Is 70 big enough for a mandarin

[Casey Gore]

Hey guys I am purchasing a tank and my end game goal is to get a mandarin. I am looking at a 70 gallon with a 20 gallon sump. Do you think this would be big enough or should I go larger? I live in an apartment so 100 is about as big as I can go. I plan on having about 80lbs of live rock in it and it being set up for a year before i buy the mandarin. It wouldnt have many tank mate and it would aim to be the only pod eater in the tank.

 

[JoshH]

I don't see any issue with having one in a 70, or maybe 2 in a 100 As long as you stick with your plan and wait a full year after seeding your tank with pods you should be good to go. Always good to keep an eye on your pod population when the mandys are in the tank to make sure it's still healthy and maintaining solid levels.

 

[Casey Gore]

I don't see any issue with having one in a 70, or maybe 2 in a 100 As long as you stick with your plan and wait a full year after seeding your tank with pods you should be good to go. Always good to keep an eye on your pod population when the mandys are in the tank to make sure it's still healthy and maintaining solid levels.

Thanks! They are just so pretty and I want to make sure that mine has a perfect home before i get it. <3

 

[Dilan Patel]

Personally I think the key success to keeping a mandarin is not how big the tank is but how stable the pod population is. If you can follow your plan of adding pods and waiting . year with a good amount of liverock you should be good to go. Also when you get the mandarin try to feed frozen food. Makes life a lot easier. Some even eat pellets nowadays.