Biota vs ORA captive-bred mandarin dragonets?

[Cv111]

I'm curious if anyone has insight/experience/etc on these two. I'm looking at getting a mandarin in the far future and would prefer to go captive bred, both for the possibility that they'll eat supplemented frozen food and because so many wild caught mandarins are captured using cyanide fishing.

I'm curious if there are any differences in the fish Biota vs ORA produce besides prices?
-Lifespan (probably too new to know)
-Growth/adult size?
-Coloration/other apperance?
-Quarantine/facility quality (i.e. does one have a better process in place to prevent pests/disease/etc?)
-Anything else noteworthy?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Good luck. I suspect very few people have experience with both.

Maybe you could get one of each and tell us about what you find over time?

 

[Cv111]

Good luck. I suspect very few people have experience with both.

Maybe you could get one of each and tell us about what you find over time?

Haha yeah that's what I figured tbh

 

[KingTideCorals]

Interesting thread and question... in my opinion regardless from who if its a captive bred mandarin your chances of survival have easily gone up. An ample amount of pods usually is still going to be the key to any success story.

Following...

 

[AltitudeAquarium]

I got a Biota Mandarin from Algae Barn. I had it for 18 months until a couple of weeks ago it climbed outside of my aquarium looking for another ocean and did not find it. It responded well to the foods that I provided. Live copepods, frozen copepods and rotifers. Also, occassional feeding of Reef Nutrition Chroma Boost pellets. It was healthy. It was super small, sometimes hard to find.

 

[DHill6]

I have a Biota mandarin, eats Chroma Boost pellets daily, I also feed LRS frozen nano, though I haven’t seen him eat that. Occasionally dump in bottles of pods. He seems to be doing okay.

 

[Bpfor3]

Any update? Just received a pair from Biota. Going in a 150 mixed reef. (15 months old.) 20 gallon fuge with, what i call, a lot of pods plumbed in to sump. My only concern is competition from the resident 6 line wrasse. Probably wont see them for while. My last new arrival was a tiny royal gramma and didn't see him for a week after he was put in.

 

[JoshKReef]

I know some people start them in their fuge... But I would be worried he would get used to the good stuff then starve in the display.

 

[argiBK]

I've got a pair of Biotas in my 80G, a female I've had for over 2 years and a male I added a few months ago. Both are fat and healthy. Purchased them both from AlgaeBarn, but I believe they were sent directly from Biota.

They both look as a mandarin should, but I think my female is heavily gravid with eggs, so she looks a bit porky! Waiting for the male to gain some size, as I think the males look spectacular when they reach adulthood.

Oddly enough my pod population is booming, which tells me that they are eating the prepared foods I've been feeding the tank. They're such slow eaters compared to the other fish I never really catch them taking any food in.

A long while back (2012?) I had an ORA mandarin that also did well on Nutramar Ova back when it was still being made. Had to break that tank down (and take a break from the hobby) with a move and donated the Mandarin to a LFS. I'd assume ORA's improved their breeding results in the time since I had one.

 

[MJV15]

Any update? Just received a pair from Biota. Going in a 150 mixed reef. (15 months old.) 20 gallon fuge with, what i call, a lot of pods plumbed in to sump. My only concern is competition from the resident 6 line wrasse. Probably wont see them for while. My last new arrival was a tiny royal gramma and didn't see him for a week after he was put in.

How is yours fairing with the six line wrasse? I’m currently upgrading from a 90 to a 180 and I was hoping to add a green dragonet in 6-10 months. My wife loves them and it’s a selling point of the upgrade. Bigger tank = more rocks = more pods = possible dragonet or pair...

But I don’t want to just get the poor little guy and have him starve and die. I was also looking at getting a pair from biota. Hope all is well in your tank.

 

[MJV15]

.

Oddly enough my pod population is booming, which tells me that they are eating the prepared foods I've been feeding the tank. They're such slow eaters compared to the other fish I never really catch them taking any food in.

what kind of prepared food are you feeding the tank?

 

[argiBK]

what kind of prepared food are you feeding the tank?

Mornings I feed flake (Ocean Nutrition Prime and Cobalt) and Pellets (TDO Chroma small). Evenings they get LRS. Both feedings have bloodworms that are largely for my Copperband.

 

[afboundguy]

I've actually had a biota and ORA captive bred mandarin. I originally ordered one shipped overnight from a LFS who was about a 5 hour round trip that I couldn't make. To my horror the FedEx driver was walking up my driveway spinning the box that saud live fish, keep upright etc...

That mandarin didn't survive more than a day unfortunately. My second mandarin was an ORA one from a LFS that I went to. That one is thriving and I'm giving more credit to the fact it had been at the LFS for several weeks vs the first one that had only been at the LFS for 1 or 2 days.

 

[Bpfor3]

How is yours fairing with the six line wrasse? I’m currently upgrading from a 90 to a 180 and I was hoping to add a green dragonet in 6-10 months. My wife loves them and it’s a selling point of the upgrade. Bigger tank = more rocks = more pods = possible dragonet or pair...

But I don’t want to just get the poor little guy and have him starve and die. I was also looking at getting a pair from biota. Hope all is well in your tank.

They are doing well. Six line ignores them. They are all over the 150 now, but generally stay in two spots. They grow fast. I squirt some tdo pellets and fish eggs or rotifers where they usually hang once a day. I’ve never seen them eat it, but their bellies are always full. I also have a refugium that has been up and running for over a year before I added them. I think you’d be ok in a 180. Good luck!

 

[ajtomase]

I have a Biota mandarin, eats Chroma Boost pellets daily, I also feed LRS frozen nano, though I haven’t seen him eat that. Occasionally dump in bottles of pods. He seems to be doing okay.

Do you still have your mandarin? Do you target feed him those pellets/frozen nano?

 

[DHill6]

Do you still have your mandarin? Do you target feed him those pellets/frozen nano?

Yes, he’s still here. I don’t target feed the pellets, just dump a small amount in with frozen. Yes, he finds and eats them.

 

[clhardy5]

I've got a pair of Biotas in my 80G, a female I've had for over 2 years and a male I added a few months ago. Both are fat and healthy. Purchased them both from AlgaeBarn, but I believe they were sent directly from Biota.

They both look as a mandarin should, but I think my female is heavily gravid with eggs, so she looks a bit porky! Waiting for the male to gain some size, as I think the males look spectacular when they reach adulthood.

Oddly enough my pod population is booming, which tells me that they are eating the prepared foods I've been feeding the tank. They're such slow eaters compared to the other fish I never really catch them taking any food in.

A long while back (2012?) I had an ORA mandarin that also did well on Nutramar Ova back when it was still being made. Had to break that tank down (and take a break from the hobby) with a move and donated the Mandarin to a LFS. I'd assume ORA's improved their breeding results in the time since I had one.

I realize this is an old post....but I was wondering how your Mandarins faired? I have a large - mature female in my display who is doing great....and I recently purchased a male from Biota...but he is tiny. I have him in a 10 gallon QT eating pods (I culture my own), and TDO pellets. I'm trying to grow him up as I was afraid my female my kill him. Did the size difference matter for your two?

 

[Tchung23]

I have a pair of biota mandarins. Got them when they were really small. Less than an 1”. They are about 2” now and about 4 months old. They eat tdo pellets everyday. I usually only feed once a day. Soak the pellets in selcon and basically put the pellets ont the live rock and watch them eat. Turn off all pumps so pellets sink to the bottom.

 

[Brian1f1]

I had a biota. It was great, lived in QT for a couple months. Moved it to display tank where it was eaten nearly the instant it touched the surface by a not particularly large banggai…