blue mandarin dragonette

[emonemo420]

soooo i really fricken want one...i have always wanted one..and id like to possibly make him my next goal...yes yes i know u need a good deal of copepods or w/e so thats what this thread is about...how do i succesfully (and im not mr. successful) set this up.. what do i need, what is a copepod or amphipod according to TPP website, how do i set it up so they are in constant supply for my tank, and last but not least if i do set this up will my other fish eat the "pods" (if they do eat em is it possible that they em enough i dont have to feed my tank????) thanks for ne and all help

 

[a1amap]

Use google to find RC treads. Just add Reef Central to the topic you are looking for. Works well. I would let your tank settle and mature before I go after a mandarin. They need a well established tank with a steady population of copepods. I also want one, as they have great personality. After 2 years my 75 is no where near ready to host one

 

[Jocephus]

I wouldn't attempt in your tank. You have a coris which will eat pods, and (now) a hawkfish which will eat pods. The mandarin needs a large steady supply in order to survive. If you had a 75 gallon refugium, then maybe. Or, if you're willing to buy pods monthly.

.02

 

[Gordonious]

Will have to agree with them. I typed this last night, but feel asleep, before the spell check came up on it.


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You would be very lucky to make it so you wouldn't have to feed your tank. I have never heard of anyone getting it to that point. You will have to do a lot to your tank to get it to the point where you will have enough pods. What you need for 100% surity is a large refugium. If there is no way to attach a good size fuge(much more then 10g) then there isn't really a way to keep one. Unless your budget gets very large and you can dump in expensive live food which still wouldn't be a well rounded healthy diet.

Much more details later. I gotta go to sleep though because I just got done a late night reck dive and I gotta get up at 7am for another dive to start collecting some serious data for my research project. We'll talk later about this.

Jon

 

[Jocephus]

Hey man, all that said, if you find one that's eating prepared foods, I say go for it. It will still need lots of pods in it's diet, but it will have a much better survival rate.

 

[emonemo420]

alright yo check it...(lol)...so i have my ten gallon which has abotu 3-4 inchs of sand in it (its like cold though and my clown was in it but i didnt take care of it so its really messed up)but say i cleaned it up and everything...how would i hook it up so i could make it a fuge to do all this...now mind u its next to my tank sitting on a dresser...can i leave it there and connect em...i wanna do this simple and cheap cause im poor!

 

[a1amap]

For a fuge where you want to grow a pod population most people put it above the main tank. The reason for this is that when you have pods go through a pump it chops them up. With the fuge above the main tank it will overflow back into the main tank and not kill the pods. A pump pushes new water from the main tank into the fuge.

 

[a1amap]

I have got a better fish for you. Granted it is not as colorful as the mandarin you were looking at but you mentioned the personallity as the reason for wanting the fish. A fish with equal personallity is the lawnmower Blenny. Also called a algae blenny or rock skipper. http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...ategory=4&category_search=61&root_parent_id=4

This would help with the algae growth you experience and get you a cool fish

PS This is the next fish on my list, followed by 2 purple chromis

 

[a1amap]

Hey found this in the advance section
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1282529
The guy losthere talks about a scooter blenny but they also survive mostly on microfauna(pods)

http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html


Also a good short read
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1281890

 

[kaptken]

I had a blue mandarin for 4 or 5 years, till the power outage got him. my tank had lots of pods and bugs for him to eat, but it would also pick up the forzen brine i fed the fish. Just lucky i guess. They do prefer live food on the hoof. but after a while will be more opportunistic towards frozen.

at the same time i also had a scooter blenny and a six line wrasse, and Rainsford Goby which all hunt the same live pods. or frozen brine shrimp. The trick is to get them established in the tank long enough to learn the frozen stuff is good too. The Mandarins are slow, methodical hunters. not competetive for food.

But they are very cool, and fun to watch. great colors.