Mandarin Primer
- Thread starter BrianD
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Masterofnonsense
New member
If you do add a male, I've seen it recommended that you get a male that is larger than the currently established female. Some folks that tried pairing similar sized individuals or small males with larger females, reported aggression from the female towards the smaller male. Best of luck if you do go for a pair.
Western_reefer
Reef keeper
Ok, thanks!! Also, can Mandarin fish change sex?<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15547539#post15547539 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Masterofnonsense
If you do add a male, I've seen it recommended that you get a male that is larger than the currently established female. Some folks that tried pairing similar sized individuals or small males with larger females, reported aggression from the female towards the smaller male. Best of luck if you do go for a pair.
Masterofnonsense
New member
Nope, I don't believe they can. Fortunately they are sexually dimorphic and easy to sex for the most part.
Masterofnonsense
New member
Finally after what has seemed like ages, tonight I witnessed spawning behavior out of my pair of spotteds. They made several spawning rises, but never actually did the deed. I have no doubt they'll eventually figure it out though.
Both the male and female came from local pet stores. In both cases they were small (about and inch) and very emaciated. I've had the male for probably close to a year, during which he's more than doubled in length and quadrupled in girth. I've only had the female for a couple months. In both cases I used a breeders net to train them over onto frozen food, and then used Melev's mandarin diner to feed them in the tank. I feed them both finely chopped PE mysis and enriched frozen brine. They are both waiting in the corner where I place the diner every morning. Sometimes I am able to feed them both before and after work, but most days they just get their diner filled up in the morning.
My current tank is a 50 gal with a bare-bottom, and contains about 40 lbs of liverock. I have no refuge, just a sump to hold equipment. I've had quite good luck out of using frozen + a diner for my pair. Both mandarins have recovered from being emaciated and are quite plump. Their recent spawning behavior also tells me they must be doing fairly well.
Both the male and female came from local pet stores. In both cases they were small (about and inch) and very emaciated. I've had the male for probably close to a year, during which he's more than doubled in length and quadrupled in girth. I've only had the female for a couple months. In both cases I used a breeders net to train them over onto frozen food, and then used Melev's mandarin diner to feed them in the tank. I feed them both finely chopped PE mysis and enriched frozen brine. They are both waiting in the corner where I place the diner every morning. Sometimes I am able to feed them both before and after work, but most days they just get their diner filled up in the morning.
My current tank is a 50 gal with a bare-bottom, and contains about 40 lbs of liverock. I have no refuge, just a sump to hold equipment. I've had quite good luck out of using frozen + a diner for my pair. Both mandarins have recovered from being emaciated and are quite plump. Their recent spawning behavior also tells me they must be doing fairly well.
I have been following this thread for a while now and was waiting until I could consider myself a successful mandarin owner before I posted anything.
I was very excited because my mandarin and I were approaching our 10 month anniversary together and, from what I have gathered, people in the reef world generally say that if your mandarin is still plump and active after a year, you can consider yourself to be a successful owner. My tank is only 65 gallons, but I have a 30 gallon sump/fuge and a whole lot of live rock, and I also set up several rubble piles in my display tank several months before I went out to purchase my mandarin. It was a good thing to because, even though I tried and tried, my mandarin never took to prepared foods. Regardless, nearly 10 months in I was feeling pretty good because my mandarin was plump and my pod population was still high.
However, my mandarin decided to celebrate our 10 month anniversary by carpet surfing while I was at work. His death was upsetting on many levels. In the two and a half years that I have had my aquarium, my mandarin is my first fish loss (I have had cleaner shrimp mysteriously disappear, but nothing else has kicked it). Also, I felt bad for the poor little guy. Suffocating/drying up cannot be an enjoyable way to go. And then I was also kicking myself because it had just so happened that I had forgotten to put my egg crate back on to the aquarium the night before after I'd been doing some take maintenance.
Alas, I am not meant to be a successful mandarin owner. I have not yet decided whether or not I will purchase a replacement for my little guy. I loved watching him swim around the tank. I think, out of all of my fish, he had the most character. However, I was constantly worried that he would exhaust his food supply or that my clowns or damsel would bully him (which they probably did, causing him to jump in the first place). Even though I seemed to be on the right track, I feel like getting another mandarin might be irresponsible because I still can only speculate that my tank's pod population can handle one.
I was very excited because my mandarin and I were approaching our 10 month anniversary together and, from what I have gathered, people in the reef world generally say that if your mandarin is still plump and active after a year, you can consider yourself to be a successful owner. My tank is only 65 gallons, but I have a 30 gallon sump/fuge and a whole lot of live rock, and I also set up several rubble piles in my display tank several months before I went out to purchase my mandarin. It was a good thing to because, even though I tried and tried, my mandarin never took to prepared foods. Regardless, nearly 10 months in I was feeling pretty good because my mandarin was plump and my pod population was still high.
However, my mandarin decided to celebrate our 10 month anniversary by carpet surfing while I was at work. His death was upsetting on many levels. In the two and a half years that I have had my aquarium, my mandarin is my first fish loss (I have had cleaner shrimp mysteriously disappear, but nothing else has kicked it). Also, I felt bad for the poor little guy. Suffocating/drying up cannot be an enjoyable way to go. And then I was also kicking myself because it had just so happened that I had forgotten to put my egg crate back on to the aquarium the night before after I'd been doing some take maintenance.
