Mandarin dragonets should i give up

Reefer302 · Nov 29, 2020

Hi I'm contemplating whether I should try again with mandarins the first one died and I don't want to getting any more if thats their fate. I have a 30g currently no fish but has a lot of corals and a cleaner shrimp when I first got one it died within a week it was doing great and one morning I found it dead so I'm assuming it didn't starve because it was to short of a time frame. I have pods and a refugium, and i setup pod cultures and I am going to be supplementing with baby brine. What do you guys think quit or give it another go.

NowGlazeIT · Nov 29, 2020

I love mandarin, but they are a lot of work without a big refugium full of multiplying pods. I had mine for 3 years and then I lost them during a tank upgrade. I decided not to get them again. Tho I miss them and how they look and swim, I don’t miss the special little feedings and how frequently/long. I would shut off pumps so they would have time to eat.

92Miata · Nov 29, 2020

Are you buying captive bred?

Keeping a captive bred mandarin alive in a tank that size is easy. Keeping a wild caught one is almost impossible

Reefer302 · Nov 29, 2020

92Miata said:
Are you buying captive bred?

Keeping a captive bred mandarin alive in a tank that size is easy. Keeping a wild caught one is almost impossible

I was originally going to buy one from a lfs so likely wild caught but now I'm going to gow with captive bred

Reef. · Nov 29, 2020

Reefer302 said:
Hi I'm contemplating whether I should try again with mandarins the first one died and I don't want to getting any more if thats their fate. I have a 30g currently no fish but has a lot of corals and a cleaner shrimp when I first got one it died within a week it was doing great and one morning I found it dead so I'm assuming it didn't starve because it was to short of a time frame. I have pods and a refugium, and i setup pod cultures and I am going to be supplementing with baby brine. What do you guys think quit or give it another go.

it could have not been eating in the LFS, then moving it would have unlikely started eating, so it could have been lack of food.

Unless you can supply a few thousand pods every day then I wouldn’t try another, with a big tank the fish has a chance to find food if you don’t feed it very regularly or between feedings, with a small tank it will 100% be down to you to provide food.

Reefer302 · Nov 29, 2020

Reef. said:
it could have not been eating in the LFS, then moving it would have unlikely started eating, so it could have been lack of food.

Unless you can supply a few thousand pods every day then I wouldn’t try another, with a big tank the fish has a chance to find food if you don’t feed it very regularly or between feedings, with a small tank it will 100% be down to you to provide food.

So captive bred is the way to go

Reef. · Nov 29, 2020

Reefer302 said:
So captive bred is the way to go

Yes but that is no guarantee either, they still have the same digestive track as wild caught, so feeding will still be a challenge and needs to be very regular.

Reefer302 · Nov 29, 2020

Reef. said:
Yes but that is no guarantee either, they still have the same digestive track as wild caught, so feeding will still be a challenge and needs to be very regular.

Yeah I still have a sizeable pod population with a refugium to reproduce in plus pod cultures so I can add more , so they could still hunt and not completely decimate my pods like a wild caught one, but I'd have to feed often.

Reef. · Nov 29, 2020

Reefer302 said:
Yeah I still have a sizeable pod population with a refugium to reproduce in plus pod cultures so I can add more , so they could still hunt and not completely decimate my pods like a wild caught one, but I'd have to feed often.

it’s just if you get one that wants pods you will be up against it, they can eat 5000+ a day! That’s hard to keep up with, so just be prepared to feed as often as you can.

Reefer302 · Nov 29, 2020

Reef. said:
it’s just if you get one that wants pods you will be up against it, they can eat 5000+ a day! That’s hard to keep up with, so just be prepared to feed as often as you can.

I have heard they eat alot but I haven't heard 5000 a day I've heard 100+ a day at the most

Reef. · Nov 29, 2020

Reefer302 said:
I have heard they eat alot but I haven't heard 5000 a day I've heard 100+ a day at the most

Nope it’s thousands! Everything I have seen it’s counted in thousands.

