Copepods to feed mandarin goby

headdr · Sep 18, 2018

I just aquired some used fish and as part of a package deal. I now have a cute little mandrin. I would not have purched one on its own but these guys all were all about to be homeless. Can anyone recommend a source for copepods and any techniques on creating a sustainable food source?

GWHouston · Sep 18, 2018

@Brew12
@Tomoko Schum

beaslbob · Sep 18, 2018

Paul_B developed an mandrin feeder with a short clear ~1" diameter tube with a rigid air line tube teed off the center up to above the surface.

He would drop pellets down the air line tube and the mandrin would feed protected inside the larger tube.

Tomoko Schum · Sep 20, 2018

Tigger pod, Tisbe, or apocycrops. You can order online or get LFS to order it.

headdr · Sep 20, 2018

Per a recommendation I went with Algae Barn. Got the poesidens feast Tigris and tisbe live. Going to start a colony in a spare 10 gallon with 1/3 and put the other 2/3 in my sump and display. I already keep a 2 liter bottle of phytoplankton bubbling all the time. Hopefully I can keep this mandarin fed.

beaslbob · Sep 20, 2018

Dustin Head said:
Per a recommendation I went with Algae Barn. Got the poesidens feast Tigris and tisbe live. Going to start a colony in a spare 10 gallon with 1/3 and put the other 2/3 in my sump and display. I already keep a 2 liter bottle of phytoplankton bubbling all the time. Hopefully I can keep this mandarin fed.

sounds good.

I would recommend you have 2 or three bottles for the phytoplankton. From time to time a culture will crash. Best to have backups

Auto-pilot · Sep 20, 2018

I have a spotted mandrin. I have him in my QT and have had him there for about 4 months. I think a sump with pods is super inportant and a nessesity. I move live rock from my sump into my QT every couple of days to move pods that I got from aquarium Depot. I can see him eating the pods off the rocks and I also hatch brine shrimp for an extra snack even though I know he can't servive off of them. I've been told you can get them to eat cut up blood worms but have not been successful yet. They like to hunt for their food and while beautiful they are hard. It's hit or miss and if you got it from someone who has been keeping it for a while your probably more likely to be successful.

headdr · Sep 21, 2018

I bought a small bottle of phytofeast in 2009, still have it in my fridge. I split a little out over time to start new culture in used 2 liter bottles. When it gets below half empty i fill it back up with my active culture. ;Happy Best bang for the buck you will ever see in this hobby.

headdr · Sep 21, 2018

The guy I got him from said he did not feed him anything special. So either he is eating frozen food or that 180 gallon set-up had a very sustainable pod population. I got all the cheato from the sump so hopefully I brought the pods with me.

Monkeynaut · Sep 21, 2018

Dustin Head said:
The guy I got him from said he did not feed him anything special. So either he is eating frozen food or that 180 gallon set-up had a very sustainable pod population. I got all the cheato from the sump so hopefully I brought the pods with me.

I bet you did bring pods with the algae. If not aquatic cove sells them.

You have a large tank and lots of fake rock. The pods should be breading like crazy.

Of corse @Tomoko Schum is the resident expert.