mandarin goby care

IDAN · Apr 13, 2019

I have 150 gallon tank, with clowns, angles and tangs.
How difficult is to keep this type of fish?

Bryson.bobby · Apr 13, 2019

Depends if u can get it to eat frozen food or not

IDAN · Apr 13, 2019

Bryson.bobby said:
Depends if u can get it to eat frozen food or not

Do you have one? does he eat frozen food?

scattered · Apr 13, 2019

I keep a Biota aquaculture mandarin in my nano - 13.5 gallon. I target feed cyclops. The Biota is raised on frozen/non-live food so a living food source is not a need (they still love live food but are not dependent on it). This is a small, rock dweller that needs hiding space but will thrive in a cycled tank. They are shy and the Biota ships very small, 1/2 inch. Mine has more than tripled in size.

The reef caught specimens need n percent of their body weight in live copepods. A mature tank of your size should support this and live pods can be supplemented.

Please spend the ~$90USD and get the Biota aquaculture specimen (or a pair in that size tank no problem). It is good for the hobby and the species.

James M · Apr 13, 2019

Doesn’t matter if it eats frozen or not.
It is a very hard fish to keep alive because it needs a constant supply of Live pods.

IDAN · Apr 13, 2019

where do you guys get live pods? my LFS take for a little plastic bag 12$, they told me if I want to keep one then I need to buy a bag every week. $$$$

James M · Apr 13, 2019

IDAN said:
where do you guys get live pods? my LFS take for a little plastic bag 12$, they told me if I want to keep one then I need to buy a bag every week. $$$$

You’ll want to start a fuge and get a population going in your tank so you don’t have to buy a bag every week

sghera64 · Apr 14, 2019

James M said:
You’ll want to start a fuge and get a population going in your tank so you don’t have to buy a bag every week

+1

Mine is fat and I don’t do anything special. I just keep my fuge happy and the pod population takes care of the rest. I have a 135 Gal DT.

I used to feed my Mandarin fish frozen blood worms. They always seemed to take a liking to them. I didn’t it have to use any tricks.

scattered · Apr 14, 2019

James M said:
Doesn’t matter if it eats frozen or not.
It is a very hard fish to keep alive because it needs a constant supply of Live pods.

Patently untrue. I kept one for almost 7 years in a 55 almost 15 years ago. They are nowhere near as hard as made out to be. They are another goby.

The Biota specimens are aquaculture raised on non-live food from fry. They DO NOT require live food.

James M · Apr 14, 2019

scattered said:
Patently untrue. I kept one for almost 7 years in a 55 almost 15 years ago. They are nowhere near as hard as made out to be. They are another goby.

The Biota specimens are aquaculture raised on non-live food from fry. They DO NOT require live food.

Sorry I offended you. Don’t know where I said my opinion is the only way to keep them alive.

scattered · Apr 14, 2019

James M said:
Sorry I offended you. Don’t know where I said my opinion is the only way to keep them alive.

No offense - seriously. I am just an advocate for Biota and their efforts in aquaculture. The progress they’ve made in this species alone is a major win for the industry. I would never consider a dragonet in a nano without a massive sump/refugium if it came off the reef.

I still keep a pod tank to make sure my population doesn’t get depleted but online suppliers can fill that void also in most cases.

I am not trying to be an butt at all I am just an advocate for aquaculture livestock and the Biota mandarin is a prime example of why.

This is a beautiful species that we can keep responsibly now in smaller tanks without huge infrastructure.

DanConnor · Apr 14, 2019

White worm cultures are the way to go

scattered · Apr 14, 2019

Sorry it is blurry, he wants to be asleep I think and was not content to sit still.

This fish has at least tripled in size.

James M · Apr 14, 2019

scattered said:
No offense - seriously. I am just an advocate for Biota and their efforts in aquaculture. The progress they’ve made in this species alone is a major win for the industry. I would never consider a dragonet in a nano without a massive sump/refugium if it came off the reef.

I still keep a pod tank to make sure my population doesn’t get depleted but online suppliers can fill that void also in most cases.

I am not trying to be an *** at all I am just an advocate for aquaculture livestock and the Biota mandarin is a prime example of why.

This is a beautiful species that we can keep responsibly now in smaller tanks without huge infrastructure.

Many people are under the impression that non captive bred mandarins can survive off of frozen and there’s no need for a pod supply. IMO even if a wild caught eats frozen it’s not enough for it to survive off unless your feeding it 7 times a day

scattered · Apr 14, 2019

James M said:
Many people are under the impression that non captive bred mandarins can survive off of frozen and there’s no need for a pod supply. IMO even if a wild caught eats frozen it’s not enough for it to survive off unless your feeding it 7 times a day

Back in the day before I knew better, I kept mine alive with targeted feedings of homemade mix. The tank was “dirty” so a large pod population was supported. That guy lived in the tank I experimented with making as a macro algae tank because of the huge pod population I had. Zoas, and shrooms and a macro forest was that biome. It worked by accident really.

IDAN · Apr 14, 2019

Very interesting information, I think someone should really make updated article about it.
everyone want to have this type of fish, but as far as I know they are all hesitating .
I am still not sure how you guys keeping your fuge with large population of pod or where you guys get them from.

AltitudeAquarium · Apr 14, 2019

scattered said:
No offense - seriously. I am just an advocate for Biota and their efforts in aquaculture. The progress they’ve made in this species alone is a major win for the industry. I would never consider a dragonet in a nano without a massive sump/refugium if it came off the reef.

I still keep a pod tank to make sure my population doesn’t get depleted but online suppliers can fill that void also in most cases.

I am not trying to be an *** at all I am just an advocate for aquaculture livestock and the Biota mandarin is a prime example of why.

This is a beautiful species that we can keep responsibly now in smaller tanks without huge infrastructure.

I bought a Male and female Mandarin Goby last month. They are on their third week of quarantine. Although they are in a 10 gallon nano. I have a hang on the back refugium as well as I have a 10 gallon isolated refugium/chaeto/pod tank. I have been swapping the chaeto or I shake the chaeto in the tank to repopulate the aquarium with the pods. Also, I contacted Biota before I purchased them to get suggested foods...frozen/pellet. So far so good. I like that they are colorful and they do not mind humans. They are not as skittish when I put the food in the tank. I think that is a great benefit.

Millimylilly · Apr 14, 2019

You should be fine with that size of tank to keep a mandarin. It will have plenty of real estate to forage pods.

sghera64 · Apr 14, 2019

IDAN said:
.
I am still not sure how you guys keeping your fuge with large population of pod or where you guys get them from.

I grow green water. Very easy. I grow Nanchloropsis and Tetraselmis. I never deliberately added pods but I can count at least 4 different types of different sizes in my tank and fuge. The fuge population really boomed after I started adding 100 mL of green water each day.

IDAN · Apr 15, 2019

sghera64 said:
I grow green water. Very easy. I grow Nanchloropsis and Tetraselmis. I never deliberately added pods but I can count at least 4 different types of different sizes in my tank and fuge. The fuge population really boomed after I started adding 100 mL of green water each day.

Green water? cool, how do you make it?