Mandarin

[gareth.hubbarde]

I'm considering getting one of these for my tank. It's almost a year running so most would consider it mature and fairly stable. I have loads of live rock with lots of hiding places. I dose twice a week with live phytoplankton. I understand that these fish eat pods, how do I know if I have enough?
I have a goby and an algae blenny would these be OK?
Any advice on this be helpful
Thank you.

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[Uncle99]

Yup, your ready.
I have had mine for 16 months now, I watch him "peck" and when cruising he pecks about every 15-30 seconds, then moves a bit, pecks again, this is how I gave been measuring if I gave enough pods.
As a safety, I add some live pods each month, and some new hatched bribe nauplii every two weeks, both at night, lights out, no flow...have fun...great fish

As far as tank mates....they appear uninterested in their tanks mates....but only 1 per tank is reccommended.

 

[Bryan3536]

Yup, your ready.
I have had mine for 16 months now, I watch him "peck" and when cruising he pecks about every 15-30 seconds, then moves a bit, pecks again, this is how I gave been measuring if I gave enough pods.
As a safety, I add some live pods each month, and some new hatched bribe nauplii every two weeks, both at night, lights out, no flow...have fun...great fish

As far as tank mates....they appear uninterested in their tanks mates....but only 1 per tank is reccommended.

If you have a sump fuge, where pods should be able to safely thrive, do you still have to add the live pods each month? I thought the Mandarin would be self-sustaining once the pop population was in place. If not, what's your source for the pods - LFS or online?


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[Bent]

If you do not have a way to repopulate without active predation (IE a fuge), the mandarin will eventually starve.

What size is the tank?

 

[gareth.hubbarde]

If you do not have a way to repopulate without active predation (IE a fuge), the mandarin will eventually starve.

What size is the tank?

24 gallon. What about adding live pods once or twice a month?

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[mcgyvr]

Your tank is really too small IMO to sustain a mandarin without frequent pod replenishment.. Like weekly... which can get quite expensive..
They can consume hundreds of pods a day..

 

[davocean]

Yeah I agree, tank size just won't allow enough pods for long term success w/out serious supplementation.

 

[Bryan3536]

Yeah I agree, tank size just won't allow enough pods for long term success w/out serious supplementation.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum - building a 180g with a 75g tank sump (+/-45g), so roughly 220g with a good sized fuge. I assumed I would have to make an effort to do so, but I should be able to have a self-sustaining population of pods for a Mandarin. Right?


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[WYA123]

It could be possible if you manage to train it to eat frozen or pellet food. You can do this by squirting the frozen food of choice in front of the mandarin till it eats it. I don't think you will need a station only your mandarin can get into as the goby and blenny are not really aggressive eaters. You can also create a feeding station like the one designed by Paul b, which releases baby brine shrimp over a period of time. Read about it here: http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/diy-target-feeder-mandarinfish-pipefish-2804/. Without a fuge, you could do a pod pile, which is a pile of live rock where the mandarin or any fish can get to giving a safe place for the pods to reproduce. A simple way is to place a strawberry basket over a pile of live rock. If you don't think you cannot keep it alive, don't buy it. Best of luck

 

[WYA123]

Oops, i meant if you don't think you can keep it alive.

 

[Redllama1]

I have had my mandarin for about a year now, she started in my 55 reef, now happily cruising in my 120 reef. I haven't had to supplement in either tank. I also catch some pretty big pods in my filter socks, so I know she is well fed.


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[davocean]

People will argue this to death, and always post about training to eat pellets, but if you understand the metabolism issue of mandarins you would realize they need a constant supply of food, regardless of what that food source may be.

A mandarin eats about 1-3 pods per minute, you would have to provide food at that rate for long term success

 

[davocean]

I'm on the other end of the spectrum - building a 180g with a 75g tank sump (+/-45g), so roughly 220g with a good sized fuge. I assumed I would have to make an effort to do so, but I should be able to have a self-sustaining population of pods for a Mandarin. Right?


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Should be no issue for even a pair

 

[gareth.hubbarde]

Well here goes. Got my small fish from Lfs. And with their trusted advice got a bottle of stuff that they have been using with the mandarins. I also dose live phytoplankton two or three times a week. Will see how we get on. It truly is a beautiful fish so hopefully will do ok.

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[Bent]

I do not care what anyone else tells you, sells you, or types on a keyboard. You will not be able to sustain that animal in that small of a tank, with no refugium long term, period.

You just won’t, it’s physiologically impossible. Sorry.

 

[davocean]

^^ I mostly agree, unless you do something like a mandarin diner that provides constant feeding or something like that.

 

[Bent]

^^ I mostly agree, unless you do something like a mandarin diner that provides constant feeding or something like that.

Yes, agreed, with that exception.

 

[gareth.hubbarde]

Thanks for the replies they are all considered. The Lfs guys say that the fish will take small frozen food do that's a good thing.
I have learnt in this hobby that everything is so individual. Was told that algae blenny would not take flake food. Now its the first one st the top of the tank. This may turn out badly but it may settle in an live very happily with me supplying cope pods.
If you're interested in following I will post updates on it.

Once again thanks.

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[davocean]

Keep in mind, LFS are there to make money, we here are not, and some LFS will either say things to sell, or probably more often than not they may not really know any better.

I wish you luck as always for the fish's sake, but keep in mind what you are doing is nothing new and we are going by years of experiences and observations as a collective source of info.

The most probable outcome based on that is a slow starvation, that most often when recognized is too late to save the animal.

 

[Anemone]

Keep in mind, LFS are there to make money, we here are not, and some LFS will either say things to sell, or probably more often than not they may not really know any better.

I wish you luck as always for the fish's sake, but keep in mind what you are doing is nothing new and we are going by years of experiences and observations as a collective source of info.

The most probable outcome based on that is a slow starvation, that most often when recognized is too late to save the animal.

Sigh. Yep.

Kevin