Lots of pods... add another Mandarin or ???

[Daytymer]

Hi all,

I have a 125 that houses:

200lbs LR
Various corals
Small Tomato Clown
Small B/W Percula
Mandarin Goby
Lawnmower Blenny
Blue Damsel

I have a ton of pods that the one mandarin has never been able to keep up with. I've also noticed, within the past week, that the flatworm population is on the rise. My goal is to cut back on both the natural way

I'm thinking about a wrasse or another mandarin. I know that mandarins are great for pods but are hit and miss on the flatworms. Six lines are good for both but a Yellow Wrasse is even better for flatworms. Can I even add a second mandarin?

Any suggestions?

[mcbaes72]

Scooter Blenny will eat pods, too, and is a change from having another Mandarin Goby. I don't know if they'll eat the worms though.

[bertoni]

The flatworms might go away on their own. Are they reddish? If so, perhaps Convolutriloba. A search might turn up some information on them.

The problem with adding an animal to control the population is that it might starve after the food supply is exhausted. A six-line might end up outcompeting the mandarin for food.

[zoebeaglezoe]

I think its a plus to have more pods than your mandarin can handle most tanks don't have enough .......

[rickbirdman]

you can try a target mandarin AKA psycadelic mandarin. they have been known to eat both flatworms and pods and will co-exist with your current mandarin.

[bradleyj]

I have a 65 gallon reef , I have a manderin and a six line and a yellow wrasse. They all do well and I've had them for almost two years. If your tank is well established, I'm sure you could get a wrasse. Just remember that they are jumpers, I've had to place them back in my tank on more than one occasion.

[Daytymer]

Thanks for all the info. This might sound a bit stupid, but what good are the pods that are all over my glass... other than a food source?

[mcbaes72]

Originally posted by Daytymer
Thanks for all the info. This might sound a bit stupid, but what good are the pods that are all over my glass... other than a food source?

Think of them as like a miniature clean-up crew (like hermit crabs and shrimp, but much smaller). They'll scavenge uneaten food and I believe even fish waste, digest it further; therefore, breaking down the waste material even more. Maybe someone else can get into more technical terms to back up what I'm saying.

Personally, I wouldn't get another Goby because the pods are really important to the reef ecosystem. Consider it a blessing that you have so much. Don't disrupt that balance, that's my advice.

[Teremei]

Why would you want to reduce the population of pods, worms, and flatworms?

[Daytymer]

With not knowing exactly what role the pods played, I was hoping to clean the tank up a little bit. On the flatworms, I am concerned about an epidemic and was trying to be proactive. Sounds like I should leave well enough alone on the pods. Kinda nice to know that what I thought was a bad thing is just the opposite. I'm still concerned about the flatworms (they are the redish orange kind). What amount would be too much?

[bertoni]

The various crustaceans aren't hurting anything, and if you add most any other fish, it'll probably help with keeping them out of sight, at least. Mandarins are pretty picky, so I wouldn't add another.

The reddish orange flatworms you're seeing might be Convolutriloba retrogemma. A search should turn up some pictures. I've had to use multiple doses of Flatworm eXit to get rid of them. If they're not too ugly for you to tolerate and aren't on your corals, you can ignore them. More flow or just waiting might see a reduction in the population, maybe not.

[Daytymer]

Yep, thats what they are Convolutriloba retrogemma. Mine are hanging out on the lowest pieces of LR and some on the glass. I'll try and figure out how to increase the water flow to those areas. In the meantime I'm going to keep siphoning. After reading up on Flatworm exit, I'm scared of the toxicity of the dead worms. Is there any way to test for it after the product is used?

[fishman805]

Originally posted by mcbaes72
Think of them as like a miniature clean-up crew (like hermit crabs and shrimp, but much smaller). They'll scavenge uneaten food and I believe even fish waste, digest it further; therefore, breaking down the waste material even more. Maybe someone else can get into more technical terms to back up what I'm saying.

Personally, I wouldn't get another Goby because the pods are really important to the reef ecosystem. Consider it a blessing that you have so much. Don't disrupt that balance, that's my advice.

I have to agree.... Most people would love to have the excess that you have in the tank... IMO, no more mandarin or scooter ( which is also a dragonet ) keep what you got and enjoy the excess.....


Bob

[bertoni]

I don't know of any way to test for toxicity. I just used lots of fresh carbon. You could just ignore them, or siphon them out. I think that if you follow the directions, the risks are low, but I wouldn't say zero.