Copepod Cultivation

[Ztkirkpatric]

I have ordered several different species of copepods... I have a 150g tank and plan on getting a mandarin in the next couple of months... I don't know how much live rock (in weight) that I currently have, however I do have quite a bit. The copepods are supposed to arrive today in the mail, I have a bottle of marine zooplankton I got a clearance a while back and I checked it today, I believe everything in it is dead. Will the copepods still eat it?

I am planning on planting some grass in the tank to allow more places for the copepods to hide once I introduce them into the tank... I will start them out in a refugium first... However I am curious if I supply enough places for the copepods to hide/breed if they will do so in the tank and eventually sustain a healthy population... The grass I am using is called "Mexican" something, apparently its extremely invasive... However a neighbor of mine has had it in their tank for almost two years now, with frequent trimming it stays under control and I think it looks great... Will that along with the live rock be adequate to sustain a population of copepods that will allow a mandarin to survive?

 

[Sqasnatch]

This seems to be a very touchy subject. I'm starting to think it depends on the individual. I have a mated pair of green mandarins in my 3 year old tank. They were on the brink of starvation in the lfs so I figured I would give it a shot to bring them back. Well now they are really fat and doin really well. I got them in may I think. There is still lots of pods that I see in my tank. I have a 120 gal with a 30 gal refugium . Lots of macro and rubble in the refugium. Some ppl might say they will die eventually but I do cultivate live brine every couple of weeks as well. That's all. Can tell you. A mated pair of mandarins are beautiful

 

[Ztkirkpatric]

Does anyone know if they will eat the dead ZooPlankton?

 

[carey]

I had a "pod" tank that I was using to raise them so I too would have enough for a mandarin. But it wasnt a very big success unfortunately.

I now have a ora blue mandarin in my 29g biocube eating frozen foods and a scooter dragonet as well on prepared.

Keeping one is just a matter of time and dedication. I just read the newest issue of coral magazine where they said a larger tank isnt always the best place for a mandarin due to competing for food and the sheer size of the tank which makes target feeding impossible.

just some more food for thought.

Good luck

 

[xxStLxx]

I had a red manderin in my old 200g reef with 75g sump and he managed to eat all the pods in my tank within 2 months and after that he starved to death because attempting to target feed was almost impossible without someone else coming and stealing his food. I even did a HOB refugium on the sump to try and breed copes but to no success. Good luck to you though