MAndarinfish minimum tank size
- Thread starter chuppy
- Start date
Thats kinda touchy there. Id say a 30g is pretty small for a mandarin. NOt because of the fish size but their diet.
In a small tank they will blast though all the pods in the tank in no time! It helps if you have a refugium but not enough I would think they could have plenty too eat.
A tank with at least 75lbs of live rock will be enough to suport 1 mandarin. Anything less would be stressing your fish.
In a small tank they will blast though all the pods in the tank in no time! It helps if you have a refugium but not enough I would think they could have plenty too eat.
A tank with at least 75lbs of live rock will be enough to suport 1 mandarin. Anything less would be stressing your fish.
Lunabud74
Premium Member
I had one in a 29 gallon w/ 10 gallon refugium for about 8 months until I made the mistake of getting a new yellow candy hogfish, now safely relocated to the pet store, after the old one committed suicide. The hog killed all of my shrimp ( 10 peppermint, 1 cleaner and 1 fire), 1 scooter blenny, the mandarin, and a blue gudgeon. He (mandarin)was a lot of fun to watch. Especially when the shrimp spawned which was about 2x a month. The mandarin was always fat, sassy and tons of fun to watch.
wiscsaltwater
New member
ive got a reef club friend whos had a mandarin in his 29 biocube for 2 years and its a porker and it wont eat any frozen, only the pods. the back section is packed with cheato and quite a bit of live rock to support the pod population, he does not supplement them but its very established.
wiscsaltwater
New member
but again 31/2 months is not nearly long enough especially in a 20g to have an established supply of pods to support a mandarin, id go a bit bigger and wait a year or so before you think about it.
StunnaShadez
New member
when you said "full blown reef" i thought u meant matured corals, nice and big, and lots of it.
i'm a hipocrit myself, i said i wouldnt keep a mandarin but i bought one. now i still see lots of mysid (small & big), lots of amphipods, and lots of copepods in my refugium. hopefully the mandarin will still be alive years from now. and oh yeah, my tank is approx. 30g display and 20g refugium.
i'm a hipocrit myself, i said i wouldnt keep a mandarin but i bought one. now i still see lots of mysid (small & big), lots of amphipods, and lots of copepods in my refugium. hopefully the mandarin will still be alive years from now. and oh yeah, my tank is approx. 30g display and 20g refugium.
lol my tank is in the process of getting full blown(okay that didn't sound right at all)lol
That picture was taken 3 weeks before... Since then i added
2 false percs
1 hammer coral
1 branching torch
1 rose anemone
1 orage zoa
1 red mushroom
1 star polyps
LOL
Drew
p.s. like i said.. it's on the way! ahaha
That picture was taken 3 weeks before... Since then i added
2 false percs
1 hammer coral
1 branching torch
1 rose anemone
1 orage zoa
1 red mushroom
1 star polyps
LOL
Drew
p.s. like i said.. it's on the way! ahaha
If you are thinking of getting a mandarin in a smaller tank you may wnat to make a rockpile out of several smaller rocks.
Make a stack so fish can't get into it and pods will breed there safe from being eaten.
I have read people doing this and it works. A Mandarin will usually hang out close to the rockpile!
Cheers
Make a stack so fish can't get into it and pods will breed there safe from being eaten.
I have read people doing this and it works. A Mandarin will usually hang out close to the rockpile!
Cheers
Lycaon1900
New member
Would a mandarin dragonnet be ok in a 55 g reef tank with two ocelaris clowns
