I just setup this 15 gal tank with live sand ; hoping to get some live rock soon I read that I should wait 4 weeks for this tank to cycle and that I should have no life in it till then. TRUE ?

used them before
pretty good

I want to order the Mandarin/ copopod pack but they don't have it when i want it and shipping them in the cold is a gamble

dont bother with their copapods
you will be dissappointed
and mandarin r so hard to keep you want to pick a nice healthy one to atleast give yourself a shot at keeping it alive.

I looked at my tank the other day and there is so much crap crawling on the glass and pods flying everywhere that I can probably support a pair of Mandarins at this point. Even snails started laying eggs on the glass. It's amazing what 5 years of proper husbandry can do to a tank.

I still have the original set of Tonga Nassarius snails that I bought about 5 years ago. There may not be 12 left but I counted 5 in one spot. They tend to favor the side on the far end away from the window. Most fish actually sleep in the corner too.

Fish By Mail
 

That's a shame because I managed to keep one over year plus before it faded. I hate ordering live stock through the mail. You never know what you'll get. I ordered frags one time and they came lokking horrible. Didn't last.

and a mandarin will make short work of all that
they r so hard to keep for prolong times, yes you can keep it for 6 months or a year. then there no more food and they starve
they eat all day and you see your pods go very quick

but still beautiful
i guess still worth it