Nano stocking?

[JustinReef]

I have been debating with my LFS for a few days now about keeping a mandarin in a 24G nano cube. I was at the shop when they sold a mandarin to a guy who was going to keep it in his cube. I thought this was way too small for a mandarin but they insist that it is fine. I would actually love one myself but thought for sure that a 24G cube was way too small! What do you guys think? (Ive never kept one before...)

 

[Illuminati]

If it is eating frozen food (mysis) then it is doable. If not it will starve. Mandarins mostly eat pods to survive. Little tanks like nano's don't have enough live rock to keep the pod population high enough for mandarins to survive.

If the LFS says it eats frozen then make them prove it before you buy. If they sold a mandarin to someone knowing it was going into that small of a tank w/o it eating frozen then I'd find another LFS to buy from.

 

[crashoverride]

You are right, I read in a book that those type of fishes need a lot of rock work, plus they have to be placed in a 80-100G tank, so I have read.

 

[dustin323]

I agree with Colinadam on this one. Sometimes it is a big debate though. It is the food source they need, not lots of room. Though in a bigger tank with tons of rock there should be more live food avaliable.

http://joshday.com/mandarinfish.htm

 

[All Delight]

Bad idea.

 

[Bmgrocks]

Find one of my posts in Either the New To the Hobby Section or This, Its called Mandarins In Nanos, about keeping them on Fish Eggs

 

[JustinReef]

Well I got mine from a friend who has kept it for a year already in a 20G. It eats mysis, brine, krill, anything you offer it. I will try the fish eggs but I am also feeding pods every two days from my refugium. I buy pods once a week as well from a store her.

 

[JustinReef]

BTW, he is the spotted kind, if that makes any difference?

 

[JustinReef]

Oh, actually its a she...

 

[All Delight]

Well if its eating mysis, brine and all that your chances are alot better.

 

[JustinReef]

Yeah, he will actually swim to the top of the tank and take it right from a turkey baster! Its nice to actually see him eating, rather than just assume he is....