Mandarin question

Crooked Reef

Active member
I may be being overly cautious on this but wanted opinions on adding a mandarin dragonet to my display tank. Current tank is a 90 gallon with a rock wall with live rock and sand. Sump does not have a chaeto or rock but has a liter of siporax rings in a bag and a liter of marine pure spheres so there is some growth area for pods. Tank has been running for 21 months. All of this makes it a yes until my other questions.

1) tank mates I am concerned of eating pods are a pair of black ice clownfish, royal gramma, African flame back angel and a 4-5" dusky wrasse. The wrasse is the one I am most concerned with outcompeting the dragonet.
2) Anemones. Two mini maxis, 4 bubble tips (red 3" across, two rainbows 4" and 6" across, green 4".) there is also a rock flower but that one is not near as sticky as the mini maxis. Since dragonets hover and perch while they are constantly hunting will the nems pose a threat?
3) I am not looking on training this fish to eat frozen or to raise brine shrimp for it to eat. I know that supplementing these foods can help but the digestive tract of dragonets makes them to where they need to hunt and eat constantly. I can't rely on a daily frozen feeding or once a day brine supplementation to keep this fish fat and content.
 
i have not kept any mandarins with nems, so i'm not sure about that, but with the exception of a possible caution with the wrasse compatibility, i wouldn't be worried about keeping a mandy in that setup.
 
i have not kept any mandarins with nems, so i'm not sure about that, but with the exception of a possible caution with the wrasse compatibility, i wouldn't be worried about keeping a mandy in that setup.

I have kept a Mandy in my 70g for years now. I also have the same clowns, and the gramma and a Nem like you, a bright orange BTA, an 5 rock flowers. Included also are A YT and a BT an a lawnmower.

I don't see the clowns or the gramma as a competitor for PODS but I do see the wrasse as one and that's why I have no wrasse.

I have 6 soccer ball size rocks, mature 24 months.

Otherwise I agree that self sustaining pop of PODS is best for the long term success of this and I have had zero compatibility issues with current inhabitants.

I don't see you as being over cautious, this fish is one of the tough ones to keep due to eats food requirements.
 
Thanks for all the input. Looks like I will be trying it out when a lfs gets a good looking fat one in.

I have waited 16 years because I wouldn’t put one in my 55 or 65 gallon tanks I used to have. This has always been one of my wife’s favorite fish so I want to get her one more than me. The wrasse so far only shows aggression towards other wrasses and not tangs or a lawnmower Blenny. My hope is that it will be so far off his radar like the lawnmower is that he won’t even notice they eat the same things. The wrasse is pretty voracious at the gourmet grazers and the frozen that is added.
 
Yes, I agree, super interesting fish, great colours, seem to be completely oblivious to everyone else.

Enjoy!
 
Most wrasses are veracious hunters for pods.... constantly scouring the rocks …. a mandarin would never survive in my tank.....
 
I would also not be too concerned about the other fish outcompeting the mandarin for pods. They have a much smaller head and beak designed for eating the smaller creature and can fit into much smaller places than the wrasse. The wrasse and tangs may eat some of the pods, but that is not their staple diet, but the mandarin will constantly be searching for them, and will find them if they're there.
 
Is there a way to see if you have pods. I have a 100 gal with plenty of rock and sand. It is going on 2 years. I know they are small but don't really see them
 
A while back I had a Mandarin in a 55g tank with a Clownfish and a mag anemone. The nem had decided to wander around the tank and went down to the bottom, while I was watching the tank I saw the Mandarin suddenly take off from near the nem towards the top of the tank where he hit the light. He fell back into the tank started to tremble and died shortly after, I assume that he swan into the nem and got stung.
 
I have a Madarin in my 220, with nems, flame angel, royal gramma, wrasse etc. at first I was growing phyto plankton and pods and adding them as well... but it got to be too much, so i stopped and mine is fine. If you are shorter on Live rock, you could supplement with a pod purchase every couple months and maybe throw a ball of chaeto in your sump with a bulb over it and you should be fine. Just an fyi (for mine anyway) i was beyond excited for this fish- and he never comes out. you are lucky to spot him once a month.
 
What are the chances of having enough pods for a Mandrin in my system. DT is 180 gallons and sump is 20. They have 100 and 25 lbs of live rock between them. I added 15000 pods

Tank has two Leopard, a Red Head Salon, yellow/purple, Hoevens and Possum wrasses (and I would like more).
 
Is there a way to see if you have pods. I have a 100 gal with plenty of rock and sand. It is going on 2 years. I know they are small but don't really see them

they're easiest to see with a small magnifying glass and flashlight in the corners at night. they usually appear as small, white-ish, specs that "hop" around the glass.

often you can see them during the day, and if you're looking closely you can often see them with the naked eye. they just usually seem to be more active after dark.

other good places to look are sumps, piles of detritus, filter sponges/floss.

if you have a marine tank, you have at least some. they're adept at smuggling themselves in to systems.
 
Mandarins are like most fish where it's a case by case. I saw a video today of a mandarin that was a bully and grabbing clownfish on the sides as if they were a shark biting off the side of a tuna. Really you're just going to have to get one and see whether the anemone is an issue or not.
 
The Mandarin food competitors in your tank are the angel and the wrasse. If you feed the tank well, you should do OK in a 90 gal tank, especially if you have a refugium.
Get a male Mandarin. Males will display all the time while females never show off her colors. Took this picture of my male Mandarin this afternoon.

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I'm a mandarin male female combo in my 120 had them for a year now. I primarily have high end fairy wrasses in my tank and there is now issues. Mandarins stay in rocks. Just a heads up, if you keeps nems in your tank it's only a matter of time before you have an expensive or heart breaking meal before your eyes. RBTA seem to be the best case if you can get your clowns to host it. But mandarins hover over rocks, I would dump the rock flower I know they are pretty but it's a carpet nem family and it's not worth it.
Invest in torches. Hammers, frog spawn etc fot similar looks without the danger.
Pods I grow in 2 separate 1gallon containers and strain into 50 micron fiber every two weeks 50% of jug alternating jugs adding phyto and new saltwater every time with just air tubing barely moving in the jug to stir up water. Plus they eat bloodworms in my tank.
Hope this long winded response helps.

DITCH THE ROCK FLOWER FEED THE RBTAS OR YOU WILL BURY THE MANDARINS

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Rock anemones and BTA are fine. If you have Carpets, then I worry. However, I have 5 carpets, 1 Haddoni and 4 Gigantea, and a Magnifica. So far, my Mandarin pairs are doing great in the last year without problem, not become anemone food yet.
 
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