how many mandarins in a 180 reef?

[Neptune 555]

I have a 180 reef that is 5 years old but was built from 2 tanks that were over 10 years old. I introduced a green target/spotted mandarin female 2 weeks ago and she is doing well. to keep this mandarin I am now culturing pods using the lazy man banana peel and hatcing BBS.

I have two questions:
1. Can I keep targe/spotted mandarin and a ruby red scooter blenny OR do they consider each other enemies?

2. In a 180 reef where I am adding live pods/BBS could I keep a pair of ruby red dragonetes and a pair of green spotted mandarins? male/female.

I have had success in the past 5+ years with a spotted mandarin but never a pair b/c my tank was 55 gallons.

Thoughts? Suggestions as I embark on this journey

 

[A;exr54]

Its really hard to tell if something is doing well or not in just 2 weeks.

If your pod population is enough to maintain multiple mandarins, it will be fine. Or of your mandarins eat prepared foods, then it will be fine as well.

I have had one green mandarin in a 125g for 7 years. It did not eat prepared foods at first. Now it eats everything.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I have a 180 reef that is 5 years old but was built from 2 tanks that were over 10 years old. I introduced a green target/spotted mandarin female 2 weeks ago and she is doing well. to keep this mandarin I am now culturing pods using the lazy man banana peel and hatcing BBS.

I have two questions:
1. Can I keep targe/spotted mandarin and a ruby red scooter blenny OR do they consider each other enemies?

2. In a 180 reef where I am adding live pods/BBS could I keep a pair of ruby red dragonetes and a pair of green spotted mandarins? male/female.

I have had success in the past 5+ years with a spotted mandarin but never a pair b/c my tank was 55 gallons.

Thoughts? Suggestions as I embark on this journey

How long did your spotted mandarin last? Is it still in the tank? 4 mandarins is a LOT of pod consumption.

 

[Doctor Derp]

Anything past a pair, and you'll pretty quickly only have a pair left. They're territorial little buggers.

 

[Enderg60]

I had a pair of green mandarins and a trio of ruby scooters in my old 300DD. They never cared about each other at all, but they were all VERY well fed since my pod population was astronomical.

 

[DJF]

It definitely depends on how many pods you have. You can keep ruby reds with mandarins (I used to think different but have had success). I’ve heard of keeping a harem of female mandarins with 1 male but never seen. The trick is having enough copepods to keep them satiated and the unthreatened by a possible lack of food. Agree that more than a pair of each is risky. If more than a pair, never more than 1 male. mandarins are tough to determine the sex because males can get their distinguishing elongated dorsal fin bitten off making them look female. Also-no guarantee with pairing mandys; I’ve seen females reject males- they’re really particular. More copepods- less problems.

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

Timely post. I currently have one male and three female green mandarins in a mature 180 gallon reef tank with no problems. I culture my own pods and add to the tank daily. My current four are all fat and happy. I am looking to add red dragonets and have been told the following:

- The 1 male maximum should be adhered to for each species.
- Red dragonets should be okay to add to my green mandarins.
- I was cautioned about adding the spotted mandarins to my greens as their body shapes are too similar to my greens and might cause conflicts.
- It was recommended to add multiple dragonets of the new species at the same time. This would help with the acceptance of the new species. Not just one new fish to pick on.

If all that advise is true (big if), then it follows that reds and spotted mandarin would be okay together. I am going to be adding 3-4 reds soon and see how it goes. I will have a backup tank ready if it goes poorly.

 

[DJF]

Timely post. I currently have one male and three female green mandarins in a mature 180 gallon reef tank with no problems.

Very cool!- do any of the females do the evening mating dance with the male?

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

Very cool!- do any of the females do the evening mating dance with the male?

Not yet. My male is pretty mature but the females are still too young. He has been trying to entice a response, but no luck yet.

 

[Neptune 555]

I had a pair of green mandarins and a trio of ruby scooters in my old 300DD. They never cared about each other at all, but they were all VERY well fed since my pod population was astronomical.

How did you maintain an astronomical pod population? Culture pods? What type? How often?

 

[Rmckoy]

I tried to add another regular mandarin to the tank with the green spotted mandarin .
the green spotted one was less than 1/2 the size but was ruthless towards the other
I’m not 100% sure if they will get along or not

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

Someone started a build thread today for their phyto and pod culturing journey. May be of interested to you if you want to go down that road. I currently culture nanno phyto and apex pods. The pods are easier to maintain for me.

