mandarin fish?
- Thread starter Hurley12
- Start date
Angela Short
New member
Unless he takes prepared foods they will depleat a 44 gallon of pods pretty fast. Gflat had trained one to eat I think in a smaller tank. I had 100 lbs of rock in a 80 and my mandarin was pretty skinny. Then he met a untimly death in the move from a uncovered mag 9.5 while hanging out in my sump 
. I felt sorry for him he just looked hungary to me. I just got a new mandarin yesterday from Ebay and he is hanging out in my 29 a few days to fatten up off the billion pods in there before going to the 270. (and using it as a QT tank for him to make sure he is healthy) I swear they look already almost depleated in 1 day! I have not had a pod predator in a few months and my pods are out of controll but they can eat them up fast!
. I felt sorry for him he just looked hungary to me. I just got a new mandarin yesterday from Ebay and he is hanging out in my 29 a few days to fatten up off the billion pods in there before going to the 270. (and using it as a QT tank for him to make sure he is healthy) I swear they look already almost depleated in 1 day! I have not had a pod predator in a few months and my pods are out of controll but they can eat them up fast!Angela Short
New member
I am always here. Come by anytime. Just call so I can at least mag float the glass 
. I will Pm you my number if you ever want to swing in.
. I will Pm you my number if you ever want to swing in.
KAiNE
Premium Member
I have owned 4 of these fish, 2 in the past and 2 presently. All 4 ate frozen food.
IME they all will, with a little work. I use a turkey baster with a 18" piece of ro/di line attached, that way I can direct feed them in areas where my other fish cant reach. My female is so used to this she heads for the spot at feeding time.
The most recent was a male about 3"... biggest I had ever seen!! I saw him in Fins about 6 months ago, they practically gave him to me because he was soo skinny. They didn't expect him to make it. 2 weeks later, when I went back to Fins, they didn't believe me when I told them he eats mysis.....lol.
Every night, just before lights out they "dance" at the surface. I've seen eggs a couple of times but I don't have the means, yet, to deal with it.
IME they all will, with a little work. I use a turkey baster with a 18" piece of ro/di line attached, that way I can direct feed them in areas where my other fish cant reach. My female is so used to this she heads for the spot at feeding time.
The most recent was a male about 3"... biggest I had ever seen!! I saw him in Fins about 6 months ago, they practically gave him to me because he was soo skinny. They didn't expect him to make it. 2 weeks later, when I went back to Fins, they didn't believe me when I told them he eats mysis.....lol.
Every night, just before lights out they "dance" at the surface. I've seen eggs a couple of times but I don't have the means, yet, to deal with it.
gflat65
New member
The fourth fish I had was a green mandarin, some 10 years ago in a 40H with about 80 pounds of LR. It lived for four years before being eaten by a rock crab (gaping hole in it's side-I got that crab though...). I've had three throughout the years and all have eaten frozen, if they get hungry enough. In the 40H days, I fed pretty regularly and target fed soaking in Selcon (I think the Selcon helped get it started on the bloodworms). I did a red bug treatment, which kills a good portion of your crustaceans, and my spotted stayed as fat as ever (five fat rolls when it pulls head to tail). I have a nice pod farm now, though (fuge).
Competition is a major issue. I had a six line in with my first mandarin and the mandarin was skin and bones when I realized the problem. The wrasse as quickly removed from the tank and the mandarin recovered within a few months, but it was touch and go for a while, there.
Competition is a major issue. I had a six line in with my first mandarin and the mandarin was skin and bones when I realized the problem. The wrasse as quickly removed from the tank and the mandarin recovered within a few months, but it was touch and go for a while, there.
Runner
Active member
I've had a green mandarin for about a year now in my 75G (100+ pounds of rock) with 30G sump/refugium and the thing looks like a tadpole it is so fat. He won't eat frozen (not that I've tried to get him on it) and I don't see any pods in the main tank anymore unless I shine a flashlight at night, but the refugium is full of them. And they obviously make it up to the main tank to feed the "little" guy.
I would think a 44G, though, would be pushing it if you couldn't get it to eat frozen (like shredded mussels or the like). Even if you had a refugium full of macroalgae and rock to host a pod population, it might be risky. I can't say that from experience, though -- just what I've read on this site.
I would think a 44G, though, would be pushing it if you couldn't get it to eat frozen (like shredded mussels or the like). Even if you had a refugium full of macroalgae and rock to host a pod population, it might be risky. I can't say that from experience, though -- just what I've read on this site.
