You may have heard of these Copepod things. Copepods are small crustaceans found in both fresh and saltwater. There are thousands of species of copepods, some good and some bad. The majority of copepods found in the typical saltwater fish tank are beneficial to the aquarium.

Another larger organism, similar to a copepod, is an amphipod. Like copepods, amphipods also provide a food source for fish and other invertebrates. Many aquarists want a large population of copepods and amphipods to provide a free living food source to their inhabitants.

Imparticular, copepods are the primary food source for Mandarin Dragonets. These spectacular fish can quickly strip a small aquarium of its copepods. Although most copepods are self-culturing in the Live Rock, many aquarists will create a Refugium to help maintain their pod population.

One of the most colorful reef fish is surely the Mandarin Dragonet, also known as the Mandarin Goby. Although beautiful in nature, proper care must be taken to maintain this fish in your home aquarium.

1. What Size Tank Do I Need to Keep a Mandarin Dragonet?

As far as swimming space, a Mandarin can be kept in an aquarium as small as 20 gallons, but most Mandarins often require a larger aquarium to sustain their food habits. To support one Mandarin, the aquarist should have an established 75 gallon aquarium with live rock and an abundant copepod population. A refugium will also help to grow copepods and is highly recommended, especially in smaller aquariums.

2. What are Copepods?

Copepods are microorganisms that live in your aquarium. They eat detritus and are also a food source for your Mandarin. Copepods are very small and will often appear on the glass and Live Rock. after the aquarium lights are turned off for a number of hours. These little creatures reproduce rapidly, but a population can be depleted quickly even by a single Mandarin Goby.

3. Where can I get Copepods?

Many species of copepods tag along as hitchhikers on live rock and will reproduce in the home aquarium. Bottled Copepods are also available from many different vendors. You may introduce live copepods into the aquarium when the lights are off to prevent the other fish from eating them, or you may add them directly into the refugium.

4. What is a Refugium?

A Refugium is a safe place for microorganisms to reproduce without being eaten by creatures in the display tank. Typically a refugium hangs on the back of an aquarium or is located in the sump. Most refugiums have a sand bed around four inches deep with rubble live rock placed in piles where copepods can reproduce. Most hobbyists place a macroalgae, like Chaetomorpha or Caulerpa in their refugium for added filtration. Most macroalgae require a standard light fixture to grow and thrive.

5. Will My Mandarin Eat Other Foods?

Some hobbyists have trained their Mandarins to eat frozen foods, particularly Mysis Shrimp and Cyclops. Although there are many feeding methods, most consist of target feeding the Mandarin with a mixture of live copepods and frozen food. With practice and some luck, the Mandarin will learn that when you approach the aquarium it is time to eat.

6. How Can I Tell the Difference Between Males and Females?

Males will typically be larger in size and have a long spiked dorsal fin. Mandarin Dragonets have been known to spawn in captivity.

7. Can I Mix Different Species of Mandarins?

You cannot mix different species of Mandarin Dragonets as they will fight. The most common varieties available are the Green, Spotted/Psychedelic and Red. Please remember that Mandarins are slow moving, docile fish and should not be housed with large aggressive fish.

In summary, do not buy a Mandarin Dragonet until you have prepared your aquarium appropriately. At a minimum, it should be an established 75 gallon aquarium with live rock and an abundant copepod population. Without an established copepod population, most Mandarins will starve in a few short months. Although some Mandarins will eat prepared foods, do not expect this to happen overnight.

Have you thought about keeping corals, but just needed some basic information to get you going? Given the proper environment, most hobbyists find that some corals are easier to keep than fish. Corals can be classified into four categories.

Soft Corals are generally the easiest variety of coral for the beginner hobbyist to keep. Mushrooms, Zoanthid Polyps, Leathers and Star Polyps make excellent first corals. Most can be maintained under Standard Fluorescent and Power Compact lighting. Although not ideal, most soft corals can tolerate nitrate levels up to 50ppm. The easiest way to identify a soft coral is by their fleshy skin, but when the coral dies it leaves no skeleton behind. Most hobbyists find that soft corals grow rapidly and add some extra movement in the water column.

LPS Corals, also known as Large Polyp Stony or Large Polyp Scleractinia Corals, are the next level of coral keeping and are less tolerant of nitrates above 30ppm. Most also require more intense lighting, like Power Compact, VHO, T5 or Metal Halide Beginner LPS coral include Frogspawns, Hammers, Torches and Brains. For the beginner coral keeper it can be hard to differentiate soft corals from LPS corals. Although both have fleshy tissue, when LPS corals die they will leave behind a stony skeleton. Of the four varieties of corals, LPS are generally the slowest growing, but are desired for their waving polyps and interesting color varieties.

SPS Corals are also known as Small Polyp Stony or Small Polyp Scleractinia Corals and are considered some of the more difficult corals to maintain. SPS corals are not tolerant of nitrates above 10ppm and require more intense lighting like T5 or Metal Halide. Most hobbyists struggle to maintain coral colors under Power Compact and VHO lighting. SPS Corals also prefer stronger water movement than LPS and Soft Corals. Aquarists planning to keep SPS Corals will also need to add Calcium and Alkalinity Supplements to maintain ideal levels. Small Polyp Stony Corals are easy to identify because most look like “Fuzzy Branching Sticks.” If you look closely, SPS Corals contain a variety of small polyps all along the skeleton. Popular SPS corals include Montiporas and Acroporas. Most novice hobbyists find these corals unappealing at first because they provide no movement in the water column, but they make up for it in their wide array of colors and growth patterns. SPS Corals do not make good beginner corals and more research should be done if you plan to keep SPS Corals, as this article is only a general overview of the different coral types.

