Kinda made an oops....

[five.five-six]

To make a short story long, about a month ago my wife and I stopped in a LFS and my wife finds this mandarin goby which she really wants. I explane to her that it’s really a dragonet and while I have seen Copepods in our 135 SPS dominated, it’s a newer tank and the chaeto section is small. I figure happy wife, happy life and that fish will have a better shot in our tank than 99% of the other tanks it might find itself in. It’s fat and happy today.


So there is another LFS we go to and in one of the displays is a red scooter blenny that my 12-year old son really wants. Every few weeks we stop by on a sunday and the owner isn’t there but just to humor my son the salesman sticks the net in and makes a show of trying to catch it for him without really disturbing the tank.

Yesterday was just such an occasion except this time the red scooter blenny jumped out of the tank. My son is extatic and proceeds to buy it. We get it home and acclimate it and in about an hour we find it buried in the sand. I decide to read about it and see if this is normal behavior and what I find out is that it’s actually a ruby red dragonet.... trying to survive on a already taxed coeopod population.

I went to alagae barn and ordered 10k mixed Copepods and some phytoplankton to feed them but can I really keep 2 dragonet in such a small and new tank with just a few fists full of chaeto?

 

[jasonrusso]

Would you rather have an unhappy son or unhappy wife?

I guess you just joined the pod club.

 

[eatbreakfast]

How old is the tank? I it's close to a year you should be fine.

You can also create rubble piles inside the display, for pods to congregate.

 

[andrewkw]

I've never mixed them but it's also possible they might fight. I couldn't keep a regular mandarin and a psychedelic mandarin in a 180 they just fought none stop. You've already bought pods so that is a short term solution, as far as a long term solution expand the fuge? Even add a 10-20 gallon tank into your system. You might not even need that but if you worried that would certainly increase your chances for success. If your sps system is too nutrient poor for more cheato you could always fill it with rubble or even regular live rock so the pods have a refuge to reproduce.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I've had mandarins and ruby reds together without fighting. They are different enough where they should be fine together.

 

[five.five-six]

Would you rather have an unhappy son or unhappy wife?

I guess you just joined the pod club.

Actually I did join pot Club cuz they doubled up my order. I've never added pots before do I just dumped the whole bottle in at once and keep feeding them with the phytoplankton? Or do I add the pods over time? I spent a little time looking for instructions at algae barn but came up empty.

 

[five.five-six]

How old is the tank? I it's close to a year you should be fine.

You can also create rubble piles inside the display, for pods to congregate.

It's been wet about 3 months

 

[jasonrusso]

Actually I did join pot Club cuz they doubled up my order. I've never added pots before do I just dumped the whole bottle in at once and keep feeding them with the phytoplankton? Or do I add the pods over time? I spent a little time looking for instructions at algae barn but came up empty.

I'm not sure either. I know that there is a shelf life and it isn't that long. Maybe a couple of months.

I would dump in half and dump in another half in a few weeks. Obviously they are more nutritious sooner than later.

 

[Ferrell]

@pdisner has some good info on pods and I believe he sells them as well as start up kits. Hit him up on r2r

 

[pdisner]

@pdisner has some good info on pods and I believe he sells them as well as start up kits. Hit him up on r2r

Thanks Ferrell. I appreciate the nice comment. Yes, I do sell them as well as Rotifers and 3 types of Phytoplankton as well. I’m not a company, but I’ve started breeding a few types of fish and peppermint shrimp. I sell my extras like others sell their frags. I helps with the hobby expenses. My email is [email protected].

 

[five.five-six]

Thanks Ferrell. I appreciate the nice comment. Yes, I do sell them as well as Rotifers and 3 types of Phytoplankton as well. I’m not a company, but I’ve started breeding a few types of fish and peppermint shrimp. I sell my extras like others sell their frags. I helps with the hobby expenses. My email is [email protected].

So, not knowing about you I got a starter kit from algae barn. 2 bottles of live phytoplankton and 2 bags of 5280 pods mix. The bags say the pods keep until Jan 3.

Do you have a faq on storing and adding pods? It says to add 8 oz of the pod soup per 15 gals but it does not say how often. Am I overthinking this? Should I just dump 1 bag in the fuge and the other in the display, lights and pumps off?

