A good sign?

[lbiminiblue]

well if you don't know by now that I'm dedicating all my work and research to mandarins by now, then clearly you've joined in the past 3 months. Anyhow, in my 120 that's a few days old (running with live rock) i've noticed big amphipods-almost like sand fleas- scurrying around the bottom, on the glass, getting shot out the powerhead, generally being wreckless. :turntable anyhow, i was wondering if this is a good sign. Clearly the tank is nowhere near dragonet-readiness (haha no pre-emptive guilt trip there!) IS this a good sign of good things to come? With the addition of copepods every few months should i be able to keep a pair?

 

[dmatt88]

Id give ur tank the necessary cycle time. I'm talking complete algae cycle nitrate cycle etc. 9 months or so. But heck ya that's a good sign.

........ mods please turn ur heads.

 

[lbiminiblue]

Ughh.....Yes i know the cycle thingy,......Did you not read the "pre-emptive guilt trip" part?

 

[lbiminiblue]

Don't worry imma make sure my dragonet WILL NOT die of starvation.

 

[steved13]

I would agree with Matt if after 9 months to a year, you still have good pod population you should be good to go.

 

[lbiminiblue]

I am about to xplode a vein.......Thanks for the advice but trust me this is one fish I'm NOT gonna mess up on......I WILL succeed in keeping a dragonet, possibly breeding them (yeah right)

 

[steved13]

I am about to xplode a vein.......

really? why?

 

[dmatt88]

really? why?

High blood pressure.

........ mods please turn ur heads.

 

[lbiminiblue]

I'm just kidding it's just that after i say "no pre emptive guilt trip" people go telling me wait another 9 months.....I KNOW ALREADY!!!!

 

[lbiminiblue]

and no not high blood pressure.

 

[redneckgearhead]

It seems that you are asking for advice then have veins explode over the answer?? Pod populations seem to explode then recede all the time. If your pod population stays where it is you should be good to go, but I am betting in a few weeks you'll wonder where they went.

 

[Bearjohnson]

I've dumped about 5 or 6 bags of pods into my tank over 4 months and I'll be darned if I can find a single one today.
I dumped them in my sump, in my tank and today I can't find a single pod. My tank is 6 months old. Just my .02 worth. Carry on.

 

[redneckgearhead]

Hey Mark, try this after the lights in your tank go out, turn the lights out in the room and take a flashlight and shine it into a low flow area of the tank and Ill bet you see them swimming around happily...You have to look close, if you do you'll see those "specks" are actually moving.

 

[steved13]

+1 I usually can find a few in the deeper holes in the rockwork, with a flashlight in the dark.

 

[dmatt88]

Good call. Also look in ur sand around the edges by the glass. U should see tons of little tiny pods

........ mods please turn ur heads.

 

[Bearjohnson]

Sure I'll try anything once. LOL
I've seen them doing jitterbug as I dumped them in so I know what they look like while they are swimming around buy what the hay, I'll give it a shot.

 

[lbiminiblue]

No....No no no that's not what i meant at all...... It's just that i Know i have to take my time with the dragonet and the pod populations so it gets kinda annoying after a bit with people almost turning you away from getting one. Hence the pre emptive guilt trip comment.

 

[lbiminiblue]

Good call. Also look in ur sand around the edges by the glass. U should see tons of little tiny pods

........ mods please turn ur heads.

no not yet, but i have a huge ball of something that looks like chaeto, but it's orange and less strong or thick. I imagine it'll load up with pods over time. It's in the chamber the pump is in, which is connected to the refugium, so free swimming pods might get sucked into the display.