The fourth type is Non-Photosynthetic Corals and Gorgonians. This particular classification includes Carnations (soft coral), Sun Coral (LPS coral), Firecracker Coral (LPS coral), Gorgonians and Sea Fans. Most hobbyists find all but the Sun and Firecracker Coral particularly challenging, as they require feeding to maintain life. Carnations and Sea Fans should only be attempted by expert hobbyists as they require routine feedings of Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Cyclops and other micro fauna. Other corals that should be avoided by beginner hobbyists are Flower Pot and Elegance corals as they have dismal survival rates in captivity and require an established aquarium for any chance of survival.

In summary, most hobbyists will be rewarded by keeping soft and LPS Corals as they provide a variety of colors, shapes and movement. These corals are fairly easy to maintain in comparison to SPS Corals, which require more intense lighting, calcium and alkalinity supplements and systems low in nitrate. Beginner hobbyists should remember to avoid Carnations, Gorgonians, Flower Pots and Elegance Corals as they are extremely difficult to keep.

The Blue Hippo or Regal Tang is generally a hardy and easy fish to maintain once it becomes established and comfortable in an appropriate sized aquarium. Yet, Acclimating and introducing a new Blue Tang can be frustrating to hobbyists of any level because they are very susceptible to Ich.

It is a good practice to Quarantine any new fish you purchase, but quarantining a Blue Tang is a must! In a quarantine tank, you can observe the feeding habits and medicate the fish if necessary. After the quarantine period, introduce the fish into the display aquarium and continue to monitor for any signs of disease. Once introduced, the Blue Tang can be a difficult fish to remove because it can wedge itself into crevices and hard to reach places in live rock. This makes it particularly challenging to remove a sick fish.

If your Blue Tang becomes infected with Ich in a reef aquarium, remove it from the aquarium and place it in quarantine. Treat with a Copper Based Ich Medication until the fish is disease free, some experts recommend up to a six week quarantine period before placing the fish back into the display aquarium. Do not use copper based medication in a reef aquarium because it is harmful to corals and invertebrates. If your Blue Tang becomes infected with Ich in a fish only Aquarium you have the option of treating the whole aquarium with a copper based Ich medication or quarantining the fish. You may treat your whole aquarium if you have no intention of keeping a reef aquarium with invertebrates and corals. Treating with copper will inhibit the aquarium, live rock, filters and substrate from ever being used in a reef aquarium. Other experts have advocated the use of a UV Sterilizer to treat and prevent Ich. Although these sterilizers are highly effective, they are not necessary and will not replace the selection of a healthy Blue Tang.

When selecting a Blue Tang, avoid specimens smaller than two inches. These fish have dismal survival rates, but are often purchased by hobbyists because they think it will be a good addition to a nano tank. Instead, look for a Blue Tang that is at least three inches, appears to be disease free, is active in the aquarium and is eating well. There is controversy about the minimum aquarium size required for a small Blue Tang. In general, a Blue Tang requires an aquarium at least four feet long with plenty of rockwork where the fish can hide and a long stretch where the fish can swim. Most Blue Tangs will quickly outgrow a 55 gallon aquarium, so be prepared to trade it in as the fish grows in size. Please note, these fish can grow to 12 inches and have spikes on each side of the tail. They will flare these spikes when scared or threatened, so caution should be taken when handling.

One of the main reasons why people want to start a saltwater aquarium is to have a beautiful tank full of Seahorses. These delicate creatures and intriguing and each one has their own personality. If you are new to the hobby or thinking about starting an aquarium, please take some time to read up on Seahorses before making a purchase. To learn the basics of marine aquarium husbandry, consider setting up a Fish Only or Reef tank first; this will greatly improve your chance for success!

Do you have the Proper Tank Set Up?

1. The aquarium has already cycled and there is no detectable ammonia or nitrite. Nitrates should be at a constant 10ppm or less. Other aquarium water parameters should be kept at optimum levels.

2. Unlike most fish, Seahorses are active vertical swimmers and require an aquarium at least 20 inches tall. Depending on the size and species, approximately 1 Seahorse can be kept per 5 gallons of water.

3. Seahorses will not do well in Reef Tanks where they can be stung by some corals and turbulent water flow makes it difficult for them to swim, feed and hitch.

4. Seahorses will not do well in Fish Only Tanks where larger, more aggressive fish will steal their food and even eat them. Generally, aggressive fish like Damsels, Triggers and Lionfish do not make ideal tank mates.

5. Seahorses also require a hitching post. A hitching post is a structure that a seahorse wraps its tail around. Gorgonians and other Sea Grasses like Caulerpa make ideal hitching posts for most Seahorses. The different macroalgaes will also provide filtration, but should be no substitute for a Protein Skimmer and water changes. Although Seahorses do not need light to survive, different Gorgonians and Sea Grasses may require intense light and feedings. Artificial plants and corals also make a good substitute.

Do you have the time to take care of Seahorses?

1. Each Seahorse should be fed a small portion of Mysis Shrimp 2 to 4 times per day.

2. In the beginning, Seahorses may be extremely finicky eaters and will need to be target fed. They may need extra attention and care until they begin to feed regularly.

3. Any leftover food should be siphoned out of the aquarium if a clean-up crew is not present.

In summary, this article is not enough due diligence for anyone wanting to keep a Seahorse. This article only provides basic information. If you are serious about wanting to keep a Seahorse, please continue to research. Seahorses are not easy fish and new hobbyists are encouraged to start a Fish Only or Reef Aquarium before attempting a Seahorse Species-Only Tank.