False Leopard Wrasse Feeding

[Stoatee]

So I have a 55 gallon tank and have been convinced into buying a Fale Leopard Wrasse from a fish store yesterday. He looks great and after 12 hours came out from hiding and seems to be happy and healthy. I did add a 100ml copepod bag into the tank at lights out last night and this morning during feeding I noticed that he did eat a couple pellets and has had a bit of frozen when I did an evening feed this evening. I have noticed throughout the day he is pecking at my rock so I am assuming he is eating something that I cant see (maybe the pods?). My main question is I do not have anywhere to start a culture of pods and so how often should I be adding these 100ml bags, one a day once a week? I also plan on getting a Manderin down the line and wondering is there an amount I could add that would never get deminished and there would just always be an endless supply as they breed quicker than they get eaton? Any adivce would be great.

 

[blaxsun]

To get an endless amount of copepods you either need to a) significantly increase the size of your tank, b) regularly supplement with pods or c) limit the number of wrasses and mandarins, ie: 1.

 

[Stoatee]

To get an endless amount of copepods you either need to a) significantly increase the size of your tank, b) regularly supplement with pods or c) limit the number of wrasses and mandarins, ie: 1.

So my final goal is to have 1 mandarin, 1 scooter bleny and a Leopard Wrasse. With my size tank how many pods should be added weekly/monthly to ensure a healthy supply. I have provided a picture so you can see the landscape the pods would have to hide and I could buy a hotel for a safe haven inside the tank for the pods?

 

[Stoatee]

I can also feed stuff like lobster eggs that I hear dragonets will eat

 

[doubleshot00]

You can order pods on Ebay for a fair price jaysreefbugs is whoni have bought from several times.

Also that is a very difficult fish to keep alive. I went through 2 in 2 weeks. Good luck to ya.

 

[doubleshot00]

I can also feed stuff like lobster eggs that I hear dragonets will eat

Get a biota one. They will eat frozen.

 

[lion king]

It's a good sign they are taking pellets, sometimes pods just need to be a stop gap until you get picky species to accept the prepared foods you are feeding. For this species you may not need to have an endless supply of pods, captive bred mandarins are also very acceptable to a variety of foods. In the meantime you can also offer other live foods like live brine shrimp and live black worms, You can also smash foods like Masstick into the rocks. Given time these species usually come around to accepting a variety of foods like mysis, mega marine, etc. Some even have success with wild caught mandarins coming around, target feeding with a pipette rather than broadcast feeding is a must.

You can search and find more specific info on culturing and feeding pods, and the fish and reef forums will get you better results.

 

[Stoatee]

It's a good sign they are taking pellets, sometimes pods just need to be a stop gap until you get picky species to accept the prepared foods you are feeding. For this species you may not need to have an endless supply of pods, captive bred mandarins are also very acceptable to a variety of foods. In the meantime you can also offer other live foods like live brine shrimp and live black worms, You can also smash foods like Masstick into the rocks. Given time these species usually come around to accepting a variety of foods like mysis, mega marine, etc. Some even have success with wild caught mandarins coming around, target feeding with a pipette rather than broadcast feeding is a must.

You can search and find more specific info on culturing and feeding pods, and the fish and reef forums will get you better results.

When you say target feeding is this for the leopard wrasse? I thought these guys were grazers and eat small and soften so will need to make sure they have food when I am at work. If I am adding 100ml of pods a week along with lobster eggs and maybe some mastic on some rock this should sustain both the scooter and wrasse? When I get the mandarin I am going to assume I will have to increase the pod dose

 

[Stoatee]

I am also putting a clip in with Nori as watching videos I have seen these wrasse nibble at it and it’s an easy thing to leave in there most of my other fish will not be interested.

 

[blaxsun]

So my final goal is to have 1 mandarin, 1 scooter bleny and a Leopard Wrasse. With my size tank how many pods should be added weekly/monthly to ensure a healthy supply. I have provided a picture so you can see the landscape the pods would have to hide and I could buy a hotel for a safe haven inside the tank for the pods?

I don't know about lobster eggs, buy the 4-5 wrasses that actively hunt copepods and one mandarin dragonet are sustained in my 160-gallon display. They pretty much eat anything (including the wild caught mandarin).

 

[Stoatee]

I don't know about lobster eggs, buy the 4-5 wrasses that actively hunt copepods and one mandarin dragonet are sustained in my 160-gallon display. They pretty much eat anything (including the wild caught mandarin).

Did you add any pods or is that all nautically formed? As we only have 55 gallon tank I don’t think we will be able to sustain a big enough population which is why I am wondering how many should be added on a weekly/monthly basis to keep the 3 pod eaters happy

 

[blaxsun]

Did you add any pods or is that all nautically formed? As we only have 55 gallon tank I don’t think we will be able to sustain a big enough population which is why I am wondering how many should be added on a weekly/monthly basis to keep the 3 pod eaters happy

Once upon a time I added a single bottle. So whatever's present now has occurred naturally over the past year. Yes, it will be challenging in anything smaller than a 100-gallon tank. How much depends on the fish. An adult mandarin can consume an entire bottle of copepods in a few days...

 

[Stoatee]

Once upon a time I added a single bottle. So whatever's present now has occurred naturally over the past year. Yes, it will be challenging in anything smaller than a 100-gallon tank. How much depends on the fish. An adult mandarin can consume an entire bottle of copepods in a few days...

I understand that but is a bottle 100ml or 1000ml? What is a stable amount to add given that the wrasse is currently eating both frozen and pellet so it’s just for grazing on during the day. I am currently feeding my tank twice a day once either flake or pellet in the morning and late afternoon 1 cube of frozen shrimp. Not sure if that would class as heavy feeding for:
1 wrasse
2 engineer goby
1 royal grammar
2 clowns
1 scooter bleny
6 carnivores snails
2 hermits
2 shrimp
1 pompom crab

 

[blaxsun]

I understand that but is a bottle 100ml or 1000ml? What is a stable amount to add given that the wrasse is currently eating both frozen and pellet so it’s just for grazing on during the day. I am currently feeding my tank twice a day once either flake or pellet in the morning and late afternoon 1 cube of frozen shrimp. Not sure if that would class as heavy feeding for:
1 wrasse
2 engineer goby
1 royal grammar
2 clowns
1 scooter bleny
6 carnivores snails
2 hermits
2 shrimp
1 pompom crab

250ml bottle is what I worked out the calculations on.