Anyone have Tanaidacea?

[sen5241b]

Similar to pods but a bit bigger --most pods are 1 millimeter. Could be a great food source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanaidacea

[yote]

Hadnt noticed any.But that dont mean their not there.

[ccCapt]

Being that some come from as deep as 9,000 meters, I don't think you will find any in home aquariums.

[sen5241b]

I ask because I' trying to keep my Mandarin Goby (MG) well fed. Copepods are usually 1 millimeter or less and IMHO constituting mere snack food for a MG. MGs need something bigger like amphipods and Tanaidaceans --3 or 4 millimeters. According to fishbase.org MGs in the wild will eat copepods, amphipods and Tanaidacean. Right now mine is eating the plentiful copepods in my tank and live brine shrimp. (I'm training him to eat enriched, frozen brine shrimp). But the point is, I want to seed and breed the bigger pods in my tank.

Also, the tanaidaceans do live in shallow reefs.

[ccCapt]

Is the 29g tank in your sig the tank you are trying to keep a mandarin in?

You seem to have done some research, and if so you should know your tank is much too young and much too small for a mandarin.

Mandarins, Psychedelic "Gobies", Dragonets, Scooter Blennies....YAH!Family Callionymidae by Bob Fenner
From the article.......
"Whatever other writers have stated, Mandarins almost never accept enough of anything other than live foods that are omnipresent in their system to sustain themselves. A nutrient rich live rock reef tank, read that as one heavily populated with hard substrates, with substantial interstitial crustacean and worm, and other small sessile invertebrate life of about 100 gallons will support one individual. And this assumes you have no similar food-competing tankmates."
and..
"So, let’s review. To successfully keep dragonets one needs a very peaceful, large reef system with lots of live rock and deep sand bed and/or such a system with a vibrant fishless refugium (highly recommended). Don't have this sort of set-up? Leave these fishes in the ocean."