Fish help Tails disappearing
- Thread starter onecoder
- Start date
crvz
Team RC
the mandarin is likely starving to death; a 14 gallon tank will never sustain one of these fish, they need much nearer 100 gallons of tank with as many pounds of live rock to sustain a population of live pods necessary for their diet. I dare say the prognosis is very poor for that fish.
regarding missing fins, what other inverts to you have in the tank. Those snails are only going to bother something that's already dead, they are not aggressive and shouldnt attack it otherwise.
regarding missing fins, what other inverts to you have in the tank. Those snails are only going to bother something that's already dead, they are not aggressive and shouldnt attack it otherwise.
ChadTheSpike
Reef Engineer
+1 on the mandarin... likely at least two problems here.
In addition to what other inverts you know you have, what else to you have in the tank? Need much more info.
In addition to what other inverts you know you have, what else to you have in the tank? Need much more info.
onecoder
New member
Thanks for the updates. I have had a Mandrin in the past for many years in a 20 Gal tank.
This one is eating and does eat Arctipods when I feed him. I do not think that starving is the issue, in fact his color is great and he is not thin at all.
The snails were attached to his tail while he was swimming I saw it as did my wife. Others in the tank a GTBA, some LPS, and 5 hermits that I know of. I am not aware of anything else unless there were some hitchhikers.
Thanks for all the comments and help.
This one is eating and does eat Arctipods when I feed him. I do not think that starving is the issue, in fact his color is great and he is not thin at all.
The snails were attached to his tail while he was swimming I saw it as did my wife. Others in the tank a GTBA, some LPS, and 5 hermits that I know of. I am not aware of anything else unless there were some hitchhikers.
Thanks for all the comments and help.
Chiefsurfer
New member
I still think that he is starving. Basically, from what I have heard, they basically hunt, and eat about 20 hrs a day. So even feeding 2-3x a day is not enough. Also just read another thread where a guy works with mandarins a lot, and one species has a MUCH higher success rate than the other. The other one you had, was it a different species than the one you have currently?
When you say tails disappearing, I automatically think fin-rot. Also, if the fins are rotting, that flesh is dead, and COULD be why the snails are most-likely eating it.
When you say tails disappearing, I automatically think fin-rot. Also, if the fins are rotting, that flesh is dead, and COULD be why the snails are most-likely eating it.
schoch79
New member
I'm not sure if I follow correctly what you are saying but in the original post you say your mandarin is "boney and has lost the color". In the next post you say "I have had a Mandrin in the past for many years in a 20 Gal tank. This one is eating and does eat Arctipods when I feed him. I do not think that starving is the issue, in fact his color is great and he is not thin at all." Unless I am mistaken and I think I am you are saying that in the "past" you have kept a mandarin in a 20g. I assume that the past one is no longer. Then it sounds like you are going back to the original post mandarin when you say, I do not think that starving is the issue, in fact his color is great and he is not thin at all. Am I misunderstanding the way you wrote this? First he is boney and lost the color and next the color is great and he is not thin at all?
footballdude2k3
Active member
first are your tank parameters off? second, are your tank parameters off? third 14 is HORRIBLY small for a mandarin....even if you supplement pods its too small
onecoder
New member
Thanks for all the replies.
1: I know that a 14 is a bit small for a mandrin, it is not a final home just a stop over while building a larger system.
Schoch79: When I say past I do not mean that the other died. It did not. I had to break down and sell of my reef when I moved I sold the system. The mandrin in the 20G at that time was doing well when I sold it. My statement was just to say that I have kept them alive for years in a small tank.
The tail you can see the bones the rest of the fish looks fine My description was not clear I understand that. So picture a fat full color green Mandrin looks perfect until you see the tip of the tail and you don't see the flesh you see the bone.
Water prams. T:79, SG: 1.024 dKh:9 Calcium: 480 nitrate and nitrite: 0.
The fish is new to the tank 3 weeks or so, and looked fine while a acclimated him.
The only place there is anything wrong is the tail you can see the bone with no flesh on them very small but I wanted to know if anyone had seen this.
With fin rot I would expect to see all fins impacted by it not just the tail.
He still eats and swims around no change in behavior so I did not know if something may have nibbled or what. If anyone has experienced the same your suggestions would be helpful. If I can get a good picture I will post one.
1: I know that a 14 is a bit small for a mandrin, it is not a final home just a stop over while building a larger system.
Schoch79: When I say past I do not mean that the other died. It did not. I had to break down and sell of my reef when I moved I sold the system. The mandrin in the 20G at that time was doing well when I sold it. My statement was just to say that I have kept them alive for years in a small tank.
The tail you can see the bones the rest of the fish looks fine My description was not clear I understand that. So picture a fat full color green Mandrin looks perfect until you see the tip of the tail and you don't see the flesh you see the bone.
Water prams. T:79, SG: 1.024 dKh:9 Calcium: 480 nitrate and nitrite: 0.
The fish is new to the tank 3 weeks or so, and looked fine while a acclimated him.
The only place there is anything wrong is the tail you can see the bone with no flesh on them very small but I wanted to know if anyone had seen this.
With fin rot I would expect to see all fins impacted by it not just the tail.
He still eats and swims around no change in behavior so I did not know if something may have nibbled or what. If anyone has experienced the same your suggestions would be helpful. If I can get a good picture I will post one.
+1 on the fin rot or some sort of parasitic/bacterial infection
Even with your updated discription it sounds like some sort of infection of his fin. The snails are definately a dead give away of dead flesh. Although that I agree with the others that a 14 or even 20g is too small for a mandarin, he likely wouldn't start showing drastic (boney) signs of starvation within 3 weeks.
Even with your updated discription it sounds like some sort of infection of his fin. The snails are definately a dead give away of dead flesh. Although that I agree with the others that a 14 or even 20g is too small for a mandarin, he likely wouldn't start showing drastic (boney) signs of starvation within 3 weeks.
