Mandarin question

matty0206

matty0206

Member
My mandarin is very healthy but I have noticed, when compared to others I have seen it is very small. Is size difference purely age difference or are there differences in size with sex? I know my Mandarin is at least a couple years old and is very fat and happy since it eats anything and everything but not very long at all.
The reason I ask, I would like to eventually find a mate if I am lucky enough to find one that will eat anything.

I know people like pics so
 
that is a female and I believe that in the mandarins the females usually stay smaller. how long is she? have you tried to measure her?
 
Thank you, I haven't tried to measure but I would guess 2"-3" or so.

I ask because my LFS got some in from SA and they are like 5" long, I was shocked how big they are.
 
your species should only get about 4 inches. I wouldn't be too worried. she looks very healthy. you asked about pairing her up right?
 
Yeah I would like to eventually find her a mate. I am in the process of removing the 2 larger fish from my tank so I can start to find mates for the smaller fish I have. I think it would be cool to have pairs of each, my clowns were first but they were easy, they paired right away.
 
be careful pairing some fish. once paired they become a lot more territorial and aggressive. just something to keep in mind
 
Very healthy female Mandarin. IME, they grow very slowly, even with fully fed all the time. Female Madarin start to breed very early, even less than 2 inches, they are sexually mature and will start to spawn, if keep in good condition. The day of the spawn, the female mandarin will have a huge stomach, like she swallow an egg, and the belly is about to bust. When you see that, she/they will at about dust that day.
Often, female mandarin will chase and bite male mandarin if he is smaller than her. Females will completly ignore each other. Pair mandarin will aso ignor each other until spawn time. Male mandarin will fish, and chase all the male mandarin, even my 450 g tank is not big enough for two male mandarin.
 
OrionN said:
Very healthy female Mandarin. IME, they grow very slowly, even with fully fed all the time. Female Madarin start to breed very early, even less than 2 inches, they are sexually mature and will start to spawn, if keep in good condition. The day of the spawn, the female mandarin will have a huge stomach, like she swallow an egg, and the belly is about to bust. When you see that, she/they will at about dust that day.
Often, female mandarin will chase and bite male mandarin if he is smaller than her. Females will completly ignore each other. Pair mandarin will aso ignor each other until spawn time. Male mandarin will fish, and chase all the male mandarin, even my 450 g tank is not big enough for two male mandarin.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that info, now if I can find a healthy male. I always wanted a mandarin but never wanted one that would wither and die, when I found her I was very happy because she was well established and already eating everything. Well worth the wait though, she is definitely my favorite.
 
Just becasue this one eat everything, there is no guarantee that the next one will. Best to make sure your tank is large enought for 2 mandarin. How bid is your tank and how long have it been established.
 
conradryaan said:
be careful pairing some fish. once paired they become a lot more territorial and aggressive. just something to keep in mind
Click to expand...

While a male mandarin may become aggressive w/ other males, both male and female usually totally ignore everyone regardless of what is going on.
Even when some of my fish pick at them they just ignore it completely, and just keep hunting pods, and that is all they do all day/night, except when they do their mating dance.
I've had my pair for 4 years now, and agree, they are somewhat slow growers, even w/ plenty of pods, but they are fat and happy.
Large enough tank w/ enough LR and pods are essential for long term success.
 
Don't keep them with Sixline wrasse. In my 450 g tank, I had a Mandarin pair and a Sixline wrasse pair. all 4 fishes were fat and doing well. One day, after about 3 months after then have been together the Sixline pair attack the female Mandarin. They just dive at her and peck her eye out. Over the next several weeks, she starved to death (near death and I euthanize her with zip-lock in the freezer.)
I was able to trapped both of the wrasse and took them back out to the LFS before they turn on my male Mandarin. After they peck her eye out, they completely ignored her.

If there is evil in fish, it's the Sixline wrasse.
Since then I have never bought another Sixline wrasse, or other similar wrasse.
 
No six lines in my tank, every one I have ever had has been a jerk. My tank is a 40 breeder that has been up and running for about 2 years. I have a very large micro fauna population but I would never have purchased a Mandarin without knowing the one I was getting was well established and eating. Mine came from a local reefer so I knew first hand it's condition. I actually feed my tank twice a day with an Apex AFS just for the mandarin, she eats the .5 mm size New Life Spectrum pellets very well.
 
Supplied food is rarely sufficient for a mandarin long term which is why we recommend 75 gallons of mature tank for one with no copepod competition. Even if they eat supplied food (most do), they are totally unable to compete with other fish often causing aquarists to overfeed small tanks. Pairing fish is tricky and often times overwhelms the food supply in the case of mandarins, especially in small tanks.
 
snorvich said:
Supplied food is rarely sufficient for a mandarin long term which is why we recommend 75 gallons of mature tank for one with no copepod competition. Even if they eat supplied food (most do), they are totally unable to compete with other fish often causing aquarists to overfeed small tanks. Pairing fish is tricky and often times overwhelms the food supply in the case of mandarins, especially in small tanks.
Click to expand...

Understood completely. I also feed LRS and Rods a few times a week which she eats well and my pod population seems to be large even after having her for a few months, she has no competition in regards to pods. She holds her own very well with the tank mates and has no fear of them I think because she came from a 150g that contained large aggressive fish. All I can do is hope for long term success and I feel like my tanks age combined with the fact she eats a variety of prepared foods gives her a pretty good shot at a happy life.

If the consensus is a mate is a bad idea for my tank I certainly won't do that, I enjoy her way to much to cause her demise.
 
for you guys with more experience with the pairs, what do you feel is a recommended tank size to house them in?

i've been considering trying to find a male for my mandy, with the ultimate goal of at least attempting to raise the fry, but have been hesitant to introduce another one to my tank. mainly out of concern for pod populations, but also potential aggression with my female.

currently i am running a 75 gallon with 25 gallon sump. i've done well feeding my mandy with a variety of foods, from the pods in the tank, to a baby brine feeder, to nutramar ova and black worms. she is a fat little girl who eats with gusto, and while i would love a pair and the potential to rear the fry, the last thing i want to do is jeopardize her health or nutrition.
 
OrionN said:
Don't keep them with Sixline wrasse. If there is evil in fish, it's the Sixline wrasse.
Since then I have never bought another Sixline wrasse, or other similar wrasse.
Click to expand...

Repeat this 1 gazillion times and hopefully people will start believing it :) They are evil incarnate.
 
MondoBongo said:
for you guys with more experience with the pairs, what do you feel is a recommended tank size to house them in?
Click to expand...

I lean on the conservative side, so the pair I have now are in a 150g tank and have no real pod competitors.
I don't keep any wrasses at all.
I agree w/ the 75g per one as a general guideline, w/ plenty of LR and a fuge.
I personally just prefer to give them the best conditions, and there are so many other fish to choose from, prefer my mandy pair fat and happy and a peaceful tank.
I think OP is pushing it for keeping one, no way would I try two, unless that 40g was tied into a pretty big fuge teeming w/ pods.
Just my opinion based on my experience in keeping mandarins.
 
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