Refugium help needed for 20g

[2mandrians]

I have a 20g tank with a lil over 20pounds of rock. Its almost 3 months old i think. My mandarine i heard wont get enough live food in the tank, so i heard a refugium to breed my own tiger pods ect.

My basic question is what should i do for feeding my mandarine in my only 20g tank.

ps, i orderd 3 bottles ($70) of tiger pods which i was going to put in my tank, but then i heard my mandarine will eat all that in a heart beat. So i need to breed a whole bunch so my fish has an adequate amount of live pods to eat.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

My suggestion would be to return the mandarin. Some people have had success getting thier mandarin to eat prepared food, but the majority of mandarins will only eat pods. They need large, well established reef tanks. The eat constantly and there is no way you'll be able to provide enough pods to keep a mandarin alive in a 20g system. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1492650

 

[cody6766]

I've also heard of people not getting their manderins to eat tiger pods.


As for the fuge, use a 10 or 20g tank with lots of rock and macro. I have a big ball of chaeto in my 10g sump and it's crawling with pods and other life.

Keep the flow slow, put in a sand bed and press on. You'll be working with a basic sump design, just leaving more room for the fuge instead of equipment.

I vote no on the mandarin too. They are always eating and can even be hard to keep in a tank with 3x your size. I want one for my 33g too, but have to keep telling myself no

 

[hebygb]

+1 +1... Mandarins, like clowns are opportunistic feeders, meaning if there is food, they will eat... Even a much larger, MORE ESTABLISHED, system with a fuge will be challenged to feed a Mandarin for more than 6 months... They are beautiful fish but like cody said... you have to think of the animal...

That said... I have seen some at the petstore eat frozen foods... this is a good sign and it is always a good idea to have that proved at the store before you buy... However... once home and in a reef environment, the Mandarin may lose its taste for frozen and only want live pods... this is where the difficulty comes in... can your system keep pace with their voracious appetites?

 

[2mandrians]

thanks for you help. Ummm. I put one bottle of tiger pods in when i got the mandarin like 2 months ago and it has made it this far. But how long will it take for my refugium tank to breed enough pods to sustain my mandarian fish? im mean, can i try to keep him and see if i can help feed him enough tiger pods, or will it take a very long time for the refugium to breed enough pods???????? thanks!~

 

[2mandrians]

oh, i c u said their is no way i can support a mandarin in a 20 gallon. So should i make the refugium anyways? thanks, and i admit, i am a begginer so i may sound like im asking dumb questions. But thanks for you help so far guys! im excited!

 

[hebygb]

I will never say never, but I think there is an overwhelming amount of experience that says you are fighting an uphill battle. The typical Mandarin experience that I have read is they live 6-months in a smaller reef tank. I would say this, since you have him already... watch him eat... get him to eat prepared foods (try frozen brine, mysis etc... Also investigate other brands of pods (I will assume you are using Reef Nutrition but DT is a new player in pods arena, and a really good brand.. there is also a company on ebay). There are also theories on which species lives best in our warmer aquariums.

If he is thin or starts to become thinner, give him to a fellow reefer or store, with a large, very established reef.

I think most everyone will agree that they are amazing fish to watch, but a challenge because of the specific diet they have. This is not a beginner fish. Pods do not grow overnight, and the proper environment for pod propagation doesnt happen fast either.

We all want what is best for the animals we keep.

 

[2mandrians]

thanks alot you guys. very helpfull you have all been in asking my questions i have had latley.

 

[vangvace]

I would still build a refugium because it will add more water volume and other benefits. One of the simplest DIY additions would be to add an Aquaclear 110 hang on the back filter and modify the basket.

 

[cody6766]

x2 on the fuge. A sump/fuge really adds a lot of ease to your tank keeping experience. I do my water changes from my sump, keep my heater and skimmer in my sump and also my ATO. When I dose, I just dump the dry chemicals into the first chamber and it gets all mixed up by the time it makes it to the return pump. It's also a nice place to keep a pair of pesky hermit crabs that kept killing my snails, but didn't deserve a death sentence for doing what they do natrually

 

[2mandrians]

How does watering system work on the refugium?