Mandarin & pods

[ReefHog]

Another thread about LS critters got me thinking about somthing. It concerns my 120 reef which has been set up for about three years with 150 lb. of LR and 2-4 inches of sand. I recently bought a mandarin and I am wondering if he is getting enough to eat. It's been four weeks and he is always out picking at the LR and the glass all day long. I can't really tell if she is putting on weight. When I look at the tank durring the day I don't see too many creatures, pods, bugs, etc. After the lights go out, though, there are "bugs" all over the place. Tonight I counted over thirty coepods on the one side glass alone. And if I look with a flashlight there is probably hundreds of different kinds of "bugs" squiggling around inside the rock & crevices all over the place. Of coarse the Mandarin is sleeping then. As long as I have a good visible "bug" population at night, would this be an indication that there is an ample food source durring the day that can be found by the Mandarin?

[Ninong]

Sounds like you're doing fine. Do you have any other fish in your tank that specialize in copepods?

[Sylock]

Yes, as long as you have plenty of pods at night you can be assured that the manderin is finding them during the day. Do you have a sump/refugium going?

[ReefHog]

Other fish are Purple Tang, Flame Angel, Fox Face, Maroon Clown, & Yellow Tail Damsel. So not too much competition.

No sump. I removed it last year due to the noise since the aquarium is in the livingroom. I'm contemplating making a rubble filled "bug" box out of egg crate to put behind some of the rock work.