another mandarin question. is my tank good enough?

before more comments added i would like to say the tank size doesnt mean anything, its all the liverock amount. most people say 50lbs is enough.
somone can have a 500gallon with just 60lbs of liverock...

Sadly, this is a case of someone asking about the requirements needed for keeping a specific fish healthy and are told what they can provide isn't sufficient. The person then disregards everyone's advice and buys the fish anyway.

Meh...we tried. It just really bothers me. Why ask for advice at all then?

So far as I can tell, the OP is simply disputing the advice given, and doing so on the basis of other information (correct or not) that is relevant to the issue. I don't see the OP buying any fish, Sugar Magnolia, so your disdainful comments are out of line. Please don't contribute to the 'toe the line, or we'll bash you' mentality that crops up around here from time to time, eh?
 
So far as I can tell, the OP is simply disputing the advice given, and doing so on the basis of other information (correct or not) that is relevant to the issue. I don't see the OP buying any fish, Sugar Magnolia, so your disdainful comments are out of line. Please don't contribute to the 'toe the line, or we'll bash you' mentality that crops up around here from time to time, eh?

As long as a person posting doesn't break the [ua] they are free to post what they want.
 
Colin, read through this thread - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1492650

Honestly, a 29g tank just isn't large enough to house a mandarin. They are constant feeders and spend the majority of their time hunting and feeding. Even with 60 pounds of LR and rubble, the chance of it decimating the pod populations are pretty high. If it doesn't accept prepared foods, once it depletes it's food source in your tank it will slowly starve to death.

My two cents. ;)

Sound advice to a question asked.
 
I don't see any 'toe the line' mentality from Sugar and certainly no 'disdainful comments'. all I see is someone disregarding (or 'disputing', same thing here) solid advice. it's the 'I already know the answer, whether you agree with me or not' that gets old.

I see the OP buying the fish if he hasn't already.
'it's just $25 so buy it'. good thing it's not really a living, breathing animal.
 
People get angry on here way to quick if you don't take their advice and they think they know all. People kill mandarins in 100+ gallon tanks, and other people have successfully kept them in nanos. Google it and you'll find what you need to know. The people who have kept them in nanos have lots of rock with a refugium or separate tank with additional rock and chaeto.

I plan on keeping one in my jbj 28 gallon. It has lots of rock, tons of chaeto in a hob refugium and I am also culturing my own pods in a separate 30 gallon tank filled with 60 lbs of rock and lots of chaeto in that also. This gives the pods plenty of safe places to multiply peacefully, but even then I have a person who will take it if it doesn't work out. It's just like anything else in this hobby, everyone has had different experiences, do your best to provide for the animal and watch it carefully. Be prepared for the worst so that if it doesn't work out you can get rid of it in a timely manner and not kill it. Make a good decision and good luck!
 
FWIW, I speak from experience. Mine would NOT accept frozen/prepared foods. Rather than letting it starve to death, which is what clearly was happening, I gave it to someone with a large (90) well established reef. Last I heard, the fish was fat and happy, 4 years on.

It just bothers me that some folks don't really care. It's just a fish kind of mentality. *shrugs shoulders* To each his own.

I have to say, to all of you who have succesfully gotten yours to accept prepared foods, my hat is off to you. I tried for weeks and had no luck. They are absolutely beautiful fish. Some fish just aren't meant for us nano folks.
 
People get angry on here way to quick if you don't take their advice and they think they know all.

Agreed.

As long as a person posting doesn't break the <a href="http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/user-agreement">User Agreement</a> they are free to post what they want.

I know this. I didn't cry out for mods to delete the post. I just asked for more civility. Sugar Magnolia's tone was not conducive to discussion, but rather was a move to end the conversation with a statement as to who was superior ("Meh...we tried.") Most other posters and I are continuing to give useful and relevant advice and relate our experiences regarding keeping mandarins. I tried to point this out.
 
I beg to differ about the size of the tank being able to sustain a mandarin. I have a 24 gal nano cube with approx 50-60 lbs of live rock that I've for 6 years now. I added a spotted mandarin about three years after I first started my tank and started the refugium right around the same time with chaeto algae. I would recommend adding copepods to your refugium at least once a month to maintain a healthly supply of pods for your mandarin. In addition to that, make sure to flip your chaeto around so that all sides get enough light or it will begin to decay and can cause some problems with your parameters. I bought copepods from http://www.reefnutrition.com/phytofeast.html or your LFS. The pods alone won't keep a mandarin alive. I've tried all types of frozen foods with no luck. The only thing he would eat is live brine shrimp which I also enhanced with Garlic Extreme as it helps with fishes' immune systems. I attempted to mate him with a smaller female, only to have him kill her about 2 months later. None the less, he survived for approx 3 years. He met his maker while I was out of town on vacation for two weeks... :( Darn fish sitters.

