Can my tank feed a mandarin?

[mbixler1537]

You need to wait until there is growth on the rocks, not just a little but plenty. The more the better. You also want to see pods all over the place. A mandarin will not live on purchased pods no matter what you read. Mandarins will eat all the pods you can supply in one day. They need to be naturally living in the tank, and they will as long as you don't keep a really clean tank.

Feeding clams to the other fish because the tiny particles in the clam juice will feed pods. Even throwing some pellets in behind the rocks will help grow pods as they won't multiply without food.
It will take at least a year. The longer, the better. Mandarins live about 10 years if they are well fed.

That's great information...thanks! I thought I could create a small refugium and run it for a few months and be okay. But I think I am going to change up my strategy. Of the fish I mentioned, I think the most aggressive (if you call any of them aggressive) would be the clown. Adding a mandarin after adding a clown would be okay, correct?

 

[Paul B]

Yes, that is fine and they don't compete with each other . Clowns don't even see pods.

 

[mbixler1537]

Yes, that is fine and they don't compete with each other . Clowns don't even see pods.

Got it! One last question...if I wait a year to add the mandarin, how will that affect my pod population? In other words, I will be starting a refugium with the thought of building a pod population. Do I need to add something else (i.e. cleanup crew) to maintain the pod population? Will the pod population get out of hand until i add the mandarin?

 

[Paul B]

Pods do not get out of hand, they grow according to the food. Remember that one year is an estimate and not a magic number. It could be shorter or longer it depends on how much you feed and things like if you vacuum your sand, how much and what you feed etc.
You should see pods eventually. But when you see a coating of growth, it is much better for pods.

 

[MohrReefs]

I have a mandarin in a 44gallon with no sump and mine is alive and well. I've trained it to eat frozen twice a day and I grow copepods for it. If you're willing to put in the work you can absolutely have it in a tank that size.

 

[Paul B]

How long do you have that mandarin? You must be taking very good care of him and I am sure he loves you.

 

[Uncle99]

Easiest fish I have kept.
This one entered my 65g after one year maturity.
He’s survived on just the PODS naturally occurring, he’s the only exclusive POD eater in my DT.
He’s now three years old.

 

[Paul B]

I also believe mandarins are the easiest, least maintenance fish there is as long as you have the correct tank. This guy lived about ten years and died in an accident with many other fish. I never fed him and he spawned many times. This picture was maybe 12 years ago.

Notice the growth on my rocks

 

[AZReef13]

My captive breed has been living very happily in my IM40 for 2,5 years. I do add pods from Algae barn every month. Since I have a Blue Star Leaopard wrasse as well, Mine also eats PE Brine, Alage Barns Dragon Roe as well. The ones on Algae Barn come from Biota I believe. Thats where mine came from though my LFS. I tried build a refugium in one of my chambers I had no luck. I did add extra Marine Pure spheres to added extra areas for pods.

I tried to add a male a few months ago, that didn't go over very well with her.

 

[MohrReefs]

How long do you have that mandarin? You must be taking very good care of him and I am sure he loves you.

6 months if you were talking to me. Shes awesome and very energetic!

 

[VR28man]

6 months if you were talking to me. Shes awesome and very energetic!

Are you talking about the fish or the cute blonde in your avatar photo?

Seriously, thanks to all for this thread, it's interesting to me. A few other questions for folks.

What pellet foods folks feed their captive bred mandarins? How long does it stay in the water column versus just sink to the floor?
(baby brine through @Paul B 's feeder is a mandatory no-brainer me thinks; pellets it seems should be a supplement? I also hear they'll eat fish roe)

How often do you feed pellets and BBS? About how much is appropriate for one mandarin?

Will the mandarin eat food that falls on the gravel or gets stuck on the rock?

 

[MohrReefs]

I

Are you talking about the fish or the cute blonde in your avatar photo?

Seriously, thanks to all for this thread, it's interesting to me. A few other questions for folks.

What pellet foods folks feed their captive bred mandarins? How long does it stay in the water column versus just sink to the floor?
(baby brine through @Paul B 's feeder is a mandatory no-brainer me thinks; pellets it seems should be a supplement? I also hear they'll eat fish roe)

How often do you feed pellets and BBS? About how much is appropriate for one mandarin?

Will the mandarin eat food that falls on the gravel or gets stuck on the rock?

Haha! That would be my wife!
Never tried pellets. I tried mysis and she wouldnt eat that. So I upgraded to a mixture of blood worms and mysis and she went nuts for bloodworms. The biggest hurdle was getting her to not be afraid of the feeding pipe.

She seems to only notice whatever I drop directly in front of her, any rock hunting is strictly for copepods based on my observations.

 

[VR28man]

Thanks! I'm considering a mandarin, though as the only inhabitant of a much smaller tank modeled after their original biotope (protected off- reef areas with either branching corals - the display at the San Diego aquarium has one growing in a small forest of the Green slimer type of Acropora yongei - or among dead/fallen coral branches).


Bonus:

Sea Wars: the Mandarin

Mandarins among live fingering Porites cylindrica towards the middle-end of this video:


Anyhow, feeding them is the big problem (especially since I leave for weeks at a time 2-3 times a year), and while this can theoretically be overcome by the feeder and captive-bred pellet adapted mandarins, I'm still very hesitant.

 

[MohrReefs]

Thanks! I'm considering a mandarin, though as the only inhabitant of a much smaller tank modeled after their original biotope (protected off- reef areas with either branching corals - the display at the San Diego aquarium has one growing in a small forest of the Green slimer type of Acropora yongei - or among dead/fallen coral branches).


Bonus:

Sea Wars: the Mandarin

Mandarins among live fingering Porites cylindrica towards the middle-end of this video:


Anyhow, feeding them is the big problem (especially since I leave for weeks at a time 2-3 times a year), and while this can theoretically be overcome by the feeder and captive-bred pellet adapted mandarins, I'm still very hesitant.

We have to have a house sitter who knows how to feed our fish, auto feeder isnt an option.