I was going to link to these, but you beat me to it.
Feeding a Mandarin
- Thread starter johnrigu
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Actually I seen it at the store and the price was just right. The LPs told me that he will be fine in my thirty gallon as long as it was cycled. Just feed him some frozen or live brine and he'll be OK. He even gave me five days of brine. I didn't know feeding him would be much different from feeding my clowns.
Paul B
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The guy in your LFS is a Pinhead, That fish will die in your tank in a couple of weeks, but good luck, I hope he lives forever. :tea:
SaltCube
Active Member
I've taught my Green Spotted Mandy to eat bloodworms,mysis, brine and white worms. I also every 2-3 months toss some live pods in for a treat. Shes a little sauage. I agree with most others that I think you should do some research before buying a fish like this. Very demanding. Your LFS are a bunch of idiots along with most others but beside the point.. I'd do my research and make sure you understand everything it needs. Good Luck.
That size tank is going to be difficult to sustain a mandarin long term, or even short term.
You will need to make a feeder similar to paul B's, and you should add a HO fuge at the very least, or to be really honest you may want to pass it on or sell to a reefer that can provide it what it really needs.
I have to agree w/ paul on your LFS, don't take advice from them anymore, check fish purchases here first.
You will need to make a feeder similar to paul B's, and you should add a HO fuge at the very least, or to be really honest you may want to pass it on or sell to a reefer that can provide it what it really needs.
I have to agree w/ paul on your LFS, don't take advice from them anymore, check fish purchases here first.
tyler1503
2500 Club Member
People are so quick to say a mandarin can't survive in a smaller tank. And ok, maybe 5 or 10 years ago they couldn't. But we've come so far in the husbandry techniques to keep these guys fat and healthy. More and more captive bred mandarins are becoming available and I'm always reading of people saying they got theirs to reliably eat frozen foods, so why are most people so quick to judge? It wasn't long ago the majority of the corals we consider "easy" were deemed "impossible".
Things are changing. We can keep these "impossible" corals alive. We can cut 2 animals in half, glue them back together to make 1 multicoloured animal. We can purify water to the point it's near sterile. We can breed so many different species. This is all accepted in the marine hobby.
And we CAN keep mandarins alive (and let them thrive) in smaller tanks. This isn't accepted for some reason.
Things are changing. We can keep these "impossible" corals alive. We can cut 2 animals in half, glue them back together to make 1 multicoloured animal. We can purify water to the point it's near sterile. We can breed so many different species. This is all accepted in the marine hobby.
And we CAN keep mandarins alive (and let them thrive) in smaller tanks. This isn't accepted for some reason.
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SeahorseKeeper
Where's the mysis?
I agree with what you have posted. I have a mandarin that is in my 30 gallon seahorse tank. I have had it for almost two years and the little guy is absolutely thriving. I stocked the tank heavily with amphipods and copepods in the beginning. Now, the mandarin is eating frozen and supplement the pods periodically.
Paul B
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The OP asked
I don't even know what size tank the OP has, but he is asking questions (like he should) but he is asking a question such as what is a Pod. If he is asking a question about the one thing a mandarin eats in the sea and virtually every thing you will read about mandarins mentions pods, then I answered that he should do more research before he gets a mandarin. I have been keeping mandarins since the 70s and had many of them in a 40 gallon tank. I am breeding them now. The tank size is only one factor. The age of the tank with the associated microscopic life is the other limiting factor. Frozen food is not the answer for a mandarin as they don't have a stomach and can't store food so they must eat every few seconds. They eat frozen food but it they are living in your tank, they are also eating pods constantly. I wrote articles on them two posts about them are linked above. Have a great day
Mandarins spawning
Pregnant mandarin
I don't even know what size tank the OP has, but he is asking questions (like he should) but he is asking a question such as what is a Pod. If he is asking a question about the one thing a mandarin eats in the sea and virtually every thing you will read about mandarins mentions pods, then I answered that he should do more research before he gets a mandarin. I have been keeping mandarins since the 70s and had many of them in a 40 gallon tank. I am breeding them now. The tank size is only one factor. The age of the tank with the associated microscopic life is the other limiting factor. Frozen food is not the answer for a mandarin as they don't have a stomach and can't store food so they must eat every few seconds. They eat frozen food but it they are living in your tank, they are also eating pods constantly. I wrote articles on them two posts about them are linked above. Have a great day
Mandarins spawning
Pregnant mandarin
Because of mandarin's lack of stomach and high metabolism, it has nothing to do advances or animal husbandry, unless you are someone that cultures pods and doses regularly.
