Blue manderins

[LeJeune981]

Ok.. I just rescued 2 tiny manderins from petco.. I seen them last week.. they were fat an healthy.. they had just arrived.. asking price 50 each... mind you.. they are about 3/4 inch long... anyways..I stop in today..checking them out.. they are both skinny.. anyway.. I struck a deal with the manager.. who also knew they won't last in the stores tank..or sell.. I got them for 20 each..
I wasn't planning on brining them home... but i couldn't let them starve like that..
Now.. where to put them..

I don't think my DT is safe.. let me know of you think it is.. I am planning on placing them in my 46 gallon fuge with a ton of liverock

My DT consists of
2 osc. Clowns
2 banggai Cardinals
Mated pare scooter blennys
1 scopas tang
1 lawnmower blenny
1 long nose hawk fish
2 urchins (pincusion)
Emerald crabs
Pep shrimp (haven't seen it in a while)
Zoas
Toadstool leathers
Feather duster
Acan
Xenia
Frogspawn
1 large lta
1 small rbta

I'm thinking they will become food in my display..
My fuge is packed with liverock..cheato and gha
Tons of pods in both fug and display
I add a big pouch of tisbe every month for my scooters.. may have to double that order now

Any advice is welcome..and needed... I've never raised such small fish

LFS said they were eating baby brine there

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[LeJeune981]

Both already eating pods !!
So damn cute.. but so tiny

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[Drblakjak55]

Where are you? Near Stamford?


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[aznflyfisherman]

$50 each? Where in petco or LFS are you located. Even 2.5 to 3 inch ones would only be about 25 to 30 each, but usually they run only around 16 to 20 around here. 50 sounds like they have the price wrong...good you got them for only 20 each.

 

[JUNBUG361]

$50 each is a bit heavy on the price. I think mandarin fish have some type slime coat on there body to protect them ick or parasite. Good thing you have pods in your system, they’ll eat those up fast. Try to train them to eat brine

 

[LeJeune981]

Where are you? Near Stamford?


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Petco in sandusky ohio.

There reasoning for the price tag is that these are aquacultured

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[Uncle99]

Like you seem to already know, the trick with these fish is food, you must have enough Copepods at all times as they graze all day. Yup, sometimes they will eat newly hatched brine shrimp...but you should put them in a glass with phytoplankton for 2 hours before adding....buts only if you do not have enough Copepods. You sound like you do.
What may be problem is the if you do not have a male and a female, they will fight.
Ok for the sump or the DT, these fish are not bothered by anyone nor do they bother, or even take notice of others. They are not protected again any parasite, they can get Ick like anyone else.

 

[Uncle99]

BTW...the male has a long pointed fin on his dorsal...and the female not.

 

[LeJeune981]

Like you seem to already know, the trick with these fish is food, you must have enough Copepods at all times as they graze all day. Yup, sometimes they will eat newly hatched brine shrimp...but you should put them in a glass with phytoplankton for 2 hours before adding....buts only if you do not have enough Copepods. You sound like you do.
What may be problem is the if you do not have a male and a female, they will fight.
Ok for the sump or the DT, these fish are not bothered by anyone nor do they bother, or even take notice of others. They are not protected again any parasite, they can get Ick like anyone else.

I was mainly worried about there size.. and being in the dt with predatory fish.. long nose hawk and my banggai Cardinals both have mouths big enough to swallow these guys in one bite

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[LeJeune981]

They are currently in the fuge ..I have tons of copes..brine..and little tiny jelly fish in the fuge

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[LeJeune981]

BTW...the male has a long pointed fin on his dorsal...and the female not.

By the looks of mine.. unfortunately I think I have 2 females.. but it's really hard to tell because of there size

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[Sugar Magnolia]

They are so tiny!! I'd suggest starting to try feed some frozen PE Mysis. With them being so young they may take to it.

 

[Uncle99]

Yup, sorry, never seen one that small....yup keep them in the sump....if you have predatory.
IMO, if they cannot survive and thrive on the Copepods in your sump, then feeding will be a big chore..If I had to...I would supplement Copepods in the sump....as this is their known diet...yes...sometimes they might eat something else.....I have been keeping them forever and only Copepods.....and new hatched brine.....never nothing else.

Apparently they are now being breeded and breed on other things..this would work but I doubt they are captive bred...

 

[LeJeune981]

Yup, sorry, never seen one that small....yup keep them in the sump....if you have predatory.
IMO, if they cannot survive and thrive on the Copepods in your sump, then feeding will be a big chore..If I had to...I would supplement Copepods in the sump....as this is their known diet...yes...sometimes they might eat something else.....I have been keeping them forever and only Copepods.....and new hatched brine.....never nothing else.

Apparently they are now being breeded and breed on other things..this would work but I doubt they are captive bred...

I think they will do good in the fuge... it's a 46 gallon bow front.. with well over 100 lbs of live rock..way more gha than I would like..and cheato and ulva algae..
My scooters will sometimes take frozen.. but not very often..
So I will just up my tisbe pod subscription.. just to be sure there is more than enough.. and I may turn my 10 gallon tank into a brine/pod/phyto culture tank..

Once they grow bigger.. I will move them to the display..

According to the manager at my local petco.. these two according to the supplier are captive breed..
The manager was pretty ticked off by the price tag and size.. knowing they would never sell he discounted them both for me.. I just have to stop back with update pictures for them all too see how the Lil buggers are doing
He said they have the ok and have an order in for some wild caught manderins.. they are 3 inches long and only 15 bucks from the same supplier

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[Uncle99]

I agree, they will do good in your sump....Copepods are fine on their own
Good luck.....they are nit too difficult with foods they love

 

[LeJeune981]

I agree, they will do good in your sump....Copepods are fine on their own
Good luck.....they are nit too difficult with foods they love

Now I'm just in an odd spot... my plan this weekend was to tear down my fuge.. and re configure it..adding an upflow ats to run off my overflow pipe in the first chamber.. then the main fuge chamber.. then make my return pump chamber a little bigger..

But i think I'll wait till the manderins are a bit bigger before doing that..

Mainly because I'm afraid I'll loose them or hurt them being so small and a bit difficult to locate

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[hkgar]

$50 each is a bit heavy on the price. I think mandarin fish have some type slime coat on there body to protect them ick or parasite. Good thing you have pods in your system, they’ll eat those up fast. Try to train them to eat brine

Brine is not nutritious and probably why they were getting skinny at the LFS. It is like candy for fish. They love it but it ain't no good for them.

What size is your DT?

 

[hkgar]

Yup, sorry, never seen one that small....yup keep them in the sump....if you have predatory.
IMO, if they cannot survive and thrive on the Copepods in your sump, then feeding will be a big chore..If I had to...I would supplement Copepods in the sump....as this is their known diet...yes...sometimes they might eat something else.....I have been keeping them forever and only Copepods.....and new hatched brine.....never nothing else.

Apparently they are now being breeded and breed on other things..this would work but I doubt they are captive bred...

Newly hatched brine because of the egg sack.

 

[LeJeune981]

Brine is not nutritious and probably why they were getting skinny at the LFS. It is like candy for fish. They love it but it ain't no good for them.

What size is your DT?

DT is a 90 rr. And fuge is a 46 gallon bow front.. 225 - 250 lbs of live rock between the 2

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[Uncle99]

Newly hatched brine shrimp are quite nutritious when they swim in phyto and seldom for 3 hours before feeding....we do that for our shrimp and clown fry.