good sponge

[saltwater6900]

what is everyone favorite sponge?? i need to get one so i can get a mandarin goby. does any one know of any good ones that look good? and also any for sale in cedar rapids?


pic help i cant decide on a good looking one let me know your sponge of choice

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

question. why do you need a sponge for a mandarin? AFAIK they don't eat them

 

[saltwater6900]

i was told by a friend at the lps that hey eat the pods that live in there and also the sponge eat nitrate at night

 

[RobynT]

I too wonder about any sponge that would benefit a Mandarin. Sadly, the Mandarin is a fish that you really have to wait until you have a very mature set up and lots and lots of pods to have a chance at giving them a good home and plenty to eat. I've seen starving Mandy's at the fish store in Peoria and it was a horrible sight.
I have a Mandarin but I waited until my tank was at least a year old and had lots of pods and lots of live rock for them to breed in. I know that some people say their Mandarin eats frozen or prepared food but it is rare and nothing you can count on.
I know how I felt when I was new and people told me certain things I was going to have to wait on but patience truly is a good thing in this hobby. Take the time to read up on them and talk to other people about them. They really are cool fish and very aloof to most of the other inhabitants in the tank. I love mine!

PS I have all of two years in this hobby so I am still a newbie too!

 

[saltwater6900]

well thanks robyn i have had my tank for 1 or 2 months, and i went to the pet store (pets play house) and they wouldnt sell it to me becuse they told me about the pods, i thought that was very nice you would think they would just to get a few bucks but he said not to. Any ways the pods live in the sponge so they eat out of it any one else know any thing else that can help thanks

 

[vvolfe1]

Wow! I must say that is a good LFS. And I agree with everything Robyn has to say on them.
I currently have 3 Mandarins 2 in a 90 and one in a 55. You can decreasee the time it takes for your tank to build its pod population up a few ways. 1, Feed it plankton 2, build areas where fish can not get to. 3, Get some big mesh and make sacks or tubes with LR rubble and hide them out of site.
Another thing I have noticed is that people that struggle with Mandarins have other pod eaters in their tank. Dragonettes just can not compete when it comes to hunting.

 

[Atticus]

Ok, you guys and gals are amazing!!! You have mentioned everything... I too wish to congradulate you on finding a great fish store employee. The sponge will not carry enough pods to sustain a mandarin for long. Sponges also do not fair well in a fresh (less than 6 month old) tank. Even then they can be difficult. Be patient, use the next few months to read up on training your mandarin to eat prepared foods. Use your money to buy phytoplankton and more live rock. A refugium is also a great topic to research and a great way to increase your pod population. I will pm you with a few items I have that can help you to your goal of owning and keeping a healthy mandarin.