How to make a copepod tank?

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Hey everyone I was wondering how do I setup a copepod tank? Thanks! :)

 

[JMSKI333]

Do you feel that there is more involved than just refugium-like conditions? I would think low flow, low light, high nutrient, rubble-rock filled area.

 

[hollback]

Here you go man! I've had my cultures set up like this since 2004!

The Breeder's Net: A Simple How-to On Home Culture Of Copepods ? Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

Here are some results.

 

[JMSKI333]

Wow^

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Thanks both of you! :) and that is awesome!!! Could I keep a mandarin healthy if I keep moving pods into te tank for him?

 

[JMSKI333]

Thanks both of you! :) and that is awesome!!! Could I keep a mandarin healthy if I keep moving pods into te tank for him?

Yes but it's not recommended. Best case scenario is you get him to eat frozen. I tried to keep one alive by keeping the tank stocked with pods and he still withered away :(

I believe ORA breeds green mandarins and they eat frozen food.

Side note: You can buy pods by the 1000's from a few of the sponsors on here and you could just order it monthly or whatever and have your tank be a pod party. Worth a shot if you are dead set on a mandarin.

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

I have one mandarin right now that will eat frozen food. Yay!! :) I would like to get a ruby red dragonet so I'm going to make sure I have Copepoda in case he doesn't it. I would like to grow them because it would be expensive for me to keep buying then.

 

[hollback]

Thanks both of you! :) and that is awesome!!! Could I keep a mandarin healthy if I keep moving pods into te tank for him?

Yes and no. It could be done but you would need a LOT of culture tanks. My cultures take about 8 weeks to mature so you would want to have many tanks on staggered cycles so you could harvest once or twice a week. Trying to get them to eat frozen or having a large, established system without other pod eaters would be ideal.

 

[Treefer32]

I have a 5 month old 230 gallon system where I've added purchased pods ( a few hundred) gotten chaeto with pods in it from friends, and now I see very large pods on the glass in my sump...

How do I know if I have enough naturally in my display / sump to keep a mandarin healthy? I know most say 6 months to a year, but, even then some tanks are void of pods. So, just wondering if there's a rule or some way of knowing if a manderin could be kept healthy or one just tries it and sees what happens?