I did it....I bought a Mandarin Goby
- Thread starter daaaaaan
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kenny77
New member
you should never say never unless you have a good explanation on how I had a pair of Red Scooter blennys and a Green Mandaring in a 55g. I know the answet how I manage to have those guys with a big fat belly for more than 2 years now, ain't easy, but not imposible
wait to see my new system and the surprice im building for it. there is the answer on how to keep this guys alive, happy and very fat.
But back to the topic. I do think that 40# is not enough for your mandarin. when in this forum many people have said that 75# of LR should be the minume beleive they are right. you can see how they get fatter if you put a mandarin on a big tank with more than 100# of very porus LR
waterfaller1
New member
That sounds like a success story.
louist
New member
I agree with Kongo, tank size isn't that relevant, it's whether the little guy is eating or not.
I have a green mandarin (S. picturatus) in my 10g, she's on frozen mysis twice a day, just like my seahorse, and she's fat and active.
One just need to meet their feeding requirements. IMHO, if he/she is on frozen, feeding once a day might be too little. Twice or three times would be ideal.
I have a green mandarin (S. picturatus) in my 10g, she's on frozen mysis twice a day, just like my seahorse, and she's fat and active.
One just need to meet their feeding requirements. IMHO, if he/she is on frozen, feeding once a day might be too little. Twice or three times would be ideal.
MinibowMatt
Active member
I highly doubt the fish will live more than 2-3 months. Essentially your just playing a waiting game... good luck, but I would find someone with a system that can provide for the fish adequately..
theop
Active member
If you can get your mardarin to eat prepared foods and can keep other fish away long enough to let it get enough food, you'll probably be ok.
Good mandarin information here from Melev including his "diner": http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html
Good mandarin information here from Melev including his "diner": http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html
bluewatr24
New member
all you need is to get them to eat frozen mysis thats what mine had been eating before i forgot about him and he use to be a fat bastard
natep206
Blenniella chrysospilos
i disagree. i have a 55 reef. i have around 55lbs of lr. when i get another 45 lb shippment in. wait about 2 monthes then buy live pods of the internet. im going to get a mandarin. the tank size has nothin to do with it. its the amount or lr and the amount of pods. with 100lbs or lr worth of pods and more live pods added. u really think thats not enough. so tell me. how could u say a mandarin will NEVER live in a 55?
nate :beer:
I had a mandarin in my 55 for about 2 years, the ironic thing was I didn't know better at the time, and was unshure of their feeding habits, however, he was a fat juicy fish being fed mysis, Brine, pellets, i had no refugia and I did not skim. I eventually tore my system down and gave him away, he still lives today. So I am with kogo, size is irrevelent, and never say never.
-Odd
it makes me laugh how many people on here flame others for having a mardarin in a 24. well im here to tell you its not only possible, but EASY. i am only 15, and i have had a spotted madarin female in my 29 for 3 years now. i dont get where all this talk about impossible fish to keep, and waiting game for it to die! thats FALSE. all you have to do is get it to eat prepared foods, then it doesnt matter the tank size. you could have it in a 10 gallon, and feed it mysis everyother day, then it would be in PERFECT. so moral of the story, all you have to do is get your mandarin to except prepared foods and your set to go.
theop
Active member
Go29, did your mandarin take prepared foods from the time you bought it, or did you have to wean it?
I think the bottom line is: fish that eat, live; fish that don't eat, starve to death.
The question should be: "How easy is it to get a mardarin to take prepared foods?" If it is easy and most mandarins can be trained, then the dogma of not keeping one in a tank with less than ~75# of LR should be abandoned. However, if ones that take prepared food are the exception, than that probably stays a good rule of thumb. I don't think it would be a good idea to try to buy a mandarin and try to get it to take prepared foods if you only have a 10% or even only a 50% chance at success.
I think the bottom line is: fish that eat, live; fish that don't eat, starve to death.
The question should be: "How easy is it to get a mardarin to take prepared foods?" If it is easy and most mandarins can be trained, then the dogma of not keeping one in a tank with less than ~75# of LR should be abandoned. However, if ones that take prepared food are the exception, than that probably stays a good rule of thumb. I don't think it would be a good idea to try to buy a mandarin and try to get it to take prepared foods if you only have a 10% or even only a 50% chance at success.
55semireef
Moved On
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7557356#post7557356 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kenny77
you should never say never unless you have a good explanation on how I had a pair of Red Scooter blennys and a Green Mandaring in a 55g. I know the answet how I manage to have those guys with a big fat belly for more than 2 years now, ain't easy, but not imposible
Ok, you either had a big population in a large refugium, you supplemented pods or you got them to eat frozen foods. What other explanantions are out there? From the sound of it, you know what you are doing and have a great understanding. But for most people out there, they have no idea. Most lfs sell them cheap and most beginners buy them for their colors and bc they have such a cool personality. But the fact of the matter is that people that buy them usually end up killing them. They are extremely difficult to keep. That's why I say never to put them in a 55. I am trying to prevent people that don't know what they are doing from killing a perfectly good fish.
But then there are people that very well know what they are doing like yourself. But you are a minority in this hobby.
Just curios, how did you do it?
bluerug
Moved On
I agree with this statement, it can be done to keep a mandarin in a 55 very easily actually. Just have to have enough lr and pods and also have enough patience and wait to get one, 55semi if you wait another few months you too would be able to get one, now that would be a sweet addition to your tank. And by then maybe your niger would of outgrown your 55.
