copepods question(s)?

[Drilled 55 custom]

Hi fellow living reefers. This is my first post, as I am brand new to the site. I have been reading your posts & threads for a few weeks now, and thank you all for such great information. My LFS, has a large Mandarin Goby/Dragonet, that I would like to bring home.

My copepods question(s) are:
Are UV sterilizers harmful to copepods?
Do copepods add to the biological load, or assist the load by eating detritus?
I have a 20 gallon fuge, how long before the copepods reproduce, to catch up with
the Mandarins appetite. I hear they will devour 30 to 100 of them a day?!?

Thanks for any advice you may offer!

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site, glad to have you.
I don't think uv sterilizers harm them...they don't add to the bio-load, and yes, they do help eat algae and old food...you can buy a bottle of them and seed the tank, or else buy a mandarin that's been trained to eat frozen foods.

 

[Reef Nutz]

Hello and welcome to the site, glad to have you.
I don't think uv sterilizers harm them...they don't add to the bio-load, and yes, they do help eat algae and old food...you can buy a bottle of them and seed the tank, or else buy a mandarin that's been trained to eat frozen foods.

+1. And WELCOME fellow Phoenix reefer. :whoopee!:

 

[Jmck]

The real question is, how established is your tank? I have a 2ft tank and its been running for a year but I have enough copepods to look after 2 mandarins :)

So if you fit any of this, then you should be fine to have a mandarin.

welcome to LR :)

 

[marcah]

howdy and welcome to the site..:D

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

I personally think that UV will actually kill any young pods that pass under the light

 

[Bifferwine]

I personally think that UV will actually kill any young pods that pass under the light

This is the case -- the UV will kill pods.

 

[dartmyth]

a UV does not actually kill anything. It alters the proteins and makes the living sterile so it cannot reproduce, in some cases it alters it so much it can no longer feed.
If you really want a UV on a reef tank you should have it hooked to the overflow coming in to your sump so any pod in the sump that go to your DT have a chance to reproduce.

 

[Drilled 55 custom]

Hey thanks for the input everyone. I should have clarified my big picture game plan. My system is basically a swim tank with 3 large tangs & a percula clown. I have about 20 lbs. of matured, flourishing LV. I plan to convert from swim tank to reef. It's just that my tangs have been in there for two years & are so healthy fat & happy, lol. If/when I ever lose my large (heavy bio-load swimmers) I'll push more to the reef side. Do I even need the UV in a reef system? Should I convert my 20 gallon trickle wet/dry to a fuge, when I do go reef? Thanks again reefers!!

 

[parrotchute]

A fuge will be hugely helpful in maintaining pods. I'd say run the UV only part time, as needed - if you've got good filtration it's not a must have. Mandarin's absolutely decimate the pod population, so make sure you have an established population before you bring one home. Lots of rock rubble and sand will make them happy!

What size tank? If it's a large tank, 20lbs of live rock isn't nearly enough!

 

[parrotchute]

Is it a 55 gallon? That's way too small for a few tangs, by the way...

 

[ErinCahir]

+1 chute....

 

[Drilled 55 custom]

It's a 55 gallon, I have the 20 lbs. of matured live rock and another 20 lbs of decorative rock that has become live-ish rock. OK so I need more live rock & more time for the pod population to grow? How long after I introduce the pod population, (estimated), could I get a Mandarin? Thanks for the tip!!

 

[dartmyth]

you should turn you wet/dry in to a furg with cheto and put reef pod in their to help jump start you pod population.

 

[Reef Nutz]

Hey thanks for the input everyone. I should have clarified my big picture game plan. My system is basically a swim tank with 3 large tangs & a percula clown. I have about 20 lbs. of matured, flourishing LV. I plan to convert from swim tank to reef. It's just that my tangs have been in there for two years & are so healthy fat & happy, lol. If/when I ever lose my large (heavy bio-load swimmers) I'll push more to the reef side. Do I even need the UV in a reef system? Should I convert my 20 gallon trickle wet/dry to a fuge, when I do go reef? Thanks again reefers!!

You basically need 1-1.5 lbs of Live Rock per gallon, used as a filter for your system. No need for a UV at all. Yes, convert your 20g to a sump. I'd try to add that one now, that will help filter and grow your pods in safe place.