have a way to match R2R name with customers lol.

ive added every kind of pod imaginable lol. some from you, some from reef nutrition. i have clowns,tangs, blenny's, gobies, and a damsel and a fire fish. ive seen clowns chomp the tigger pods. i have TONS of corals. do you know if tisbe or apoc reproduce faster? right now im culturing apoc pods. but if tisbe reproduce faster, ill swtich.

 

[Reef By Steele]

For a single pod I prefer the Apocyclops as they are larger than the Tisbe and seem to colonize strongly. Tigriopus do not colonize in the aquarium at least not as well according to my research. I really cannot tell you which reproduce the fastest as both Tisbe and Apo seem to reproduce strongly for us.