Pod Population

[IWishIWasAFish]

I had a very happy mandarin in my 45 gallon reef, with a 20 gallon sump/refugium. The sump probably didn't feed pods to the aquarium, but I happen to like algae, so I grew grape caulerpa and feathery caulerpa and some fuzzy algae all over my rocks. Rather like a green jungle. The fish loved it. I started with live rock from a variety of sources, which brought in pods, but never actually bought any. The pods hid in the macroalgae, and the other fish (dottybacks, clowns, bangaii), shrimp and occasional little crabs may have wanted them, but couldn't match the mandarin's hunting ability. He was absolutely fat and happy until two days ago when I did a major renovation and gave him away. Oh, I don't have a skimmer either. Way too irritating to try to set up and maintain in my sump. That may help with reproduction of some of the little critters. It certainly left them with more to eat ;-)

So, in summary, I'm suggesting that if you're willing to give up the bare-rock look that most people like, you could probably have a mandarin.

 

[ReefGeeker]

Got a picture of your fat an happy Mandarin? That's been living in your 28g for a year on blood worms which have NO nutritional value at all for marine fish. Amazing!
How did you manage to get 60lbs of rock in your tank?

I wish I would of seen this earlier, here is my current tank thread http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f70/reefgeekers-90g-reef-66049/ in the first post you will see a pic of my fat and happy Mandarin. I never said that my Mandarin was living off of just bloodworms she eats mysis, chopped vitamin enriched plankton, and of course copeopods! The tank was filled to the top with live rock and nothing else awaiting my my 90g biuld thats how there was ~60 lbs in there... It's not like I said hey everyone go buy a Mandarin, I researched many months before I purchased mine. Just because it seems you have failed to have sucess keeping a Mandarin alive is no reason to to flame someone elses post of thier personal experiance.

 

[ReefGeeker]

I had a very happy mandarin in my 45 gallon reef, with a 20 gallon sump/refugium. The sump probably didn't feed pods to the aquarium, but I happen to like algae, so I grew grape caulerpa and feathery caulerpa and some fuzzy algae all over my rocks. Rather like a green jungle. The fish loved it. I started with live rock from a variety of sources, which brought in pods, but never actually bought any. The pods hid in the macroalgae, and the other fish (dottybacks, clowns, bangaii), shrimp and occasional little crabs may have wanted them, but couldn't match the mandarin's hunting ability. He was absolutely fat and happy until two days ago when I did a major renovation and gave him away. Oh, I don't have a skimmer either. Way too irritating to try to set up and maintain in my sump. That may help with reproduction of some of the little critters. It certainly left them with more to eat ;-)

So, in summary, I'm suggesting that if you're willing to give up the bare-rock look that most people like, you could probably have a mandarin.

When I had mine in my 28g I also didn't run a skimmer, I suppose this may have helped as I did have some sea lettuce and cheato growing on a few of my rocks. Why did you give him away?

 

[pandora32]

It is possible for the pods to make it up to tje display from a fuge/sump. Theyre pretty small and it dont take many to survive in the display to populate. Its just easier to do in a safe place as a fuge. Both my display and fuge have alot of pods, and seeing how i dont populate the display, only conclusion is they are making it up through the return pump. I have a sponge filter as my bubble trap, if i ever get bubbles, and i just pull that out 1x a week for a day and i see them over in the return section. Put the sponge back in for the rest of the week, and do it over. Seems to work for me.

 

[Bosco]

I think your plan should work. I have a small fuge in my sump which has a deep sand bed and lots of cheeto. I seeded it with Pods a few times when I first set it up but I have never done it since ie. over three years ago. The pods keep multiplying all the time. I have a mandarin in the display tank as well as other fish that I know eat pods too. To make sure enough pods get from the sump to the display, periodically, when I am changing water, I shake some of the cheeto to dislodge some pods which are then carried by the return pump to the display. My mandarin is fine and has got enough food this way for at least two years.

 

[mfinn]

Here is a interesting take on feeding mandarins.

Thoughts on mandarins

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Paul did indeed write an excellent article on not only feeding mandarins, but "fish husbandry."

 

[TJL]

Great/fun article, thanks for posting it up Martin. It has been a couple years since I read it and forgot how captivating a writer Paul is just enough BS to keep you guessing.

Cheers, Todd

 

[Paul B]

Great/fun article, thanks for posting it up Martin. It has been a couple years since I read it

I wanted to see if you were paying attention. I wrote that article last week. I may have written one a few years ago but if I wrote it loger than a week ago, I would have forgotten about it already.
Where am I anyway?

 

[SeaLion]

This is a wonderful write up. Humorous, and enlightening but without the all the damnation that follows the phrase " My 20 gallon tank has just finished cycling, I am going to add a mandarin".

Thoughts on mandarins

 

[Paul B]

enlightening but without the all the damnation that follows the phrase

I never use damnation in my posts or when I am scolding my fish. Soon I will add a mandarin pair to my pico reef pictured here. I am waiting for the macro algae phase to be over as I am dosing vodka, running a diatom filter, sump with lighted refugium ( with the heater in it) kalk stirrer, doser and using ozone and an auto feeder but I still have macro lettuce algae. I am beside myself.

 

[NanaReefer]

I never use damnation in my posts or when I am scolding my fish. Soon I will add a mandarin pair to my pico reef pictured here. I am waiting for the macro algae phase to be over as I am dosing vodka, running a diatom filter, sump with lighted refugium ( with the heater in it) kalk stirrer, doser and using ozone and an auto feeder but I still have macro lettuce algae. I am beside myself.

Hahahaha great pic!

 

[mfinn]

Is the dewalt charger part of a battery back-up system?

 

[Paul B]

Is the dewalt charger part of a battery back-up system?

That actually starts the generator that runs the tank. :banplease: