ive currently been in the hobby for a few years and in the begining i was new and decided to keep a mandarin goby alone in a 20 gallon tank but sadly it died within two weeks because of my lack of knowledge to introduce copepods first and let my tank mature but my question now is that i have a 35 gallon with water and rock from my old tank and plan to keep a refugium in my sump with chaeto and copepods and was wondering if it would be a good idea to keep a mandarin in my display
Mandarin goby
- Thread starter Jose padilla
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Jose padilla
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What do you mean by mandarin feeder?
sfin52
So many pedestrians so little time
Jose padilla
Active Member
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Smart idea but raising brine shrimp is part of that process
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
General rule of thumb is 50g of system per dragonet that has been setup for at least 6months. You can bypass that to a degree by supplementing regularly with pods.
sfin52
So many pedestrians so little time
Yep and fully agree with @eatbreakfast
jayala12
Well-Known Member
I have a 29 biocube with a very happy and fat mandarin female. What I did was understand the commitment and constantly stock fresh copepods until she was eating pellets. Not saying all mandarins will eat pellets. Just saying it can be done if you are committed. I still stick a fresh batch in once I see no signs on my glass when he lights r off for a few hours. That’s kinda my indicator to add more. So she does stalk pods all day and eat pellets when offered.
Tuffyyyyy
2500 Club Member
How long have you had it? If you're adamant about trying a Manderin in a tank that small I'd strongly suggest making sure to get a captive bred one.
https://www.algaebarn.com/product/biota-captive-bred-green-mandarin/
These are raised on frozen foods.
jayala12
Well-Known Member
I’ve had mine close to a year.
I applaud you for doing this. Mandarins are extremely easy to care for PROVIDED you understand their metabolism and diet. Many dont and what we see is a lot of unfortunate deaths due to starvation.
BoBoBREWSKI
Active Member
How often do you have to buy copepods? Doesnt that get expensive?
I want one very bad. Just dont think I can keep it happy in my little 13.5.
There’s a few sponsors on here and they start around $20-$30 a month. Another option is Paul B’s feeder or starting your own pod culture. I’m afraid that without adding them monthly or raising them yourself a mandarin isn’t a good fit and would die In Your size tank