They may be able to be kept in a smaller tank, but is it practical for most to do so is the real issue.
It can take a while for them to starve out, so typically we see these "it can be done" bandwagoners promoting doing this, yet rarely do those people stand up and admit their mandarin starved out eventually.
For those of us that have been in the hobby for long enough to know better, it's a frustrating endless cycle to see people continue to advocate keeping them in tanks that will not accomidate their needs.
MondoBongo
Community Member
just because there are a very *small* group of success stories of people keeping them in smaller tanks, doesn't mean a **** thing.
i can keep a zebra in my dining room if i want. doesn't mean it's going to be good for the animal, or a good idea.
if you're planning on keeping them in a smaller tank, you need to know what you're doing, and even then, i still wouldn't advise it. for every success story there are many many MANY more dead dragonets who would beg to differ with the veracity of your claims.
also, there are no captive bred, or even tank raised that i am aware of in the hobby right now. ORA hasn't had any for quite a while, and even when they did the fish were hit or miss with taking prepared foods.
i can keep a zebra in my dining room if i want. doesn't mean it's going to be good for the animal, or a good idea.
if you're planning on keeping them in a smaller tank, you need to know what you're doing, and even then, i still wouldn't advise it. for every success story there are many many MANY more dead dragonets who would beg to differ with the veracity of your claims.
also, there are no captive bred, or even tank raised that i am aware of in the hobby right now. ORA hasn't had any for quite a while, and even when they did the fish were hit or miss with taking prepared foods.
rworegon
Active Member
I have a mandarin dragonette in a 39 cadlights cube. I know there are a lot on pods in there because I can see them at night with a flashlight but the mandarin was still losing weight. Its the only fish in the tank along with mushrooms, anemones, and euphelia. There are two porcelain crabs and some peppermints as well. I Took the advise of Paul B and built a brine shrimp feeder and the euphelia went crazy with growth but the mandy was still skinny. So I took another page out of Paul B's playbook and bought a culture of white worms. I target feed him with a syringe attached to some rigid airline two or three times a day. At first he was a little timid about the airline but now he will try to get the worms out of the airline even before they get to the end. He will take them out of the end. out of the water column and off the substrate. He is gaining weight and never looked so good. Thanks Paul.
Lemony Lemons
Active Member
I run my sump on my 90g as a wet dry so I bought a HOB refugium for my chaeto and pods to live in.
This is the one I bought (the large version): http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3618
It's great! The whole reason I bought it was because I plan on getting a mandarin, and I want to make sure he's got plenty to eat.
I'll be getting him soon, I like to do tons of research first before buying a fish! Great thread too!
Lemony Lemons
Active Member
Where did you buy your white worm culture?
rworegon
Active Member
I have bought 2. The first was from fish gobble.com. Not a good experience. The whole culture had less than 30 worms. I guess it was expected to be a starter culture the I wasn't supposed to use as food for a couple of months. It had mites and flies in it as well.
The second I got on aquabid.com. Much better. Literally thousands of worms. No mites or flies. Instantly took to eating mashed potatoes and have been feeding this Mandy from it ever since. I don't remember of hand what the guys name was but he is out of Georgia.
tyler1503
2500 Club Member
I agree, it is up to the hobbyist to put in work when it comes to breeding or supplementing pods etc. and no it's not a feed once a day and forget fish, there is alot of work to put in, but to say it's impossible is just ridiculous. And again, I agree it may not be practical for most hobbyist to do in a smaller tank, but impractical is not impossible. For those of us hobbyists who are able to and happy to put in the extra effort it can be an easy (yes I said easy
after all how difficult is it to put a pod infested filter sponge in a glass box of water?) although time consuming thing to do, but SOOO rewarding when it's done right.All it takes to keep them in a nano is to get them eating nothing else.
UPDATE:
So I created a little gadget that allows me to feed my mandarin. He has been trained. He knows to hang out next to it now. When I see him there I know its feeding time. Now the only way the other get the brine shrimp is if one gets by the mandarin. Now if I can only figure out how to feed him frozen and for him to like it.
Thanks all for the advice.
So I created a little gadget that allows me to feed my mandarin. He has been trained. He knows to hang out next to it now. When I see him there I know its feeding time. Now the only way the other get the brine shrimp is if one gets by the mandarin. Now if I can only figure out how to feed him frozen and for him to like it.
Thanks all for the advice.
