I Have New Livestock

[xNOTLOCx]

Well after 5 months I finally went back to get some grape kelp and a protein skimmer. I also upped my cleaner by 5 new hermits and 2 new snails, i was going to get a cowrie, but they said it might cut itself on my substrate since i have rock, i dont think it would but maybe you can tell me. Anywheys I was going to get a sixline wrasse, but i changed it to a bangaii since it is a different color then "bright", and he's in my quarantine tank. Then i saw a mandarine goby they were selling for 10 dollars they said it probably wouldnt make it, so hes in my tank and hes hunting and eating which i suppose is a very good thing. I do hink i might order some copepods in a bottle from liveaquaria just in case. but I know i have plenty on the glass at night, i got another urchin to add to my urchins, and a new type of coral i forget what it's called though, and i was gonna get a red magrove proagule but they wanted too much, and the only thing that is missing from my tank that i will soon add, is a clam, sea apple, starfish, and some more hermits, thats just for my main tank, after my main tank is done i will use my quarantine tank as a normal tank put a 3 striped damsel in it then a sand sifter and a cucumber n crab or something. O wait bubble coral for my main tank, but i sure do hope my mandarin survives what do they act like that's normal? and will they hide or be out? and will the copepods reproduce good if he eats them all the time how fast. my water quality is fine. just nitrates at 9

 

[enjoiskater158]

The mandarin will eat all the copepods in a nano tank very fast. I would buy 2 bottles of codepods. 1 to culture them in a seperate tank. and the other to feed to the tank while your culture is growing. culturing copepods is a must if you want to keep a mandarin in a nano.

Copepods
How to culture Copepods

Normal for an mandarin would be "hovering" over the rocks or sand and picking at them, usually for pods

Good Luck!

 

[xNOTLOCx]

That's like 100 dollars though, maybe if i shop around... I was also thinking if i bought feeder shrimp? smaller ones i would eat these right? annd what do I do my urchin won't stop trying to eat my grape kelp, its the longspined black one, Will he keep dining on it?

 

[enjoiskater158]

i doubt it will eat feeder shrimp. im dont have experience with unchins but if he is eating it now he will probley keep eating it

 

[xNOTLOCx]

Ya he keeps eating it, they have eaten almost half of it, so i put it in a bag n hung it at the top for now... The mandarin is hunting, he ate a flake of food but never went for more. So if i buy just one bottle of copepods can't i just breed them in a bucket with some grape kelp or w/e then just add them when neccecary. I only have money for one, but where do i buy phytoplankton to feed them?

 

[xNOTLOCx]

Ya nvm i read up on it he will keep eating it so i'll just find another place for it

 

[dixaisy930]

Mandarins eat alot of pods, that's why most people like keeping them in 100 gallon+ tanks. This is to have a stable supply of pods. I imagine they could wipe out a bottle of pods with in a day or two. Not sure where you could get the phyto...I know Kent Marine makes some bottled stuf, but not sure if it is suitable to culture pods.

 

[xNOTLOCx]

So i figure if he makes it maybe i should sell him, but i was also thinking some people get theirs to eat normal flake food you think i could try that? its a logn shot but its worht trying...

 

[dixaisy930]

I would try frozen foods, instead of flake.

You might also want to try BBS (baby brine shrimp) that you hatch at home. Not sure if this is a suitable food for them, so you may want to look into that a little bit.

 

[xNOTLOCx]

On ummm live aquaria they sell white shrimp??? but im not sure which is best, ya i'll read up, since if this guy starves he only has maybe a week, but his stomach is getting a little bigger since when i got him it was practicly making his body an L shape.. now he's probably close to normal "crossing my fingers" when the flakes pour down he investigates them poking em but wont eat any, only one ...once...

 

[dixaisy930]

I think white shrimp might be too big for him. Live mysis might be a better choice.

 

[xNOTLOCx]

alright, any good places to get them? thanks for all the advice, every day his stomach is less and less inverted. He's very shy but I'm shure that would change liek all fish... I think it will be a challenge getting him to eat, how hard is it usually to get the to eat? any stories?

 

[dixaisy930]

I know seahorsesource.com sells live mysis. You can also get pods and other stuff like that. It maybe cheaper than liveaquaria.

I've also read that one guy had luck getting them to eat the fish eggs they use for sushi (sorry, forgot the fancy name lol).

I would say it's a good sign the stomach is less inverted.

 

[xNOTLOCx]

ya hes eating away,this weekend i sill go find some, my lfs might have them, but i have a feeling i'll just order it, everyone comments how beautiful it is, and i just sit the thinking ( if only you knew all the wokk involved) most people that dont know about saltwater have told me it's sooo easy, and a good cheap hobby sum1 once told me.

 

[dixaisy930]

Is he eating just the pods, or have you got him to eat any frozen (or anything else for that matter)?