Flame Hawk Green Mandarine 73 g

[grisha]

Hello folks,
I’m slowly stocking my 47x20x19 Red Sea reefer 350.
Initially I had 2 clowns and Midas blenny that are doing fine.
A week ago I added a hawk that is very cool, but unstoppable hunter. He wiped out entire pods population, and I had monster size pods.
I always wanted a a green mandarine goby
I have 2 fuge areas in my sump. Packed water level height with crushed with super light rock that are pod factories.
My question is.
How likely will be aggression from hawk when competing for pods with mandarine?

 

[ndrwater]

Shouldn't be any aggression, but the fact that the tank is new would probably mean that between the two pod predators, the pod population would crash and one of the 2 fish... The Mandarin... Would definitely suffer.

 

[grisha]

Shouldn't be any aggression, but the fact that the tank is new would probably mean that between the two pod predators, the pod population would crash and one of the 2 fish... The Mandarin... Would definitely suffer.

Back in my reef keeping youth I wouldn’t even consider mandarin for 73 g
At this point I see Mands eating pellets in 30g tanks Makes me feel very easy about food supply.
My life rock is 6 years old live, sump is been stocked with crashed rock and I’m a heavy lps feeder with Roids, reef frenzy and Mysis.
Hawk goes nuts for a lps food. So as everyone else.
question, is there away to feed anything to stimulate more pods like phyto?
And,
Final fish I want is some kind of a wrasse. Do you think there is a room?

 

[mort]

I completely agree with the excellent advice above.

I'm a little surprised your hawk has devestated the pod population as I've never witnessed them picking at pods. I'd guess that it's still a small individual? If it is then they grow to love larger food and become real pet fish that beg for food, becoming a little lazy.
I don't think you are overstocked either and if you choose a wrasse that wouldn't compete with the mandarin you should be fine.

As to encourage pods, do you have a refugium? If you do then I'd encourage them to grow in there with plenty of rubble hidey holes and direct feeding, and they will find there way to the display. You can also have jars of rubble that you put in the refugium, feed and then leave for a few weeks. After a while you can then add them to the display for a pod top up.
Mandarins can also be trained to register feeding from a pipette and other feeding device. If you do a search you should be able to find paul b's feeding station.