mandarin's

[saltymight]

How long should I have my fug set up before I consider buying a mandarin. I know they eat pods all day long. Also do I like suck them up form the fug and spot feed or Will the pods find there own way into the DT. I have a bag of 300 pods coming this week.

 

[twelvejewelz]

How long has the tank been set up? How big is the tank and how big is the fuge, total gallons? Why dont you look into getting one of the aquacultured ORA mandarins as they will do alot better already eating prepared foods? I would say a minimum of 6 months up and running but if you keep adding pods you can probably keep it going just fine. This will probably get costly in the long run though, its better to have it self sustainable IMO.

EDIT: you can suck them up from the fuge and feed them if you want to watch them eat but the idea is they will breed and populate the entire system. They will live in the rocks and any marine plants and the mandarins will pick them and eat them all day long.

 

[snorvich]

Why dont you look into getting one of the aquacultured ORA mandarins as they will do alot better already eating prepared foods?

You have one? How long? How has it worked out?

 

[twelvejewelz]

No i dont have an ORA mandarin but i do have a wild red mandarin. It took me over a month to get it to eat "mini mysis". From what i read though and have discussed extensively with Penny H (from aquacorals) about hard to feed fishes the ORA route would be a wayyy better decision. I keep some "hard to get to feed" fishes including, A Red mandarin(Pterosynchiropus splendidus) , a pair of multibar angels (Paracentropyge multifasciata) , 1 purplemask angel(Centropyge venustus), and had 1 but now 3 Ventralis Anthias (Pseudanthias ventralis). They were all very difficult to get to eat and id much rather get a fish that i KNOW was born and raised on prepared foods than not. If i had an ORA mandarin available to me i would have 100% went that route(if you know where they are available please let us all know ) . My mandarin is almost 3 months ,fat as a pig and in a 75 gallon reef and now he eats anything i put in the tank including flakes, pellets, frozen, and freeze dried foods. I feed my tanks anywhere from 6-10 times a day in small increments usually. If it was up to me i would buy all tank bred fish. I cant wait until RCT releases their new stock!!!!

 

[snorvich]

Well, Tom, unless you have actually tried one, I would not recommend an ORA mandarin. They are problematic and all is not as great as you think it should be.

 

[saltymight]

55g DT and 30g sump/fug. the fug its self is 11". The 55 gallon has been up since may its self has was transfered from a 30 gallon that was up for 2 years.

 

[carlosR]

That's interesting, I thought the ORA mandarin would be the way to go also. What's the problem with the fish?
When I kept wild-caught freshwater darters I could eventually get most of them to eat prepared foods. It was just a matter of time and adjustment to captivity. Live was always their preferred though.

 

[snorvich]

That's interesting, I thought the ORA mandarin would be the way to go also. What's the problem with the fish?
When I kept wild-caught freshwater darters I could eventually get most of them to eat prepared foods. It was just a matter of time and adjustment to captivity. Live was always their preferred though.

Let us say that the concept is superb, the reality is less so. I am converting from ORA to wild caught.

 

[rekn]

SPILL IT SNORVICH! whats the deal with them?

 

[Sk8r]

Might I add, I have had success with wild-caught mandy and scooter blenny, neither of which eats prepared foods, both in the same 54 gallon with 60 lbs of rock and a sandbed---WITH!!!! a 20 gallon fuge, packed with cheato, rock, and sand. The fuge supplies copepods, mysis, and amphipods, and has crabs, worms, dusters, and several mini-brittle-stars that are growing into real starfish. It can be done: but that fuge is not optional and I would not recommend anything under a 50 for a single dragonet. As is, they have plenty of territory to explore, being different species, do not acknowledge each other's existence, and they are both fat and healthy.

Re your question, Saltymight, a thick, healthy mass of cheato is a good breeding ground for pods, with rock and sand; feeding mysis (frozen) to your other fishes may also loose mysis eggs into the system, which is where I think mine came from. I have an Iwaki 100 (basement sump) which spins at an ungodly rate, and not only do pods make it upstairs undamaged, so have amphipods. They'll get there. No need to siphon them. Observe the rate of 'hits' made by your mandy while feeding, and you'll see he's getting something. I don't think they often miss.

 

[snorvich]

SPILL IT SNORVICH! whats the deal with them?

I will ONLY say that my experience with mandarins is that wild caught in my tanks do superb while ORA mandarins were a complete failure. Details will not be forthcoming on a public board. But I have large tanks, each of which has a 40 gallon refugium as Sk8r has. Wild caught Mandarins eat constantly and while mine will eat mysis, that is NOT how they make a living. I also have a scooter blenny that is fat and happy.

 

[saltymight]

Live aquaria said they also will eat live black worms. I think I read someplace that you dont want to put in to many because they will populate like crazy. anybody have exp with these guys.

 

[snorvich]

Live aquaria said they also will eat live black worms. I think I read someplace that you dont want to put in to many because they will populate like crazy. anybody have exp with these guys.

There is a separate thread at the top of this forum about black worms. I feed them but it is not relevant to mandarins for a variety of reasons. By the way black worms die within about 15 seconds of being in salt water so unless their life cycle has recently accelerated, they will not "populate like crazy"

 

[DGL]

I just posted a thread about my experience with my pair of Mandarins. It took a while but they are now eating HIKARI MARINE S PELLETS and loving them.

 

[snorvich]

I just posted a thread about my experience with my pair of Mandarins. It took a while but they are now eating HIKARI MARINE S PELLETS and loving them.

Yes, mine will eat pellets, mysis, and of course copepods. I recommend having sufficient copepods in the tank first, then wait for them to eat prepared food as well. Remember these fish are not competitive hunters.