Sustainable copepod population

[Ebslinger]

I have a small (21 gallon display) tank and am trying to maintain a healthy copepod population for a hopeful (future) addition of a Mandarin.

I currently have a healthy population of copepdods feeding on the film algae on the glass of the tank.

However, I want clean glass.

If I clean the glass, will I loose a large or small portion of the population of copepods?

 

[biophilia]

Cleaning the glass will cause them to scatter temporarily, but (at least in my tanks) hasn't seemed to cause any dip in population. They're likely all over your rock and sandbed as well -- just less visible to the eye. If anything, cleaning the glass will send a ploom of microalgae into the water c0lumn and cause a feeding frenzy in the same way that dripping some phyto into the tank would.

 

[Evan28395950]

Keep in mind 21gallons will be challenging to keep a Mandarin. Maybe consider culturing your own in the future to make it easier

 

[theMeat]

Unless you have a big separate fuge. A 20 gal tank is not enough pods for a mandarin that isn’t eating mysis or whatever else.

 

[Ebslinger]

I appreciate all the input. I am hoping to get a mandarin that will take frozen food, but graze on copepods between feedings. That said, I need to maintain a healthy population of copepods.

It seems strange, film algae grows so readily on the glass, but nothing seems to be growing on the rocks.

 

[reef lover]

Culture you own its not too hard. I do 2 cultures so i can harvest every few days opposed to 7 and ill have a back up if one crashes....https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr.../breeder/RK=2/RS=uyOX5LhMmqhDQlPWuQISG7TUemk-

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I have a small (21 gallon display) tank and am trying to maintain a healthy copepod population for a hopeful (future) addition of a Mandarin.

I currently have a healthy population of copepdods feeding on the film algae on the glass of the tank.

However, I want clean glass.

If I clean the glass, will I loose a large or small portion of the population of copepods?

Also try small batch of pods in 5 gallons, add little raw egg, some algae from glass. You'll be surprised. Explosion of pods.

 

[DaneGer21]

I know it’s been done, but good luck getting a mandarin to eat anything but pods. Even if you supplement with other foods, I’d almost bet that a mandy could knock out a 21gal’s pod population within days.

 

[Ghost_Rebel5]

Is your tank included with a sump

 

[Ghost_Rebel5]

Because you can maybe cultivate a small refugium filled with marinepure for the copepods to hide.

 

[ReeferReefer]

You will need a refugium for sure if you want to keep a stable population.