After doing some research, thinking, and planning, I have decided I am going to attempt to culture Tisbe copepods to feed a mandarin dragonet in my upcoming Red Sea Reefer 250.
Since this tank does not have a refugium, my plan is to get a small pump to place somewhere in the Reefer's sump. This pump will put some, but not all water into a tube that leads to a refugium.
The refugium will just be a bucket or small bin with some pieces of rock rubble or sand in it. This is where the copepods will live. The water entering will provide a small amount of aeration. To leave the bucket, water flows out through a drilled hole with a tube inserted inside to act as an overflow, which leads back into the sump past the skimmer.
In addition to this, a second bucket that is not attached to the tank system contains more copepods to act as a backup in case the refugium population declines or crashes, or to provide extra pods to put into the main tank.
With all that being said, I still have a few questions:
1. Do I need to feed the pods phytoplankton, or are they fine with regular fish food? Will they be just as healthy to the fish either way?
2. It is my understanding that mandarins are slow eaters. What other fish should I avoid so that my mandarin can eat without too much competition?
3. And lastly, does my plan sound good from the info I've given?
Thanks in advance.
Since this tank does not have a refugium, my plan is to get a small pump to place somewhere in the Reefer's sump. This pump will put some, but not all water into a tube that leads to a refugium.
The refugium will just be a bucket or small bin with some pieces of rock rubble or sand in it. This is where the copepods will live. The water entering will provide a small amount of aeration. To leave the bucket, water flows out through a drilled hole with a tube inserted inside to act as an overflow, which leads back into the sump past the skimmer.
In addition to this, a second bucket that is not attached to the tank system contains more copepods to act as a backup in case the refugium population declines or crashes, or to provide extra pods to put into the main tank.
With all that being said, I still have a few questions:
1. Do I need to feed the pods phytoplankton, or are they fine with regular fish food? Will they be just as healthy to the fish either way?
2. It is my understanding that mandarins are slow eaters. What other fish should I avoid so that my mandarin can eat without too much competition?
3. And lastly, does my plan sound good from the info I've given?
Thanks in advance.