Mandarin Goby ‘need’ sand?

[Jon Fishman]

I know they aren’t one of the burrowing types, or at least think they aren’t, but can one survive by eating pods from a tank with a lot of rockwork, or is substrate an absolute must?

Thanks

 

[MERKEY]

As long as your fuge is set up to house all the pods and they are entered into your tank for the mandy you should be fine. If you dknt see enough getting into the display, You can add pods to your display by taking cheato out of the fuge and giving it a duink in the display.

Some will also start eating frozen if they can catch it

 

[Jon Fishman]

That leads me to question #2 I suppose. I have a lot of rock and rock rubble in my sump....... haven for pods but that’s not why I put it in there...... anyways...

No fuge. I skim/algae scrub/UV/Ozone etc. so I have no real room (or desire to keep) a fuge.

My tank is 150 total gallons or so, with probably 200 lbs of rock.

Can I successfully maintain a pod population without a fuge?

Also, it’s not like I can count the pods! How do I know if I have a good population?
I pull a pump out of my sump, I have pods crawling on my hand..... I take out the coarse filter pad that covers my filter socks...... it has pods on it..... I see pods all over the rocks when the lights are off..... but will a goby be able to find/eat during the day when they are tucked in the rocks? Don’t they sift them out of the sand?


Sorry for the dumb rambling

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

That leads me to question #2 I suppose. I have a lot of rock and rock rubble in my sump....... haven for pods but that’s not why I put it in there...... anyways...

No fuge. I skim/algae scrub/UV/Ozone etc. so I have no real room (or desire to keep) a fuge.

My tank is 150 total gallons or so, with probably 200 lbs of rock.

Can I successfully maintain a pod population without a fuge?

Also, it’s not like I can count the pods! How do I know if I have a good population?
I pull a pump out of my sump, I have pods crawling on my hand..... I take out the coarse filter pad that covers my filter socks...... it has pods on it..... I see pods all over the rocks when the lights are off..... but will a goby be able to find/eat during the day when they are tucked in the rocks? Don’t they sift them out of the sand?


Sorry for the dumb rambling

They scurry around and hunt them on the rocks, sand, glass, wherever they are they get them. Kinda fun to watch.

 

[Scurvy]

I think you’ll be fine in a 150. I think of my LFS that has a giant male in their bare bottom coral tank.

FWIW I have had my Red Mandarin in my 120 bare bottom for over a year now without a problem. He does take pellets and frozen too though. I also have a fuge however there are 2 layers of mechanical filtration after it in the sump.

 

[MERKEY]

You're all good, valid questions.

It sounds as if you have plenty of pods and the population to do it.

Mandarins will eat the smaller ones you really cant see. They do this 24/7 basically anytime you see them kiss something its them eating or trying to eat.

I think you have plenty to get a mandy!

We keep one in a 32 cube that doesn't have really any thing other than its media basket area which I tore out and shoved cheato in. I can see hundreds of the little guys just at the top so I know there are thousands in the tank.
But I do supplement every 2 weeks with a pod drop from the LFS
I think you're good to go!

 

[DSC reef]

Mandarins don't need sand but they need continuous supply of food due to their metabolism. One way or another they need a constant supply of pods, small foods, hatched brine shrimp, etc. The mandarin I had actually made a successful transition from sand to bare bottom just fine.