My new buddy :)

[BigPerm1]

I got a new addition to my nano. A manderine It's a beautiful fish and I'm stoked to have him

So, what I have in there now are:

1x Watchman Gobi
2x Clown
1x Firefish Gobi
1x Manderine
1x Blood Shrimp

24x hermits
5x snails (unknown type)

Med. clam
Frogspawn
...

and well, other stuff which I don't remember what it's called.

Lots of LR and LS, stock lighting, but the 150 MH is enroute. Added a Maxi Jet 900 to keep things stirring and the tanks been kicking since August.

Temp: 80
Phosphate: 1
Nitrate: 50
PH: 8.1
Ammonia: 0
Calcium: 440
KH: 170

I feed the tank PhytoPlankton and for the Maderine, there are lots of pods that it can eat. I feed the tank every 3rd day, frozen mysis and now frozen cyclopod just for the fun of it.

Anyway, you've read enough. Now for the payoff (he/she really liked this corner of the tank where I can't clean very well. Figures..)

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And while I'm at it, I thought I'd kick in a pic of this sea urchine. Maybe someone can id it for me?

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[t5Nitro]

If the mandarin is in your 24 gallon, even if there are lots of pods, just watch the rockwork and be sure there are lots of them.

The mandarin looks nice! Just watch the pod population.

 

[jski711]

imo that is not a big enough tank for a manderin unless he is eating frozen food he will slowly starve. also get the phosphates and nitrates down, try running some rowaphos or doing water changes a little more often. good luck.

 

[Rosseau]

Looks like a long spine black urchin, or some variety of that.

Do you like chicks?

Have any full tank pictures?

Cheers.

 

[BigPerm1]

you ask and you shall receive:

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[PSam]

That mandarin looks way too thin. rrreal thin. hope you have enough food in a 24 for it

 

[mangus7175]

QOUTE: "So, what I have in there now are:

1x Watchman Gobi
2x Clown
1x Firefish Gobi
1x Manderine"

Isn't that too much fish for a 24G?

 

[Jadams]

Looks like a nice set up! I believe Rosseau is correct about the name of your urchin being a "Black Spiny Urchin". How often do you do water changes on your tank? And when you do, how much do you change?

 

[BigPerm1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9773299#post9773299 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mangus7175
QOUTE: "So, what I have in there now are:

1x Watchman Gobi
2x Clown
1x Firefish Gobi
1x Manderine"

Isn't that too much fish for a 24G?

I hope not I don't plan on putting anything else in there unless something dies.

 

[Illuminati]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9773299#post9773299 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mangus7175
QOUTE: "So, what I have in there now are:

1x Watchman Gobi
2x Clown
1x Firefish Gobi
1x Manderine"

Isn't that too much fish for a 24G?

Bad time to mention I have 7 fish in a 24?

Cherub Angel (Will soon be taken out)
Neon Goby (Will soon be taken out)
Firefish
Onyx Clown (Juvi)
Blue Assesor
Blue Bar Pseudochromis
YWG

 

[BigPerm1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9773327#post9773327 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jadams
Looks like a nice set up! I believe Rosseau is correct about the name of your urchin being a "Black Spiny Urchin". How often do you do water changes on your tank? And when you do, how much do you change?

I do 5 gallon water changes every other week.

My parms aren't perfect, but they are constant. I have weird crap that grows in the back panels.. it's deteris or whatever maybe? I get back and and suck it out as often as I can.

 

[BigPerm1]

Here's a pic taken this morning. He found himself a little cave to hang out in. Should be perfect for him I hope.

I need a name though...

 

[Jadams]

try doing a 5g water change once a week instead of everyother week. I have a 30g bowfront, and do 2 water changes a week of 3gallons each time. This may help your Na levels if they are not staying down.

Good luck

 

[BigPerm1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9770525#post9770525 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PSam
That mandarin looks way too thin. rrreal thin. hope you have enough food in a 24 for it

Well, he's been chowing away since he's been in the tank. I'm hoping I can supplement his diet w/ the food I feed everyone else.

We'll see how he does.

 

[BigPerm1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9773547#post9773547 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jadams
try doing a 5g water change once a week instead of everyother week. I have a 30g bowfront, and do 2 water changes a week of 3gallons each time. This may help your Na levels if they are not staying down.

Good luck

I was doing 5 gal water changes weekly, but the parms didn't really change. I got tired of that and went to a 2 week cycle and nothing changed so that made me a bit happier

I'll kick in a new updated photo for those interested. I just feed the tank before the picture so you may see some food floating around

and one w/ the flash. I don't like how these pictures make it look like everyone is brown, but then i realized a i lots of brown stuff in there. I would like to get some better color in there.. the MH should help maybe

 

[kkyyllee]

is that a Helfrichi fire fish?

 

[BigPerm1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9775944#post9775944 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kkyyllee
is that a Helfrichi fire fish?

Yep, sure is. Got it free from the LFS because they couldn't get it of the liverock it claimed

Score one for me

 

[smithcreek]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9773631#post9773631 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigPerm1
Well, he's been chowing away since he's been in the tank. I'm hoping I can supplement his diet w/ the food I feed everyone else.

We'll see how he does.

Here's the problem. There's no way you have enough pods to keep your new mandarin fed for long. Not an insurmountable problem, but to increase the chances he doesn't end up starving you should start to get him on other foods immediately. The problem is mandarins only know one way to hunt for food. They slowly and methodically graze the liverock. They have no idea the stuff you are putting in the tank is food, especially when it's floating around in the middle of the water column. To them, it doesn't even exist.

Don't wait until he gets thin, it can take a long time to get mandarins to change their eating habits but a couple things can help. The best suggestion I can give you is find some black worms. Freshwater fish stores often carry them. Feed him with a turkey baster. He'll have a hard time turning down the black worms, which are much more nutritious than brine shrimp and he'll associate the turkey baster with food. Also, get live brine and gut load them by putting a lot of DTs phyto or phyto feast in their water. Try using the turkey baster, but you may need to flood the tank with them. You can use the turkey baster to take out as many extra as possible, but this will teach him to look not only on the rocks, but in the water column for food, and may even get him up to the water surface.

Good luck with your mandarin, I hope your ready to spend a good deal of time if he turns out to be a hard to train fish.

 

[kkyyllee]

so you got iut for the cost of the liverock?

 

[BigPerm1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9776419#post9776419 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kkyyllee
so you got iut for the cost of the liverock?

haha, yep, or rather, I paid for the liverock and got a free fish with it.

Don't ask me why, i guess they wanted to hook me up. After I got back and saw how much it usually sells for, I was quite pleased with that one.