NOTE: You must turn off your power heads or water fans (ie...Koralia fan if you have one). Mandarins are very slow and picky eaters therefore the brine will need to be shot in the area where your mandarin is with a turkey baster. Just go easy on the brine and don't over feed. Eventually they'll come around to them if not right away. You can inbox me if you have more questions or post here.

Thx
 
Sadly, this is a case of someone asking about the requirements needed for keeping a specific fish healthy and are told what they can provide isn't sufficient. The person then disregards everyone's advice and buys the fish anyway.

Meh...we tried. It just really bothers me. Why ask for advice at all then?

i havent bought the fish yet... i was just stating that if i ever find a mandarin that eats prepared food no doubt i will buy it because i really think i could keep it based on the information ive heard.
dont take what i said the wrong way, i really hate seeing stuff die and i really beat myself up when i kill a fish. i will not buy a fish unless im posotive it will be happy and live. i think a mandarin that eats frozen with 60lbs of liverock and a fuge with cultured pods being put in the tank would be more than happy!
 
i havent bought the fish yet... i was just stating that if i ever find a mandarin that eats prepared food no doubt i will buy it because i really think i could keep it based on the information ive heard.
dont take what i said the wrong way, i really hate seeing stuff die and i really beat myself up when i kill a fish. i will not buy a fish unless im posotive it will be happy and live. i think a mandarin that eats frozen with 60lbs of liverock and a fuge with cultured pods being put in the tank would be more than happy!

:thumbsup:
 
Hi,

mandarins, like seahorses, constantly eat tiny amounts. Feeding them once or even twice a day (whatever that food may consist of) would be pretty much as if someone decided to adopt you as a pet:
Upon being told "this guy needs 3 meals a day", your new keeper could say "nah, I can´t bother to do that, I will just feed him a massive amount of food once per week, that should be sufficient".
That would not make you happy, and would not keep you healthy.

I hear it is difficult to provide enough copepods for mandarins or seahorses, as they can clear a tank of its pod population rather quick. So you´d have to find a way to guarantee a constant supply he can pick on, and that will not be taken away from him by other/faster fish.

I would not know about your tank size. Some people manage in smaller tanks, others had their mandarins starve in much larger ones. I guess there is no guarantee either way.
 
i havent bought the fish yet... i was just stating that if i ever find a mandarin that eats prepared food no doubt i will buy it because i really think i could keep it based on the information ive heard.
dont take what i said the wrong way, i really hate seeing stuff die and i really beat myself up when i kill a fish. i will not buy a fish unless im posotive it will be happy and live. i think a mandarin that eats frozen with 60lbs of liverock and a fuge with cultured pods being put in the tank would be more than happy!

I wouldn't do it, but like already stated, it looks like you've already made up your mind.
 
if i culture pods and i get a mandarin that eats frozen thats almost a 100% survival from lack of food... thats the only reason i said i would get one if i found one that ate frozen..
if this makes anyone feel better i was going to get one without culturing pods or attempt to find one that eats frozen but you have cleared me away from trying it..
 
my green mandarin is in a 75 with 20 gallon fuge and 100 plus lbs of live rock, its pretty skinny time to time, i haven't been able to get him to eat mysis or brine shrimp
 
So the Mandarin "eats frozen foods" big deal! Are you really prepared to drop small chunks of frozen food in the tank throughout the course of the entire day, day after day, WITHOUT FAIL??? Because mandarins eat tiny amounts ALL DAY LONG.
 
wow people are really taking what i said the wrong way
if im culturing pods and feeding frozen PLUS having 60lbs of liverock and a fuge i am 100% posotive i can keep the mandarin alive
drew, what is ntramar?
 
wow people are really taking what i said the wrong way
if im culturing pods and feeding frozen PLUS having 60lbs of liverock and a fuge i am 100% posotive i can keep the mandarin alive
drew, what is ntramar?

IMO, the problem is that you are assuming, " i am 100% posotive i can keep the mandarin alive " You can't be. There have numerous posts where people had similar set ups and couldn't keep one alive.
 
100% it wont starve i meant
how could it possibly starve if i have a constant source of pods???
sorry for my ignorance i just didnt know how much they have to fricken eat...
 
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