Aliso, I have a 1.1ml/hr BRS doser gathering dust, would that be a good way to add the phytoplankton?

 

[rockstarta78]

I am not a pro on pod, but one thing I do/did, add these pods after the light go out (if you are adding in the DT) and turn the powerheads off for few minutes to let the pods settle. I'd do the same in the refugium. If you build a small rubble pile and dump the pods on the rubble pile. Also, you could always feed baby brine shrimp to both dragonets.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

i would just temp acclimate and dump them in the fuge? then again i have a dirty tank so i don't have a problem with plankton levels

 

[five.five-six]

I am not a pro on pod, but one thing I do/did, add these pods after the light go out (if you are adding in the DT) and turn the powerheads off for few minutes to let the pods settle. I'd do the same in the refugium. If you build a small rubble pile and dump the pods on the rubble pile. Also, you could always feed baby brine shrimp to both dragonets.

The dragonets are doing fine though the ruby red has ventured over to the manderin’s side of the tank to his peril. Makes me think he is running low on pods his side of the tank.

 

[pdisner]

So, not knowing about you I got a starter kit from algae barn. 2 bottles of live phytoplankton and 2 bags of 5280 pods mix. The bags say the pods keep until Jan 3.

Do you have a faq on storing and adding pods? It says to add 8 oz of the pod soup per 15 gals but it does not say how often. Am I overthinking this? Should I just dump 1 bag in the fuge and the other in the display, lights and pumps off?

Aliso, I have a 1.1ml/hr BRS doser gathering dust, would that be a good way to add the phytoplankton?

Use it over the next week and just store your extras in the fridge. Don’t overthink this. Yes, turn all pumps down, lights should be off at normal time. Wait until the lights go out and the fish go to their places for the night. You should release them near your live rock, where they will have plenty of surface area to breed and be available for whatever fish needs a snack!
The Phyto is what they eat. I dose Phyto to my system as well as rotifers and copepods with baby brine shrimp stuffed with Phyto for max nutrition. The rotifers and copepods are not only food for your fish and corals, but should be considered part of your “clean-up crew”. They both will eat ditritus and dissolved organics, thereby reducing your excess nutrients and waste.
Phyto is at the bottom of the food chain. All marine organisms are directly and indirectly dependent upon these beautifully constructed cells. They provide food and oxygenation to vast areas of ocean during seasonal blooms. All of your filter feeder will consume the Phyto, as well as feeding the rotifers and Pods.
You can reach me by email if you wish if you have any more questions or concerns.
Paul

 

[pdisner]

The dragonets are doing fine though the ruby red has ventured over to the manderin’s side of the tank to his peril. Makes me think he is running low on pods his side of the tank.

Are they both males? Here’s my male Mandrin

 

[pdisner]

I am not a pro on pod, but one thing I do/did, add these pods after the light go out (if you are adding in the DT) and turn the powerheads off for few minutes to let the pods settle. I'd do the same in the refugium. If you build a small rubble pile and dump the pods on the rubble pile. Also, you could always feed baby brine shrimp to both dragonets.

I feed live selco-enriched baby brine shrimp, pods, rotifers and Phyto to my system daily as part of my feeding regimen. I’m trying to induce spawning in my pairs of clowns and dottys.

 

[five.five-six]

Soooo, how long till I turn the skimmer back on?


I did set the phytoplankton on a 1.1L/h dosing pump I had collecting dust. I run it for 32 minutes at midnight doses about 40 ml a day.

 

[five.five-six]

I don’t know the sex, I haven’t checked their peepees. But one is green with spots and the other is ruby red with yellow fins so my real concern is food competition.

BTW, yours is spectacular looking

Are they both males? Here’s my male Mandrin

 

[mort]

For me the one go to non live food that dragonets love is lobster eggs. Even ones that won't take other substitute foods are likely to eat it eventually. It's a great food that your other fish will also love anyway.

Rubble areas are a great addition as eatbreakfast mentioned. I'd personally go a little further and have cups of rubble in the refugium for the pods to congregate in (if you feed them it helps) and then periodically put these in the display. It really gives the food in the display a boost.

I also agree you don't have to worry about them fighting, they know they are different species.