Culturing for Mandarin, Pods v Brine Shrimp

[NS Mike D]

Help me out R2R.

I have a 29 gal mixed reef nano with 2 sumps with aggressive feeders (like most reef fish aren't). While my madarin will eat prepared food, 3 Chromis, 2 Ocelaris clowns and a cleaner shrimp will out compete and morsels, that the 2 pj cardinals, yellow watchman goby and tail spot blenny will overlook. Even when there are frozen eggs on the sand bed, the female clown knows to create and storm with her tail to kick them up so she can eat them.

my cpr HOB sump is packed with cheato and has pods and every month I dose Algae Barn 5280 pods and once a week dose their live phyto to help the pods. i just added a 10 gallon sump with about a 7" x 7" x 7" area and and am stocking it with rubble rock - no lights to be a semi-cryptic zone which I assume will be a second fuge for pods to get pumped into the display.

My mandarin appears healthy, picks at the rocks and glass all day, but I can never see any pods in the DT.

I'd like to set up a 5 gal tank to culture live food for the mandarin. Would you hatch baby brine or culture pods in a 5 gal? why and how? pros and cons

thanks in advance.

 

[Brew12]

Help me out R2R.

I have a 29 gal mixed reef nano with 2 sumps with aggressive feeders (like most reef fish aren't). While my madarin will eat prepared food, 3 Chromis, 2 Ocelaris clowns and a cleaner shrimp will out compete and morsels, that the 2 pj cardinals, yellow watchman goby and tail spot blenny will overlook. Even when there are frozen eggs on the sand bed, the female clown knows to create and storm with her tail to kick them up so she can eat them.

my cpr HOB sump is packed with cheato and has pods and every month I dose Algae Barn 5280 pods and once a week dose their live phyto to help the pods. i just added a 10 gallon sump with about a 7" x 7" x 7" area and and am stocking it with rubble rock - no lights to be a semi-cryptic zone which I assume will be a second fuge for pods to get pumped into the display.

My mandarin appears healthy, picks at the rocks and glass all day, but I can never see any pods in the DT.

I'd like to set up a 5 gal tank to culture live food for the mandarin. Would you hatch baby brine or culture pods in a 5 gal? why and how? pros and cons

thanks in advance.

Have you seen this yet?
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/simple-diy-target-feeder-for-mandarin-pipefish-and-more.150847/

 

[NS Mike D]

Have you seen this yet?
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/simple-diy-target-feeder-for-mandarin-pipefish-and-more.150847/

yup, following paul's threads for some time now . i made one for brine, but want to wait to hear from others first

 

[jnvd3b]

Have you seen this?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tigger-tisbe-pods.339906/

I am following his ‘method’ feeding Spirulina for a few weeks now and I’d say the pods are about 10x the initial number when I started.

I think this method is easier than brine shrimp and more nutrious for the fish as well, plus cheaper in the long run not having to buy eggs all the time. You should be able to keep the culture going indefinitely as long as you keep the ammonia in check.

Edit: I will also add the Tigger pods from RN remind me a lot of brine shrimp they bounce around and I think entice fish to eat with their movement.

 

[NS Mike D]

Have you seen this?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tigger-tisbe-pods.339906/

I am following his ‘method’ feeding Spirulina for a few weeks now and I’d say the pods are about 10x the initial number when I started.

I think this method is easier than brine shrimp and more nutrious for the fish as well, plus cheaper in the long run not having to buy eggs all the time. You should be able to keep the culture going indefinitely as long as you keep the ammonia in check.

Edit: I will also add the Tigger pods from RN remind me a lot of brine shrimp they bounce around and I think entice fish to eat with their movement.

yes thanks, that thread is what got me into rethinking about culturing pods. my fist attempt a few months ago was uninspiring and I just defaulted to monthly seeding from my automatic algae barn deliveries. I saw your thread about the time i was setting up my second fuge

 

[NS Mike D]

@jnvd3b with the shipping costs, it makes sense for me to include the live phtyo (ocean magik). i have to go through your thread again, since i liked the idea of sprirulina for culturing but i also like the idea of the live phyto for the tank. i may end up doing a dual program, dosing the tank with pods and phyto while culturing pods with spirulina

 

[jnvd3b]

Ya IMO you aren’t ever going to see many pods in the display especially with a mandarin. If you can see the pod they can see it and will eat it immediately....but with the other tanks breeding pods I wouldn’t worry about it. If you do want to set up a seperate tank to make sure he is getting fed well I’d follow 40B’s method and use tigger over tisbe, fwiw. But even then when you dump them in the tank how do you keep the other fish away? They aren’t going to last long in there and almost all fish will love them.

 

[NS Mike D]

Ya IMO you aren’t ever going to see many pods in the display especially with a mandarin. If you can see the pod they can see it and will eat it immediately....but with the other tanks breeding pods I wouldn’t worry about it. If you do want to set up a seperate tank to make sure he is getting fed well I’d follow 40B’s method and use tigger over tisbe, fwiw. But even then when you dump them in the tank how do you keep the other fish away? They aren’t going to last long in there and almost all fish will love them.

I usually add them to my sump to pace the entry into the display and help keep the sump population healthy. when i add to teh display tank, i do it at night with lights out and pumps off and use a funnel and tube to send them to the bottom. the fish do wake up and start hunting them down, but i believe this method swings it more to the favor of the pods making it to hiding places.

 

[jnvd3b]

I usually add them to my sump to pace the entry into the display and help keep the sump population healthy. when i add to teh display tank, i do it at night with lights out and pumps off and use a funnel and tube to send them to the bottom. the fish do wake up and start hunting them down, but i believe this method swings it more to the favor of the pods making it to hiding places.

Those are good ideas. I just dumped about 1000 into my sump and they are doing well now (in sump and display tank).