mandarin dragonette

[ZOOT098]

i purchased a mandarin last night
acclimation went well
i know i have copepods in my tank as i have seen them at night and they show up in my filter sock when i change it

a few questions
1- i run a uv sterilizer at about 40gph will this deplete my copepod population?
2- how can i increase or at least keep my copepod population at a healthy level
3- can you buy live copepods and breed them?

i do not run a refugium, but could make a small one and hang it in my sump

thanks in advance

 

[daugherty]

if you have the fuge before the uv it will kill them. second you can buy them reefnutrition sells them

http://www.reefnutrition.com/tiggerpods/index.htm

 

[yote]

You can also take some small rubble and pile up behind the rock in the main tank.They will give the pods another small refuge to breed in.

 

[dustin_P74]

those two have you covered pretty well

 

[Bifferwine]

The UV sterilizer will kill pods that go through it. You can buy bottles of live pods, but it's pretty expensive ($15 to $25 a pop depending on where you buy it). Yote has a good idea about making rubble piles.

 

[ccCapt]

Isn't your tank still pretty new? Even tho you see the pods, you probably don't have enough to sustain a mandarin for very long. It will wipe out the pods fast.
If you really want 1, buy a few bottles to boost your population, then give them some time to reproduce. Your tank is plenty big enough, I'm just not sure at this point it has what it takes to keep the fish from starving.

 

[daugherty]

it takes 45 days from egg to leying eggs with copods

 

[Gooseman]

i personally wouldnt run a UV all the time ... not only does it kill pods and bad bacteria but it also will kill off any good bacteria ... if you run it more than 2-3 days in a row you run the risk of killing all the good bacteria your DT needs ... but that is JMO

 

[daugherty]

the uv is good but it will kill free floating bacteria and alage and any thing else that pases through it. as long as it is before the fuge than it will be fine. if you use one i would run it all the time but make shure you clean the sleve at least once a month. the rock and sand will have more than enough good bacteria that it wont effect the tank but will help greatly with free floating alage. i am thinking about getting one but dont know if i really need one

 

[Gooseman]

well like i said its just my opinion ... but i wouldnt think it would matter if you placed the UV before the fuge or after it ... it will either kill off the bacteria the fuge needs or kill off the bacteria the DT needs ... in the long run running it all the time isnt good ... but good luck

 

[ccCapt]

I agree with Daugherty. The uv will kill anything that goes thru it. The beneficial bacterial that lives IN and ON the live rock and sand will not get lifted away and into the uv.

in the long run running it all the time isnt good

I don't remember reading any articles or studies saying running a uv 24/7 is harmful. Not saying there aren't any, but do you have any links to any info?

 

[Gooseman]

no i just have some experience in this area ... i work at a waste water facility and there are two major methods of treating the final product as it leaves the plant ... UV and Chlorine Gas ... both work well but Chlorine is a disinfection and UV is sterilization ... both work well for destroying bacteria but sterilization is just that ... it destroys all life in the water and leaves nothing ... now if that is the case over time either you are going to eventually rob all the bacteria from either the DT or the fuge depends on where you place the UV sterilizer ... again this is JMO like i have been saying all along no articles to read ... i mean no offense to anyone that uses UV's just wanted to put in my opinion since that is what these forums are for discussion ... you dont have to listen to me ... its JMO

 

[Altohombre]

the problem with buying Reefnutrition copepods is that the other fish will eat up most of them before your mandarin will even flinch. They are such slow eaters and I have never once saw my mandarin go for one of the copepods I put in the tank.

 

[sen5241b]

I created a pile of small pieces of LR in the back of the tank --a live rubble pile and a few weeks later the pods where everywhere. My Dottyback couldn't eat them fast enough and I have to scrape them off the glass. You may wish to add phyto-plex as I did to feed them more and spur growth.

I've heard its best to use UV sterilizers only until algae problems are gone and then turn it off until needed.

 

[daugherty]

as for the pods put the bottle in the tank and then open it near your pod pile or rock so the pods can hide before they get eaten.