Setting up a 30 gallon tank for a mandarin dragonet?

[Weboh]

I really like mandarin dragonets and want to add one to my tank if at all possible. I know they eat tons of copepods and that they're impossible to keep in a tank without enough of them, and that it might be difficult to maintain the population in a small tank. A couple questions:

• Is it possible to keep them in a 30 gallon tank at all? (without maintaining a second tank as a nursery for them? I know someone on here suggested that as a possibility, but I'd rather not deal with two tanks. Maybe I can add live copepods from time to time to maintain the population?)
• I only added life rock"”no live rock. Will I have copepods naturally, or do I need to buy some to start a population?
• I also like blue damselfish and was planning on keeping one in my tank. I hear they eat copepods too. Because of the small size of tank, is it possible to keep them both? Can I just feed the damselfish frozen copepods and/or flake food?

Thanks.

 

[ericarenee]

Sorry to be Blunt and give a short answer.

But.

NO AND No..

The Damsel will eat what ever you feed it.. Manderin not so much

 

[Reef_Chief]

I would say it needs a 60 gallon plus tank thats at least a year old and no direct competition for food. Theres tons of threads on this. Im sure someone has kept one in a 30 gallon but people also keep dogs alive in cages.

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[gone fishin]

I would not recommend a mandy in a 30g. It may appear fine for awhile but it will most likely starve.

 

[Sk8r]

It will starve to death within a month. No question.

 

[heathlindner25]

Interesting...

 

[heathlindner25]

It will starve to death within a month. No question.

No question? I hope my little guy is not reading on the internet.

 

[Weboh]

So how did you set up your tank for your little guy, heathlinder?

 

[heathlindner25]

So how did you set up your tank for your little guy, heathlinder?

Like a normal40 breeder

 

[Weboh]

You mean you have a second tank going on just to breed copepods? Doesn't that mean they were right and it's impossible to keep one in only a 30 gallon tank that's not specially set up for breeding them? Or am I missing something?

 

[scybulski]

Does not seem the right thing to do. Very hard. Think you will be buying a lot of pods and not cheep


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[deputydawg88]

I was also planning to have a Mandarin in a 31 gallon tank. Would this not be possible if the tank is made specifically for the Mandarin, with a refugium?