What fish DON'T eat copepods?

[BurtG]

So I'm getting a 75gal setup in the next month or so. The main focus of the tank with be specifically to cater to a pair of mandarins eventually. I won't be adding them until the tanks aged and has a large stable copepod population. I've been culturing a few types of pods and phyto in the mean time to get familiar with it incase the tank cant produce enough. Plus with hopes of breeding them eventually and needing the baby copes for baby fish. But in researching the other fish I might want to add to the tank, I keep seeing that a lot of fish eat pods. While I'm purposely trying to have nothing except the mandys eating pods.... so what interesting fish should I consider that won't steal their pods or be aggressive towards the mandys? Obviously wrasse are out. I was looking at firefish but it looks like they may compete and eat pods to? Do you think they would compete too much for pods? I was trying to stay away from a Clown pair as I'm worried they could get too aggressive towards the mandys if I get unlucky. Note: I'm trying to stick to things I can have pairs of in the tank as I'm interested In potentially breeding and rearing whatever I have. I was thinking maybe Aptasia eating file fish? I plan to add a small tang (obviously not gonna be able to breed those in a 75 sadly) , but that will be the last fish added and is probably a year or more out.

 

[blaxsun]

Wrasses, other small fish. The more rock you have the better (not saying you need to have a solid brick of rock in the tank, but more real estate = more copepods).

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I wouldn't worry about aggression, mandy's have a mucus coating on their skin that tastes bad to other fish, most fish will leave them alone.

 

[i cant think]

So I'm getting a 75gal setup in the next month or so. The main focus of the tank with be specifically to cater to a pair of mandarins eventually. I won't be adding them until the tanks aged and has a large stable copepod population. I've been culturing a few types of pods and phyto in the mean time to get familiar with it incase the tank cant produce enough. Plus with hopes of breeding them eventually and needing the baby copes for baby fish. But in researching the other fish I might want to add to the tank, I keep seeing that a lot of fish eat pods. While I'm purposely trying to have nothing except the mandys eating pods.... so what interesting fish should I consider that won't steal their pods or be aggressive towards the mandys? Obviously wrasse are out. I was looking at firefish but it looks like they may compete and eat pods to? Do you think they would compete too much for pods? I was trying to stay away from a Clown pair as I'm worried they could get too aggressive towards the mandys if I get unlucky. Note: I'm trying to stick to things I can have pairs of in the tank as I'm interested In potentially breeding and rearing whatever I have. I was thinking maybe Aptasia eating file fish? I plan to add a small tang (obviously not gonna be able to breed those in a 75 sadly) , but that will be the last fish added and is probably a year or more out.

You can have SOME wrasses.
The wrasses from labroides, Cirrhilabrus and paracheilinus are all plantivores. However, even if they don’t peck at the rocks all fish eat pods. When the pods go in and are free swimming till they get to the rock, all fish eat them because it’s free food and they often don’t know when their next meal is.
Gobies can take on the Pod Population however they don’t do a huge dent in it - If you want any help, I have a Red Sea Max Nano with 4 gobies, 1 of which is a definite pod eater, a Blue Star Leopard Wrasse and a blenny, my pod population has remained extremely stable the whole year my nano has been up. I also had a Pink Streak Wrasse for a year and just under a month.

 

[BurtG]

You can have SOME wrasses.
The wrasses from labroides, Cirrhilabrus and paracheilinus are all plantivores. However, even if they don’t peck at the rocks all fish eat pods. When the pods go in and are free swimming till they get to the rock, all fish eat them because it’s free food and they often don’t know when their next meal is.
Gobies can take on the Pod Population however they don’t do a huge dent in it - If you want any help, I have a Red Sea Max Nano with 4 gobies, 1 of which is a definite pod eater, a Blue Star Leopard Wrasse and a blenny, my pod population has remained extremely stable the whole year my nano has been up. I also had a Pink Streak Wrasse for a year and just under a month.

Thanks for the information. I didn't know about those wrasses. I will have to check them out.

 

[i cant think]

Thanks for the information. I didn't know about those wrasses. I will have to check them out.

I have just noticed I said labroides were planktivores, they aren’t planktivores however they are I guess pestivores and eat hitchhikers on other fish.

 

[Jay'sReefBugs]

Almost all fish will eat copepods you just need to stay away from the one's that actively hunt them is all . But honestly if you're breeding copepods I don't think you have really much to worry about even if you wanted to get a small wrasse

 

[BurtG]

Yeah im probably over thinking it.

 

[i cant think]

Yeah im probably over thinking it.

I think it’s good that you’re taking into account the thought of how many pods the Mandarins will need. They’re a great species when they’re thriving and breeding. I don’t know if you already said this but what species of Dragonet will you go for?

 

[BurtG]

Initially I'm getting a pair of blue/green mandarins. Though if the tank can keep up with pod production, I'd like to add a pair of ruby red dragonets down the road as well. I'm setting the 40gal sump up with as big of a fuge as I can squeeze in to help keep pods growing. I'd rather get the tank to the point that I don't need to keep culturing pods to keep them fed. But im prepared to if need be. I'm also planning to try and train them onto other foods as well. But I dont want to count on that.

 

[i cant think]

Initially I'm getting a pair of blue/green mandarins. Though if the tank can keep up with pod production, I'd like to add a pair of ruby red dragonets down the road as well. I'm setting the 40gal sump up with as big of a fuge as I can squeeze in to help keep pods growing. I'd rather get the tank to the point that I don't need to keep culturing pods to keep them fed. But im prepared to if need be. I'm also planning to try and train them onto other foods as well. But I dont want to count on that.

Interesting on how you want to go with the blues and not the reds or spotteds. Keep us updated!

 

[Kmst80]

Are you sure a 75 g can supply enough pods for a pair of mandarins. I got a 100 g system plus fuge and still always look out if my mandarin keeps picking the rocks. I feed phyto daily and got two tubs raising pods outside of the tank.
And i feed baby brine 5 times a week. Not sure if i could have a second mandarin though.

 

[homer1475]

2 can be kept long term in a 75G with daily additions of live phyto to feed the pods and keep them breeding.

I've had 2 for about a year now(not that I would call a 1 year as proof, but my older female I've had for 4 years now) in my 80G. Both are happy, and fat, and do their mating dance nightly. I also have plenty of rock rubble in my sump I feed live phyto to for a safe place for them to breed.

 

[BurtG]

Are you sure a 75 g can supply enough pods for a pair of mandarins. I got a 100 g system plus fuge and still always look out if my mandarin keeps picking the rocks. I feed phyto daily and got two tubs raising pods outside of the tank.
And i feed baby brine 5 times a week. Not sure if i could have a second mandarin though.

I'm confident I can with the right setup. But that's why I started this question. To make sure I'm not working against myself with fish selection.

 

[i cant think]

2 can be kept long term in a 75G with daily additions of live phyto to feed the pods and keep them breeding.

I've had 2 for about a year now(not that I would call a 1 year as proof, but my older female I've had for 4 years now) in my 80G. Both are happy, and fat, and do their mating dance nightly. I also have plenty of rock rubble in my sump I feed live phyto to for a safe place for them to breed.

I think if both are doing the mating dance then I’d call that a success even if it’s only one year!