40g Nano · Nov 29, 2020

Let's just settle on a lot

If you have a great pod population and large fuge, it should be good for a captive bred mandarin

cubereefer · Nov 29, 2020

i have tried both captive and wild caught. to each their own with this. i have 2 wild caught mandarins and have had them for 4 years got them small. i feed pods and phyto 2 times a week for the first few months. turn off flow and skimmer and let the pods sink into the tank. now i feed normal frozen foods and dump pods and phyto once a week or so. super happy healthly and fattttt. my captive i have had for 1 year i had bought a pair and lost 1 and have the other still eating frozen and pods. i culture my own pods and brine to keep up with feeding. honestly i would buy another wild caught .

Reefer302 · Nov 29, 2020

cubereefer said:
i have tried both captive and wild caught. to each their own with this. i have 2 wild caught mandarins and have had them for 4 years got them small. i feed pods and phyto 2 times a week for the first few months. turn off flow and skimmer and let the pods sink into the tank. now i feed normal frozen foods and dump pods and phyto once a week or so. super happy healthly and fattttt. my captive i have had for 1 year i had bought a pair and lost 1 and have the other still eating frozen and pods. i culture my own pods and brine to keep up with feeding. honestly i would buy another wild caught .

What tank size do you have

cubereefer · Nov 29, 2020

Reefer302 said:
What tank size do you have

i have a 150 cube and my wife has a 60 cube both have mandarins in them. both have fuges with cheato, sea lettuce and dragons breathe.

TangGang · Nov 29, 2020

Reefer302 said:
Hi I'm contemplating whether I should try again with mandarins the first one died and I don't want to getting any more if thats their fate. I have a 30g currently no fish but has a lot of corals and a cleaner shrimp when I first got one it died within a week it was doing great and one morning I found it dead so I'm assuming it didn't starve because it was to short of a time frame. I have pods and a refugium, and i setup pod cultures and I am going to be supplementing with baby brine. What do you guys think quit or give it another go.

Give it another shot if only 1 died that’s not a large sample size there could have been an external factor involved. I’ve owned 2 mandarins, both wild caught, one for 6 years and then disappeared and the other for about 2 years now and he’s quite fat. Mandarins are one of the hardiest fish I’ve ever owned. They pick at things about every 3 seconds, seriously they do, and so you need a lot of pods. I’m not sure how long you had it because it very well could have starved. Many seem to be doing good for months and then at mysteriously die, and the root causes were lack of pods. If you got one that was captive bred that might help a lot because many companies like biota claim they can be trained onto pellets. That would help a lot, so I would try that.

Perthegallon · Nov 29, 2020

So I have a good suggestion you can try that I do for my wild caught in my 65 gallon tank I bought the sponges people use for cleaning dishes I’m forgetting there name I put them in my fuge and I squeeze one out a day and it’s filled with pods it’s like the pod hotel but cheaper

92Miata · Nov 29, 2020

TangGang said:
Give it another shot if only 1 died that’s not a large sample size there could have been an external factor involved. I’ve owned 2 mandarins, both wild caught, one for 6 years and then disappeared and the other for about 2 years now and he’s quite fat. Mandarins are one of the hardiest fish I’ve ever owned. They pick at things about every 3 seconds, seriously they do, and so you need a lot of pods. I’m not sure how long you had it because it very well could have starved. Many seem to be doing good for months and then at mysteriously die, and the root causes were lack of pods. If you got one that was captive bred that might help a lot because many companies like biota claim they can be trained onto pellets. That would help a lot, so I would try that.

Biota's mandarins come eating frozen foods and pellets from day 1. They're raised on them.

Pods are a complete non-issue for them.

Uncle99 · Nov 29, 2020

Wild caught Mandarin easiest fish I have ever kept.
I have not fed him for over three years now.
Mandys are hunters, mine just watches everything else float by, he wants to hunt live food.
Any tank, with lots of live rock, mature 1 year, and no other exclusive pod eaters. I have been keep mandys for 30 years.
I have never added a pod from day one.

Reef. · Nov 29, 2020

14g Nano said:
Let's just settle on a lot

If you have a great pod population and large fuge, it should be good for a captive bred mandarin

if he had a “great pod population” the first one probably wouldn’t have died.

Uncle99 said:
Wild caught Mandarin easiest fish I have ever kept.
I have not fed him for over three years now.
Mandys are hunters, mine just watches everything else float by, he wants to hunt live food.
Any tank, with lots of live rock, mature 1 year, and no other exclusive pod eaters. I have been keep mandys for 30 years.
I have never added a pod from day one.

The OP’s tank is 30g what size is yours?