How to prep for a Mandarin?

[Steve1500]

My 75G tank is about 5 months old and I have a fuge, 60lbs of LR and LS. I have 8 fish (Cardinal, clowns, tangs, flame angel, blackcap basselet and damsel) and some corals in the tank right now. In the future, I would like to get a Mandarin but I am not sure how to prepare for it.

Questions:
When should I start seeding w pods and how do I know when the tank is ready?
Any advice on the fuge or anything else I should be aware of or prepare for?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

You should start seeding now and first figure out how much of an impact your current fish will have on the pod population.

I would also add plenty of macroalgae, whether it be chaeto or something else, to the fuge and make sure it's growing well. You want to have a "nursery" essentially for the pods to reproduce in without being consumed immediately. This will ensure that you have a continuous supply of pods entering your display tanks via the return pump to keep the mandarin well fed.

Getting a mandarin that will also eat prepared foods will help out a ton, but you will still need a good pod population for it.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

You should start seeding now and first figure out how much of an impact your current fish will have on the pod population.

I would also add plenty of macroalgae, whether it be chaeto or something else, to the fuge and make sure it's growing well. You want to have a "nursery" essentially for the pods to reproduce in without being consumed immediately. This will ensure that you have a continuous supply of pods entering your display tanks via the return pump to keep the mandarin well fed.

Getting a mandarin that will also eat prepared foods will help out a ton, but you will still need a good pod population for it.

Pretty much this.

Oh and Algae Barn will be your best friend if you decide to get a Manderin.

 

[Steve1500]

You should start seeding now and first figure out how much of an impact your current fish will have on the pod population.

I would also add plenty of macroalgae, whether it be chaeto or something else, to the fuge and make sure it's growing well. You want to have a "nursery" essentially for the pods to reproduce in without being consumed immediately. This will ensure that you have a continuous supply of pods entering your display tanks via the return pump to keep the mandarin well fed.

Getting a mandarin that will also eat prepared foods will help out a ton, but you will still need a good pod population for it.

Thanks, any ideas on how to get the mandarin to eat prepared foods...I hear they are finicky.

 

[Kirschy17]

Be carefull with the damsel. Mandarins dont like to get picked on.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I trained mine by spot feeding small particle frozen food. LRS reef frenzy. Whatever it can fit in it's mouth.

I feed everyone else first and then spot feed him so they don't steal from him.

Pumps off.

I started out just placing some in front of him and after a couple of days he got it.

A word that this can be hit or miss, regardless you need a well established system with plenty of pods. Spot feeding is just a supplement, not it's entire requirements.

Seed your fuge with pods and add micro algae as @nautical_nathaniel has started and your chances are way better of success.

 

[Steve1500]

I trained mine by spot feeding small particle frozen food. LRS reef frenzy. Whatever it can fit in it's mouth.

I feed everyone else first and then spot feed him so they don't steal from him.

Pumps off.

I started out just placing some in front of him and after a couple of days he got it.

A word that this can be hit or miss, regardless you need a well established system with plenty of pods. Spot feeding is just a supplement, not it's entire requirements.

Seed your fuge with pods and add micro algae as @nautical_nathaniel has started and your chances are way better of success.

Great info! Thanks

 

[JoshH]

Also look up @Paul B 's DIY mandarin feeder, as well as his other articles on feeding mandarins and other finicky eaters.

 

[DancingShark]

You could start a pod farm.

 

[Razz]

Everyone so far has given great advice. But bear in mind that mandarins constantly eat so that 5000+ count bag of pods from Algaebarn won't last long unless you have a separate place for them to breed, such as the aforementioned refugium or pod farm. BTW, I buy from Algaebarn and am very happy with them. I also get phyto from them. Having said that, I have to say the I got a mandarin from Petco, of all places, 2 years ago and from day one it ate the mysis and brine shrimp I feed my tank...not the norm but I got REALLY lucky...

