Mandarins???

[Salty-Noob]

Mandarins do well as long as they can feed at their convenience, not on our feeding schedule.

I have 3 mandarins in my tank that are all close to 2 years. They are obese little piggies. My largest is so fat he doesn't have to feed constantly an we only see him on occasion when he comes out of the rocks on occasion to show himself.

Now I have a 400 gallon display tank. But I have over 1000lbs of live rock. I also have a 250g refugium with hundreds of pounds of live rock.

Every 4-6 month I add some pods. But my pod population is out of control. We recently pulled 2 maricultured corals to dip. And in the dipping container there were over 115 pods, just living on the bottom of two small corals.

To successfully keep mandarins, and in the past I have had mandarins last over 8 years, you need a mature established aquarium with lots of rock. The rock is an area for pods to thrive in and provides the mandarin ample hunting ground. And having a refugium, just loaded with rock and algae for the pods population to explode in without anything munching them is key.

Mandarins are pretty simple, they just want to eat. So if you want to keep them (successfully) you have to have a stable and self-sustaining food source for them.

Dave B

Thanks Dave good to know it is possible to have em...but I don't think imma get one just yet...only been doing this fora bout 5 months now and I don't want to take a chance to on losing one but it is on my list of fish to get when I'm ready

 

[_Alex_]

We have had are target mandarin for about 18 months. We are lucky though as he took to new life spectrum small fish pellets. And even eats the larger Thera+a. Now I did this by putting pellets in a baby jar and soaking them in tank water for about 10 min. Then slowly lowering down into the tank. I put it in a corner, and the mandarin would go in.

I just put the empty jar in and left it for about a week till I saw him going into it often, as pods would go in and not find there way out lol. I then started adding the pellets and after a few days witnessed him eating them. Now he just looks for them anytime we feed. But also grazes on pods all day

Another thing for pods, if you have empty snail shells for your clean up crew hermits. Pile them all up in the back corners of your tank. And any small rock rubble. It gives them a place to hide and populate.

Also I seen people take gutter guard about 8" long and roll it up into a tube. Fill with rock ruble about 3/4 way and wire tie shut. Giving the pods plenty of protection to breed and populate. I have a link of want to see it.


-Alex-

 

[PaulKreider]

Don't get one, difficult to keep, leave to more experienced reefers. NOT a beginner fish.

 

[Salty-Noob]

We have had are target mandarin for about 18 months. We are lucky though as he took to new life spectrum small fish pellets. And even eats the larger Thera+a. Now I did this by putting pellets in a baby jar and soaking them in tank water for about 10 min. Then slowly lowering down into the tank. I put it in a corner, and the mandarin would go in.

I just put the empty jar in and left it for about a week till I saw him going into it often, as pods would go in and not find there way out lol. I then started adding the pellets and after a few days witnessed him eating them. Now he just looks for them anytime we feed. But also grazes on pods all day

Another thing for pods, if you have empty snail shells for your clean up crew hermits. Pile them all up in the back corners of your tank. And any small rock rubble. It gives them a place to hide and populate.

Also I seen people take gutter guard about 8" long and roll it up into a tube. Fill with rock ruble about 3/4 way and wire tie shut. Giving the pods plenty of protection to breed and populate. I have a link of want to see it.


-Alex-

Yeah I'll take a look at the link

 

[_Alex_]

Pm sent


Sent from my iPhone by spaceships!

 

[Isoprene]

I have one in my 1 year old system that does really well, got to have coepopods and they are a naturally curious species I have noticed, they don't scare easily either, at least that the experience I have with mine. I say very easy to keep overall if you have a mature tank. If you dont, just wait and get one later. Not aggressive at all as far as mine goes

 

[Salty-Noob]

I have one in my 1 year old system that does really well, got to have coepopods and they are a naturally curious species I have noticed, they don't scare easily either, at least that the experience I have with mine. I say very easy to keep overall if you have a mature tank. If you dont, just wait and get one later. Not aggressive at all as far as mine goes

Thanks got the input I am going to hold off on getting one my tank is 4-5 months up and running I forget

 

[Salty-Noob]

What if I put in the pods now and let them take over my tank for a couple of weeks. Would I be able to add a mandarin than?

 

[o2manyfish]

Your tank has to be mature enough to sustain the pods and provide enough food for the pods to multiply and thrive. And getting the right balance of phtyoplankton and algae without the tank going out of whack is only something that comes with maturity. You can add the pods now, and then add some more (of a different type) a few months down the road, but it takes awhile for them to start flourishing. And you need a pod population that is out of control to sustain a healthy mandarin.

This hobby is based on natural cycles in biology, and despite the hype from the New Product in the spotlight, you just can't rush mother nature. A lack of patience will always result in a loss of money and a loss of livestock.

Your tank should be around for many years, for something as magnificent as a mandarin, which can also live for many years, you can't rush the natural cycles that need to be in place so that the fish can thrive.

Patience, Patience, Patience.

