How many pods to keep a Mandarin?

[uninformed]

You all replied to a ten year old thread?

 

[Sigmund]

Now or a year ago, the answer will always be 42.

 

[Sean_B]

Now or a year ago, the answer will always be 42.

what he said, maybe........

 

[Hermie]

I'm planning on using the Copepod Culture System from Poseiden Reef to ensure I can keep mine fed.

my tank and refugium is a copepod culture system

 

[DopamineKata]

my tank and refugium is a copepod culture system

I assume that eventually they'll be hunted to levels incapable of supporting the fish without regular input of new pods.

 

[Hermie]

I assume that eventually they'll be hunted to levels incapable of supporting the fish without regular input of new pods.

Nope not in my tank.

The Sump is almost the size of the display 15 vs 23, there are zero natural predators of pods in the refugium/sump and I have zero mechanical filtration. I can easily measure the pod levels in the tank by letting the glass go "Green" for a week or two and see all the pods on the glass. I also have tons of adult grammarids (around 4mm or 5mm).

I over feed algae (nori sheets) all the time, and fish food pellets. Even though my fish don't eat them at all, I put it in for the microfauna.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I add pods multiple times a day from my tiny culture tanks into my 180gallon. Everything eats pods and more, though my mandarins only eat pods

I use this Lazy Banana Leaf (peel for Americans like myself) method:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/more-pods.835488/

This is lunch portion from 1 of my 3 tiny culture tanks:

 

[TnFishwater98]

You should be good. Just add a bunch and add Phyto to feed. As long as mandarin stays plump you know everything is good to go. You can also keep pods either on a DIY HOB Refugium or just keep them alive in separate containers and feed your tank.

 

[TnFishwater98]

I add pods multiple times a day from my tiny culture tanks into my 180gallon. Everything eats pods and more, though my mandarins only eat pods

I use this Lazy Banana Leaf (peel for Americans like myself) method:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/more-pods.835488/

This is lunch portion from 1 of my 3 tiny culture tanks:

You got pics of your whole setup?

 

[Fish Think Pink]

You got pics of your whole setup?

Yep - top down photo without bubbles is before I added airstones. Top down photo from yesterday is foamy because of airstone - all three tiny tanks trying out airstones

I'm using two beverage containers holding about gallon each, tiny 2.5 gallon tank. Last two photos are yesterday lunch pod extract from just the 2.5g and then photo from right now as I didn't yet have any showing the airstone, pump & airline tubing... Not sure the airstones are doing much to boost production, but I'm still evaluating. As you can see, I'm messy but it works.

NOTE: the flakes are NOT fed to my pods - those go to my live blackworms (along with instant mashed potatoes that you see in ziplock baggy) ... blackworms sit just to the left of my 2.5g rectangle tank

 

[dado150]

This banana peel method worked for me. Whether it was the peel or the old filter media with pods that did it I dunno. Here's my "lazy" setup just to make sure it worked.....
The 5 g bucket is 1.020, 10 g tank is 1.025. Have small peices of acrylic covering some of the top. I put 2- 400mg Spirulina caps in twice a day & have an air line run to each. No heater, just sitting on porch.

 

[calvertc425]

I have a pair of spotted madarins and they are awsome and eat pellets frozen and pods the target madnarins are easier to get to feed on frozen bloodworms

 

[Peter_B2001]

I’ve got new nano tank and added two mandarins and trained them to eat frozen food including mysis and blood worms which they eat daily easily. You can easily train them by adding them into a little side tank with the food floating around and after a while they will eat it ! Can take up to a week of doing this

 

[ReeferHD]

i wonder if they still have the mandarin..