55semireef
Moved On
Oh btw, for all you guys that successfully keep one. Thats great. Honestly, thats good. I wish I could get one but my Niger would probably bash on it.
I only say that bc MOST people don't realize before they buy. Being in the industry, I see a lot of people that come in the store and buy fish that would never even be close to compatible. This one guy wanted a mandarin, a clown trigger and stone fish.
I had to persuade this guy for like 30 minutes to reconsider. Most likey all of the fish would of lived in havoc. I am trying to prevent mandarins from dying. I honestly know its possible for them to live in a 55 or a 20. Odd chances are, most don't feed on frozen foods. Strictly to pods and thats what the majority of mandarins eat is only pods.
BTW, I never flamed anyone GO20. Where are you getting that?
I only say that bc MOST people don't realize before they buy. Being in the industry, I see a lot of people that come in the store and buy fish that would never even be close to compatible. This one guy wanted a mandarin, a clown trigger and stone fish.
I had to persuade this guy for like 30 minutes to reconsider. Most likey all of the fish would of lived in havoc. I am trying to prevent mandarins from dying. I honestly know its possible for them to live in a 55 or a 20. Odd chances are, most don't feed on frozen foods. Strictly to pods and thats what the majority of mandarins eat is only pods.
BTW, I never flamed anyone GO20. Where are you getting that?
55semireef
Moved On
I plan on giving my Niger to a guy that has a massive tank.
55semireef
Moved On
Good. Hopefully yours will do well. I hate to seee hungry fish. Let us know how its doing and sorry if I discouraged you. I know I can come off sometimes like that. Sorry again.
Read that one website http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html
That should help you a lot. And sorry again for any discouragment. I didn't mean too. Good luck!
Read that one website http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html
That should help you a lot. And sorry again for any discouragment. I didn't mean too. Good luck!
kenny77
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7562592#post7562592 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
Ok, you either had a big population in a large refugium, you supplemented pods or you got them to eat frozen foods. What other explanantions are out there? From the sound of it, you know what you are doing and have a great understanding. But for most people out there, they have no idea. Most lfs sell them cheap and most beginners buy them for their colors and bc they have such a cool personality. But the fact of the matter is that people that buy them usually end up killing them. They are extremely difficult to keep. That's why I say never to put them in a 55. I am trying to prevent people that don't know what they are doing from killing a perfectly good fish.
But then there are people that very well know what they are doing like yourself. But you are a minority in this hobby.
Just curios, how did you do it?
None of those are the reason why they survive. I add the mandarin first. I didn't even have a fuge. I didn't even knew that they only will eat pods. but he survive the first year. AFter a couple of month I start looking at him and I notice that teh pod population in the tank was big enough that he didn't even look for them. they were eevry were. BTW never supplement pods. any way afetr that I desided to get a pair of scooter blenny. AND I had a fuge just to keep the pods population stable. the tank had a rubber bed in the back of the tank were most of the fishes wont be able to get there, so pods were reproducing fast there, in the fuge the pods population was big but the pods population wasn't that big since the mysis shimps and ghost shrimp population was so big, that almost one year after I left Orlando and the tank is still running with my dad's care, most of the tank depend on the pods and shrimp population, since I feed the tank only twice a week when I was there, and now my dad only feeds the tank ones a week. Mandarin and Scooter blenny health status? mandarin is almos 3" with a big bubble belly and the pair of scooter blenny one is 2" the female is 1.5" with a bubble belly.
The trick is having good quality rock, wish quality should be messure in porosity(spell*) rather than pound. 75# of solid or bad rock wont have more surface area than a 15# of LR tha is so big but still is a 15# rock. also pods prefare to reproduce in dim light areas rather than fuge wish many people have them 24/7 with a light. that why I always use rubber pile and I try to cover them so pods can reproduce there with out disturbance. Like every one here will prefare to
Any way, just to get it clear, Im not flaming you. I know you are just trying to tell that keeping a mandarin in a small tank is very hard unless people are willing to give them the right contion so pods can reproduce
I literall have 100's if not thousands of pods that run around at night....I also have a Refugium in the back second chamber, which is filled w/ pods......my rock has been in an active tank for over 6 years now (1 with mine) and its VERY well filled with pods....I hope he does ok
Jovreefer
New member
I was stupid as a kid & got a green one when I was 16. I put it in my 30 FOWLR, only 10 lbs LR. I noticed it getting skinny so I got a bunch of different foods from the LFS and tried feeding him.
He would not take brine, mysis, mysid, or any pellets but he took frozen blood worms. He loved those things. I used a turkey baister and VERY slowly blew them around him and he ate them. I think if you dont have any fish that are going to run down and eat them all scarring him off you'll have a good chance of weening him off pods.
Someone in my reef club also built a mandrin feeder. Its a box made of plastic screen, you throw a frozen cube of food in that and sit it on the bottom, only the mandrin has a small enough mouth to pick the food out. & its just like picking it out of rockwork so it's I guess easier to get them to eat out of that. I've never tried it but apparently a few people did & it worked great.
He would not take brine, mysis, mysid, or any pellets but he took frozen blood worms. He loved those things. I used a turkey baister and VERY slowly blew them around him and he ate them. I think if you dont have any fish that are going to run down and eat them all scarring him off you'll have a good chance of weening him off pods.
Someone in my reef club also built a mandrin feeder. Its a box made of plastic screen, you throw a frozen cube of food in that and sit it on the bottom, only the mandrin has a small enough mouth to pick the food out. & its just like picking it out of rockwork so it's I guess easier to get them to eat out of that. I've never tried it but apparently a few people did & it worked great.
