Need to add pods?

dmatt56

My 54 GAL corner bow front now has the following inhabitants:

2 clowns
3 chromis
1 red scooter
1 green mandarin
1 red bali starfish
cleaner shrimp
peppermint shrimp
various species of snails
red and blue leg hermits

Both the scooter and mandarin are eating well (mysis), but I've been reading I should add pods to my tank (copepods and amphipods) to boost the system.

Does anything have thoughts for or against adding the pods? How many should I add?

How do I add them?

Thanks,

Matt

onefish2fish

do you have a sump? hopefully with a massive refugium?

dmatt56

I do have a sump, but no refugium. Should I add some cheato and make a mini fuge!

They are both eating mysis. Can I add the pods directly to my tank?

Thanks,

Matt

wake49

You can add them directly to the tank, but make sure to do it in the complete darkness, about one or two hours after the lights go out. If you add them directly to the tank with the lights on, all your inhabitants will be feasting!

p.s. - you are lucky, most of the time a mandarin and scooter wouldn't survive together in a small aquarium; there would be too much competition for food. My Green Mandarin only eats pods. To have both a scooter and a mandarin that eat mysis, that's awesome!

dmatt56

Would introducing pods possibly make him stop eating the mysis? How many can I add at one time? The order said 500 mixed pods.

Thanks,


Matt

SuperFishFan

That is pretty amazing actually. SUPER MAN'darin .....for real

dmatt56

I couldn't believe it. I saw the mandarin eat a dry food pellet a few days ago. I'm lucky.

aquakid

tell us how u trained him

dmatt56

I wish I could. I purchased this mandain from someone else who only fed him brine shrimp. Maybe the better quality food is what he likes.