Alas, I am not meant to be a successful mandarin owner. I have not yet decided whether or not I will purchase a replacement for my little guy. I loved watching him swim around the tank. I think, out of all of my fish, he had the most character. However, I was constantly worried that he would exhaust his food supply or that my clowns or damsel would bully him (which they probably did, causing him to jump in the first place). Even though I seemed to be on the right track, I feel like getting another mandarin might be irresponsible because I still can only speculate that my tank's pod population can handle one.
Here is mine. I have had her for 5 months now and she wont eat any prepared food. But I can see her hunting for pods all day. When I brought her home the first day, she changed colors at night. I thought she was dead and was going to get her out. It was a pleasent surprise to when she moved. I am thinking about adding a male.
Found my six-line absolutely savaging my mandarin ! I am 100% sure the wrasse would have killed it had I not moved the mandarin to the fuge quickly. It bit at him constantly occasionally holding onto the gills or fin for 10-20 seconds at a time without letting go! Apparently this is not an uncommon occurrence as they compete for the same food source and some aggressive wrasses my not like the mandarin once it see's it eating pods!
I am not sure about the next step to take... mandarin seems to be recovering in the fuge...
I am not sure about the next step to take... mandarin seems to be recovering in the fuge...
for some reason, i cant seem to keep my spotted mandarin's stomach fat. i've been feeding hikari spirulia brine and ocean nutrition bloomworms, soaked in selcon 2-3 times a day after i get off work (basically from 7pm-11pm). by the time i get back the next day, his stomach is shrunken again.
am i doing something wrong? he is eating frozen foods, but it doesn't seem to help him gain weight. he still won't touch mysis yet.
am i doing something wrong? he is eating frozen foods, but it doesn't seem to help him gain weight. he still won't touch mysis yet.
Aqua Keepers
New member
I feel that they still need pod in their diet as these guys eat 24/7, even if they are eating prepared. So if you have a small tank, it is possible that it still is not getting enough nutrition.
D3monic_Urges
New member
They still need snacks throughout the day. So if in a smaller tank I would think a fuge would definatly come in handy. Certainly I am a exception the general populus but mine have flourished in a nano tank. For breeding I feed 2-3 times a day depending on how often they visit the food dish. Pics and video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjXKkrBBonk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTYr_-mL7jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjXKkrBBonk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTYr_-mL7jU
805reef
New member
anyone with experience keeping both a psychedelic and a green spotted in the same tank? I have a 180 gallon with 30gallon fuge. Pods are everywhere, and I would like to get one of each if possible.
Other tankmates would be:
paid of naked clowns
flame angel
flameback angel
bicolor blenny
yellow tang
blue tang
purple pseudochromis
Other tankmates would be:
paid of naked clowns
flame angel
flameback angel
bicolor blenny
yellow tang
blue tang
purple pseudochromis
phish guy
New member
i have a 54g corner tank with a approx 4-5g fuge. i have succesfully kept a Pyschadelic Mandarin (affectionaly named Wavy Gravy) for well over a year. the little fella has doubled in size. he was very small when i got him, maybe a bout 3/4 of an inch and is now about 2 inches and pudgy. he is very shy though and does not like his picture taken.
the 54 was about 10 months old when i added Wavy, but all the rock/sand came from a 29g that had been up just shy of a year. initially i was using Zoe or Selcon soaked live brine to make sure he was getting enough food. after a couple of months Wavy started eating frozen brine and now that he has gotten big enough, frozern mysis. i know he percs up whenever i feed frozen cyclopeze/rotifers, though its hard to tell if he is actually eating it or not. i am assuming so.
Tank mates are: Pair of tomato clowns, yellow tang, royal gramma and a yellow watchman goby
the 54 was about 10 months old when i added Wavy, but all the rock/sand came from a 29g that had been up just shy of a year. initially i was using Zoe or Selcon soaked live brine to make sure he was getting enough food. after a couple of months Wavy started eating frozen brine and now that he has gotten big enough, frozern mysis. i know he percs up whenever i feed frozen cyclopeze/rotifers, though its hard to tell if he is actually eating it or not. i am assuming so.
Tank mates are: Pair of tomato clowns, yellow tang, royal gramma and a yellow watchman goby
If you ever get a mandarin to eat pellets/prepared foods I find that you can use them to train other mandarins (of the opposite gender) to "teach" them to take prepared foods as well. My female spotted mandarin has been eating pellets for 4 years now and my newer male > 1 year took pellets without my doing in my 125 gallon reef. I almost think of it as the "anthias" complex> group feeding can stimulate and help other fish to learn what foods they can eat. Mine also feed with some competitive eaters> sixline, ccb, blue tangs, purple tang, yellow tang. They breed at night. p.s live foods, blood worms seemed to help in the beginning.
I love the pics!! They're so cute!
redsea reefer
New member
wow, beautiful fish and pics..
eaglesrx
New member
This question may sound ridiculous, but I'll give it a shot anyways.
Anyone know if a spotted mandarin will eat newly hatched baby clownfish? I have a breeding pair of percs and nothing eats the newly hatched clownfish. I was curious to see if there's a non-wrasse/dottyback, peaceful fish that could eat them rather. Just curious for a future upgrade anyways and not in my current tank.
Thanks!
Anyone know if a spotted mandarin will eat newly hatched baby clownfish? I have a breeding pair of percs and nothing eats the newly hatched clownfish. I was curious to see if there's a non-wrasse/dottyback, peaceful fish that could eat them rather. Just curious for a future upgrade anyways and not in my current tank.
Thanks!