Dave B

 

[Liquid360]

Like this...

http://youtu.be/9LFT5D0QR70

 

[Salty-Noob]

Your tank has to be mature enough to sustain the pods and provide enough food for the pods to multiply and thrive. And getting the right balance of phtyoplankton and algae without the tank going out of whack is only something that comes with maturity. You can add the pods now, and then add some more (of a different type) a few months down the road, but it takes awhile for them to start flourishing. And you need a pod population that is out of control to sustain a healthy mandarin.

This hobby is based on natural cycles in biology, and despite the hype from the New Product in the spotlight, you just can't rush mother nature. A lack of patience will always result in a loss of money and a loss of livestock.

Your tank should be around for many years, for something as magnificent as a mandarin, which can also live for many years, you can't rush the natural cycles that need to be in place so that the fish can thrive.

Patience, Patience, Patience.

Dave B

Do pods of a huge abundance harm a tank?

 

[Bartmmackey]

All this waiting for years is crap. There is a huge amount of healthy mandarins that will eat lots of food other than pods. My LFS is buying from a Michigan that are eating whatever..including pellets. So get pods...give it a try...but don't wait years. It's not the end of the world if you fail and I have done a gajillion things that folks said would fail, that didnt. I did however read, study talk to real folks and check tanks for real world examples. A great example is the friendly barracuda that hangs out at deco stops to check out divers...and folks are afraid of barracuda. Every fish is different.

My Mandarin is eating artic pods, living in a 37gal with other fish that were not supposed to work.

 

[o2manyfish]

Pods are a food source for most things in your tank. Most fish are happy to hunt and feed off of pods. Some of your more unusual dwarf angels survive on pods as much as the mandarins do.

You can't have too many. But as your tank gets older and you livestock increases (both fish and corals) the pod population has more things to feed. It's when you get to something like a Mandarin that only eats pods that you have to have enough of a population established to support your entire ecosystem not just one mandarin.

Dave B

 

[Ozzy]

My mandarin will eat formula 1 pellets, I just took my time in QT and trained him. They can be trained to eat frozen and/or pellets, it you take the proper time and have patience. I just use a turkey baster and put the pellets close to him and he goes to town. He still cruises around and munches pods. Healthy as can be an in a 40g. So its all about patience if you really want one you can get them trained to eat frozen at least. I will feed mine frozen brine/mysis about 1x week, the rest of the time the tank just gets pellets.

Start out with live food, then start mixing frozen, then start adding the sinking pellets to the mix and eventually he will take to the pellets with no problem. He will even seek uneaten pellets out. So I consider him a part of my CUC haha.

 

[Ozzy]

Oh I also have never had to add pods to my tank. Tank has been up and running for about 1 year. And the mandarin co-exist with a pod eating wrasse as well. So don't let people that fail tell you not to try. Trying is all you can do, just need to be patient. Seriously, the best way to train a mandarin is in a QT tank because at first you are going to have a lot of trial end error along with excess food that you will need to remove.

 

[Salty-Noob]

Good advice guys...I'm gathering as much info as I can cuz the mandarin is at the top of my list of fish to get

 

[Liquid360]

I've got no doubt that certain specimens can be trained to eat other food... that being said, training a fish to alter natural behavior such as food source rubs me the wrong way. Now obviously my fish aren't eating naturally occurring pellets but they are opportunistic feeders in the ocean. I'm in no way saying fish shouldn't be trained to exhibit unnatural behavior!!!!!! I'm saying I prefer the natural route whenever possible vs altering behavior cause I want a super pretty fish. I know I'll get jumped for saying so... luckily my natural response is total indifference

 

[Salty-Noob]

I've got no doubt that certain specimens can be trained to eat other food... that being said, training a fish to alter natural behavior such as food source rubs me the wrong way. Now obviously my fish aren't eating naturally occurring pellets but they are opportunistic feeders in the ocean. I'm in no way saying fish shouldn't be trained to exhibit unnatural behavior!!!!!! I'm saying I prefer the natural route whenever possible vs altering behavior cause I want a super pretty fish. I know I'll get jumped for saying so... luckily my natural response is total indifference

No I can agree with you. Messing with Mother Nature can sometimes come back and get ya.

 

[Liquid360]

Yeah I've watched a mandarin die of starvation while trying to be "trained". So sad. Despite fish being relatively inexpensive I try not to see them as disposable. If I'm told a fish requires an exotic wild caught algae found only in a certain isolated puddle in the jungles of Borneo I'll pass rather than think perhaps ill train him to eat burgers.

No I can agree with you. Messing with Mother Nature can sometimes come back and get ya.

 

[Salty-Noob]

Yeah I've watched a mandarin die of starvation while trying to be "trained". So sad. Despite fish being relatively inexpensive I try not to see them as disposable. If I'm told a fish requires an exotic wild caught algae found only in a certain isolated puddle in the jungles of Borneo I'll pass rather than think perhaps ill train him to eat burgers.

Haha point made. Eventually my goal is to get a mandarin but when the time is right