Mandarins; pipe dream?

[reefgoddess808]

I would love to add a mandarin to my tank at some point.
I have a 56 gal FOWLR , firefish, toby puffer, coral beauty, ocellaris clown and a sailfin blenny. About 30 lbs of LR, with plans to add another 10-20 lbs, 40 lbs sand substrate.
Tank has currently been running for about 8 months.
I have pods everywhere! However I do understand that these will go very quickly if I dont maintain a healthy population.
Im thinking of adding an in-tank fuge.

So my question is/are, how much longer should I wait before adding a mandarin, what else should I do to prepare, and is there a mandy that is thought to be hardier than the others?

Any feedback at all will be appreciated!

 

[RayL]

You can try and find a mandarin that eats frozen food but I have been looking for months with no luck. As for getting a mandarin into your tank, I would strongly suggest making a refugium first and have that up and running for a month or two before getting a mandarin

 

[reefgoddess808]

Thank you! Thats exactly the advice Im looking for. I want to be fully prepared before adding anything. Would an in-tank fuge do or should I look into a larger system?

 

[RayL]

An in tank fuge would probably work as long as it is a decent size. Have you considered a HOB fuge?
If you went the route of in-tank you would probably be able to maintain a sufficient copepod population for your mandarin but you would be losing space in a tank that might not have room to give up. Your tank is probably considered crowded right now as the puffer and coral beauty need as much space as possible in your tank

If you don't plan on taking any fish out which I would recommend taking out the coral beauty, then I would recommend a HOB fuge for your tank