Mandarin fish

[tony1988]

I'm living in Egypt & I don't have any access to buy live copepods... Do you think it will be a good idea to add a mandarin fish & get to eat anything else? or will I succeed at nothing but killing this beautiful innocent creature?

 

[Lucky Lefty]

Considering the detailed info you've supplied about your tank.. I'd say go for it.

End:sarcasm

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

What size tank and how long has it been established.And also how much live rock.

 

[tony1988]

20 lbs dry rock, 5 lbs live rock, the tank is 2 month old with no fish yet... but it has already finished cycling... its a 70 g tank, & im not intending to put it now, im intending to add it few month later, im just asking

 

[gone fishin]

IMO most mandarins will accept frozen food, this assumes they are not out competed for it, but they will not survive on it. They need to have pods to eat while they are awake. Since you cannot get pods then I would take a pass on the mandarin. good luck just my 2 cents.

 

[Code4]

I love the mandarins. Can you get Brine Shrimp eggs and hatch them daily? If not I would say no. Paul B has a baby brine shrimp feeder that works. I have 2, and while one does eat live worms and other things, it was just lucky. They will starve to death. IMO

Shelley

 

[ginpang]

70 gallon with 130 + pounds of live rock running for at least a year will give you a chance at keeping one ... Better yet if you have a refugium tank .... Otherwise if there is no access to live copepods, cyclops or Rotifers you're bound for disaster!

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I would pass on the mandarin for now,I have a pair in a 75 gallon with 40lbs of live rock.My tank was three years old when I added the male,and a year later for the female.They both eat frozen and flake.They are constantely picking the rock and sand bed.

 

[ThRoewer]

I'm living in Egypt & I don't have any access to buy live copepods... Do you think it will be a good idea to add a mandarin fish & get to eat anything else? or will I succeed at nothing but killing this beautiful innocent creature?

Where in Egypt are you and could you travel to the Mediterranean or Red Sea to get some pods as a starter from a tide pool?

 

[lifeoffaith]

You'll definitely want more live rock. With the live rock that you have, most likely there are a few copepods that came in with it. If you let the tank continue on for another 10 months with a significant amount more live rock, you should be able to do it. I would say you probably need at least another 50 lbs, but would benefit from another 100. If you don't add any life until the one year mark, you will have a large population of pods. If you are adding other fish, they will likely all eat some pods, but some are known for eating more than others, so definitely steer clear of those. The size tank you have is considered by most a minimum for mandarins after a year of pod development. Some have been able to do it in smaller tanks, but only by training to frozen. I did a lot of research on these guys when I wanted one, and decided to wait until I have a larger, more established tank.

 

[skp]

With only 5 pounds live rock you will be off to a slow start but if you don't add anything that eats pods and you have enough diatoms or phytoplankton then you should have a considerable pod population in under a month. You will have a diatom bloom soon and then you will see hundreds of pods all over the glass. Don't mistake this to be a long term population. As the diatoms die out, so will the pod population unless you feed your tank phytoplankton.

 

[tony1988]

I can easily access the red sea... but can you give me more details on how more precisely harvest pods naturally?

 

[ThRoewer]

I'm not sure how the laws in Egypt are regarding taking rocks or animals from the wild.

If you can take things I would say see if you can find some nice live rocks and transport them home wet. Those should have everything you need.

If going for pods in specific I would look for some rocks with lots of algae on them. Try to scoop them up with a small container. The best places to look are usually tide pools and splash pools.

A fine net would be ideal to fish for pods and little shrimp.

Another place I would look for pods is in the sand right below the waterline.

If you are close enough to the Red Sea to get there regularly you should explore the coast for interesting things.
Also, if you could get a plankton net you could catch plankton from the sea.

You might want to set up a small tank where you can evaluate and quarantine your finds before putting them into your tank.