 

[Steve1500]

Everyone so far has given great advice. But bear in mind that mandarins constantly eat so that 5000+ count bag of pods from Algaebarn won't last long unless you have a separate place for them to breed, such as the aforementioned refugium or pod farm. BTW, I buy from Algaebarn and am very happy with them. I also get phyto from them. Having said that, I have to say the I got a mandarin from Petco, of all places, 2 years ago and from day one it ate the mysis and brine shrimp I feed my tank...not the norm but I got REALLY lucky...

I have a fuge but how long will 5K pods last (let's say the mandarin was the only fish in the tank and that is all you fed him)? 5K is crazy hungry! I will start seeding pods in my fuge/tank about 2-3 months before I buy the fish...sound right?

 

[Mombo]

I added pods about a week after I finished my cycle hoping the population would be stable and consistent a year from then to add a mandarin

 

[Razz]

In my limited experience I've noticed that when I just added the 5k bag of pods to the tank, my mandarin would constantly pick at the rocks and glass for maybe 2 or 3 weeks then he seemed to spend more time searching than eating so I figured he decimated that population of pods or at least knocked the numbers way down...but , and this is just my opinion only, don't take it as fact, if you seed your tank with pods like you are planning, I think you should be ok because you have a place for them to breed ...but again, I'm no expert and you will need to watch your mandarin to make sure he's eating and not getting skinny...Plus, you have to keep in mind any other livestock you have that will eat the pods as well...

 

[Steve1500]

I added pods about a week after I finished my cycle hoping the population would be stable and consistent a year from then to add a mandarin

Did the population stabilize and have you added the mandarin.....1 year, that is patience!

 

[Steve1500]

In my limited experience I've noticed that when I just added the 5k bag of pods to the tank, my mandarin would constantly pick at the rocks and glass for maybe 2 or 3 weeks then he seemed to spend more time searching than eating so I figured he decimated that population of pods or at least knocked the numbers way down...but , and this is just my opinion only, don't take it as fact, if you seed your tank with pods like you are planning, I think you should be ok because you have a place for them to breed ...but again, I'm no expert and you will need to watch your mandarin to make sure he's eating and not getting skinny...Plus, you have to keep in mind any other livestock you have that will eat the pods as well...

Thanks. That is a good baseline to work from.

 

[Monkeytank]

If you want the pods to thrive in your tank, you should consider adding live phyto. I started doing that and my pod populations soared. I think the bigger reason people have to keep adding pods after a few weeks isn't that the tiny mandarin ate them all, but it's because they weren't sustained with what THEY need to eat to populate.

 

[Razz]

If you want the pods to thrive in your tank, you should consider adding live phyto. I started doing that and my pod populations soared. I think the bigger reason people have to keep adding pods after a few weeks isn't that the tiny mandarin ate them all, but it's because they weren't sustained with what THEY need to eat to populate.

If you look back a few posts you'll see where I said I added phyto as well

 

[cracker]

I would really like a mandarin but afraid I couldn't supply enough "proper" food for it . I'd think that any fish in the sea, with a mouth small enough would eat any pod it sees . I'm just not that dedicated to grow my own pods & such.

 

[Razz]

Well, and again in my limited experience, a lot of algae eaters seem to have small mouths as well...as far as the sea goes, I think you are correct but in a reef tank we put in what we want, for the most part anyway...and what I mean by that is most of us have a good idea of what the fish we add will eat...Yea, there are some "rebels" but we mostly have a good idea...I'm not an expert and will never claim to be but I think that anyone who researches the fish they want before they purchase will know if said fish will be competing with another one for food...After all of my babbling, I guess my point is mandarins are not that hard to keep if someone does proper preparation, which is EXACTLY what the OP was trying to do...I wish the OP the best of luck...I hope you hook into a mandarin like I did...One that eats frozen foods as well...

 

[Devaji]

Also look up @Paul B 's DIY mandarin feeder, as well as his other articles on feeding mandarins and other finicky eaters.

i was just about to say the same are are my fav. fish!! I got all the goodies to makes one about 9+ months ago but never did, just go busy I guess .
did not have the time with travel to commit to hatching BBS..