 

[Neptune 555]

Timely post. I currently have one male and three female green mandarins in a mature 180 gallon reef tank with no problems. I culture my own pods and add to the tank daily. My current four are all fat and happy. I am looking to add red dragonets and have been told the following:

- The 1 male maximum should be adhered to for each species.
- Red dragonets should be okay to add to my green mandarins.
- I was cautioned about adding the spotted mandarins to my greens as their body shapes are too similar to my greens and might cause conflicts.
- It was recommended to add multiple dragonets of the new species at the same time. This would help with the acceptance of the new species. Not just one new fish to pick on.

If all that advise is true (big if), then it follows that reds and spotted mandarin would be okay together. I am going to be adding 3-4 reds soon and see how it goes. I will have a backup tank ready if it goes poorly.

Keep me posted on adding the ruby reds! Same I want a few mandarins. Can you share some some photos of your tank? A few questions - what pods are you culturing and what is your method? Do you food the mandarins anything else? I made the Paul b feeder and add BBS every other day…. Any other pod eaters in your tank? No matter how I add my pods my blue chromis devour them? 5 blue chromis…and I have a wrasse…

 

[Neptune 555]

Someone started a build thread today for their phyto and pod culturing journey. May be of interested to you if you want to go down that road. I currently culture nanno phyto and apex pods. The pods are easier to maintain for me.

Hmmm apex pods? I am doing tigger pods but thought tisbe were the best? Anyone know if the pod matters?

 

[Tamberav]

You can mix ruby reds/scooters with mandarins just fine.

It is mixing the spotted with the blue where things can get ugly.

Whether you can keep multiple depends on your pod population. While culturing more does not hurt you can't feasibly add enough each day for 4 of them to find and eat so again... it comes down to your tank. How many pods the tank sustains and other heavy pod eaters like wrasse.

If you want to supplement with other foods, I would make a feeder just for them as I assume such a large tank has other fast greedy eaters.

Two weeks isn't long enough to know much of anything.

 

[Neptune 555]

You can mix ruby reds/scooters with mandarins just fine.

It is mixing the spotted with the blue where things can get ugly.

Whether you can keep multiple depends on your pod population. While culturing more does not hurt you can't feasibly add enough each day for 4 of them to find and eat so again... it comes down to your tank. How many pods the tank sustains and other heavy pod eaters like wrasse.

If you want to supplement with other foods, I would make a feeder just for them as I assume such a large tank has other fast greedy eaters.

Two weeks isn't long enough to know much of anything.

In this tank 2 weeks - I have kept multiple mandarins for over 5+ years in the past…

 

[Psychedelic Fins]

Keep me posted on adding the ruby reds! Same I want a few mandarins. Can you share some some photos of your tank? A few questions - what pods are you culturing and what is your method? Do you food the mandarins anything else? I made the Paul b feeder and add BBS every other day…. Any other pod eaters in your tank? No matter how I add my pods my blue chromis devour them? 5 blue chromis…and I have a wrasse…

I am culturing apex pods. I have 7 separate 1 gallon containers and a 10 gallon tank. The plan was to rotate the culture I feed from daily. I am currently feeding nanno phytoplankton to the pods that I also culture. A little splash in each pod culture each day to keep the water tinted. Slow bubbles in each pod container. I feed frozen food to the tank that the mandarins have learned to go after as well. I feed the pods after feeding the frozen food and blast the pods into the rock work. I have a single chromis and a melanaurus wrasse, but neither seem interested in the apex pods. The mandarin love them.

 

[Neptune 555]

I tried to add another regular mandarin to the tank with the green spotted mandarin .
the green spotted one was less than 1/2 the size but was ruthless towards the other
I’m not 100% sure if they will get along or not

how big is your tank? I have a female spotted mandarin right now and a male green mandarin in my 180 reef... so far they have not even bumped into each other. I will remove the green spotted female and keep my 20 gallon hospital tank as soon as I can catch him tho... I actually love the green spotted mandarins BUT in a 180 they are to tiny? I need a bigger fish.

 

[Neptune 555]

Thanks! Yes I will try to blast the pods into the rocks! Great Suggestion. OK so I am gonna up my game... I have one 10 gallon tank that is culturing tigger pods. I think I will supplement so if/when one of hte tanks crashed I have another culture. Do all copedods eat organic waste? I noticed this in the description for apex pods... that it specifically says they eat organic waste but it does not say that for tigger pods!

thanks!! Your tank looks great!

 

[Tamberav]

In this tank 2 weeks - I have kept multiple mandarins for over 5+ years in the past…

ya but it is a different tank, so you wouldn't how how it is going to play out yet with just 2 weeks. I would assume a 180g should be enough for a mandy depending on other pod eaters.

I would just see how she does for awhile then add another if all is well is all I am saying.

I have seen mandarins thrive in 20 gallons and starve in 100 gallons so the question of "how many?" varies.