MANDARINS- ANYONE HAVE SUCCESS WITH THEM

[FranklinDattein]

Make sure you research before you buy a Mandarin.
They only thrive in stabilised thanks, with enough pod population, which is only achieved in larger tanks with no competition.
It is possible to train them to eat frozen Mysis and dry pellets, but that is laborious and requires dedication.

 

[dark waters]

Make sure you research before you buy a Mandarin.
They only thrive in stabilised thanks, with enough pod population, which is only achieved in larger tanks with no competition.
It is possible to train them to eat frozen Mysis and dry pellets, but that is laborious and requires dedication.

YES .... BUT MOST PEOPLE HAVE PET SHOPS LYING ABOUT THEIR CARE TO GET YOU TO PURCHASE THEM... I RAN ACROSS A SHOP THAT KEEPS SELLING THEM BUT DOES NOT HAVE A CULTURE STARTED.... PLUS THEY ARE TELLING PEOPLE TO BUY THERE EXSPENSIVE FOOD THAT IS NO WHERE NEAR WHAT THE MANDARINS NEED LOL.... IT WOULD BE FOOL HEARTY TO KEEP BUYING THEM IF YOU DON'T HAVE A THRIVING POPULATION OUTSIDE YOUR TANK....JUST MY THOUGHTS

 

[Atif]

Mojo...

Your mojo is looking great....

 

[rjl45]

HEY RJL45, I WAS WONDERING WHY YOU HAVE THREE BOTTLES OF THE PHYTO? I USE ONE. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE IS A BETTER BENEFIT TO HAVING MORE THAN ONE BOTTLE?

I like to always have a spare in case one of the cultures crash. I have more phyto than I need, but doesn't really cost much extra to have the "safety net". I also like to have a number of pod cultures for the same reason. It makes restarting very easy, if one of them crashes.

 

[dark waters]

I like to always have a spare in case one of the cultures crash. I have more phyto than I need, but doesn't really cost much extra to have the "safety net". I also like to have a number of pod cultures for the same reason. It makes restarting very easy, if one of them crashes.

OH OK MAKES SINCE.... MY SET UP IS SIMPLE. A 10 GAL TANK, AIR STONE, POLYFILTER FOR THE NESTING, AND A LIGHT. I PORE ONE BOTTLE OF PODS IN THE TANK AND ONE BOTTLE OF PHYTO IN THE TANK. WHEN THE WATER TURNS FROM GREEN TO CLEAR THEN I FEED MY 200 GALLON SUMP SYSTEM. I LEAVE SOME PODS IN THE 10 GALLON AND START THE PROCESS AGAIN.

 

[Crystalsreef]

Here is the bottle of what i add. My lfs gets it in, and he usually doses some phyto in it before selling.

 

[Crystalsreef]

I had set up a 10gal tank to start culturing pods in. That did not go well, so it was turned into a "native tank"/ qt and is now a mini esturary system. Nothing goes from it to the main tank though, with exception of my raggid seahare.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Going on over two years. Very active, good water and peaceful

 

[Zoey]

Mandarins are great fish, ive had 2 in my time. i think aslong as you have plently of pods in tank they'll be happy. both my were wee fatties but we got them onto frozen food from an early age. make sure your sump is crawling with pods too, we used to have a lump of live rock that we would put in sump for about a month to let the pods hide in it then move the rock up into the main tank and the mandarins would be hovering around the rock picking them all off.

 

[dark waters]

Going on over two years. Very active, good water and peaceful

BEAUTIFUL ANIMAL THANKS FOR SHARING

 

[aran]

ive had my pair in my 300 for over a year-> doing well --> their mating dance goes on almost every night once the metal halides shut off.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Great Thread Yall'
I got nothing but haters when I got my first one so long a go.

 

[dark waters]

Here is the bottle of what i add. My lfs gets it in, and he usually doses some phyto in it before selling.

I see the pods at the bottom... is it true that the ones at the bottom become active when they warm up? I personally think they are dead and did not make the shipping process.....

 

[pokerdobe]

I have a breeding pair in a 20 gallon. No fuge, no pod supplementation other than the initial seed of tisbe pods. I do have to feed them at least a 2x a day, which involves a combination of Ocean Nutrition lobster roe and blood worms. I did not have to train them onto live brine or even brine using a combination of lobster roe and bloodworms.

-Edit-
Forgot to add that I've had them for a little over a year now.

 

[Bryce Peterson]

Here's a pic of mine. Bad pics - just took them for this. I have had mine for about 10 months. I have a good pod population. I have not replenished my pods for at least 7 months. Every once in a while I will soak my chaeto ball in the dt overnight. Other than that, they are 0 maintenance. I also have a leopard wrasse in my 90 Gallon/30 sump. I did have a small emergency last fall when I got a fuzzy dwarf lionfish. It wiped out the visible pod population almost overnight. Had to quickly rehome him.

 

[dark waters]

Here's a pic of mine. Bad pics - just took them for this. I have had mine for about 10 months. I have a good pod population. I have not replenished my pods for at least 7 months. Every once in a while I will soak my chaeto ball in the dt overnight. Other than that, they are 0 maintenance. I also have a leopard wrasse in my 90 Gallon/30 sump. I did have a small emergency last fall when I got a fuzzy dwarf lionfish. It wiped out the visible pod population almost overnight. Had to quickly rehome him.

Very nice thanks for sharing

 

[dark waters]

I have a breeding pair in a 20 gallon. No fuge, no pod supplementation other than the initial seed of tisbe pods. I do have to feed them at least a 2x a day, which involves a combination of Ocean Nutrition lobster roe and blood worms. I did not have to train them onto live brine or even brine using a combination of lobster roe and bloodworms.

-Edit-
Forgot to add that I've had them for a little over a year now.

Hey if you don't mine can you share some pics of how well your Mandy is doing on roe and bloodworms.... I never heard of this feeding method...thanks in advance and you can pm the pics if you like....very interesting

 

[pokerdobe]

Hey if you don't mine can you share some pics of how well your Mandy is doing on roe and bloodworms.... I never heard of this feeding method...thanks in advance and you can pm the pics if you like....very interesting

Sure thing. I'm at work right now, but I'll get to it tonight.

 

[dark waters]

Sure thing. I'm at work right now, but I'll get to it tonight.

Thanks a bunch...

 

[KimberlyJones]

Hello I'm trying to learn more and more about them...I know they are considered difficult to keep but they are beautiful to me...also WHICH TYPE OF PODS ARE BEST FOR THEM.... thanks in advance

If you can please share some pics of them and your pod set up.... no worries though