My Next Fish: Your Suggestions Welcome....

[40B Knasty]

Not true. There are many species that stay in an area smaller than most aquariums their whole life. Clowns, blennies, gobies, basslets, damsels, some wrasses, some hawkfish, stay in very limited spaces. Add to that, if properly planned there is no predators and ample food is provided.

Other species, such as tangs and large angels cover much greater area, so ethics could then be considered. But attrition on the reefs is quite high.

30g is not appropriate for mandarins for the average hobbyist. I've said it before, I'll say it again, 50+g matured for 6+months greatly increases success without having to do anything special.

Indeed it is. Anyone can look through the advice I have offered here and throughout my history here. It's an open book and speaks for itself.

That's all it is. You opened a book. Not your advice. Just what ya read. Its cool. I get it.
And don't give me that's not true line.. ANYTHING in nature taken out of its natural habitat is exactly what is. Not its natural habitat. No matter how much you want to be right about that.
The only advice I can see you being better at than the normal is ID'ing a wrasse.
My proof is in the pudding. You just need to chill when it comes to another way.
I will stand by what I said and what I do, because you are missing the point of it ALL. Established tanks just means it is for the time being. When someone puts a mandarin in. Consider that tank not established anymore, because those little guys can wipe a tank clean in a few weeks. For every action there is a reaction. You like many others think everyone has a sump or a refugium. That is all your advice is good for. Other suggestions are made by thinking outside of the box. That doesn't mean other ways are poor. So even with an established tank. You still need to make sure you have back up. Even with a refugium. It is not like these pods line up single file and say let's head out to the main tank by the thousands. So be real about what you think is help and prove it. Otherwise it is what it is and it has no weight in any thread. Just do me a favor and mute me. I tried to with you when I seen your first post talking to someone, but sadly I can not. If you continue to want to quote me. I will take it up with someone else with your poor attitude towards other suggestions followed up with proof. I am not here for a fan club. Just to give good advice that I felt I was never given when starting up in this hobby. If I knew what I know now and how to keep a non frozen eating mandarin easily. It would have been my first fish. Not my 10th. Regardless of how new my tank was.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Established tanks just means it is for the time being. When someone puts a mandarin in. Consider that tank not established anymore, because those little guys can wipe a tank clean in a few weeks. For every action there is a reaction....
...So even with an established tank. You still need to make sure you have back up. Even with a refugium. It is not like these pods line up single file and say let's head out to the main tank by the thousands.

This is what I have been saying. Mandarins make a huge demand on pod populations. Even if one adds pods, the mandarin still has to find them.

You like many others think everyone has a sump or a refugium.

Not at all. Many people get started with standard tanks with hang on the back filters or all-in-ones with the compartments in the back. The advice offered is with any of these as being possibilities.

 

[40B Knasty]

This is what I have been saying. Mandarins make a huge demand on pod populations. Even if one adds pods, the mandarin still has to find them.

Not at all. Many people get started with standard tanks with hang on the back filters or all-in-ones with the compartments in the back. The advice offered is with any of these as being possibilities.

Last word.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Last word.

;Muted

 

[40B Knasty]

;Muted

last emoji

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I am in complete agreement with eatbreakfast on this topic.

Assessors are among my favorite small fish and I think they would be a great addition to your tank

 

[VR28man]

Thanks again to all!

I'm not in a position to keep a Mandarin right now. I am very interested in one, but so far have balked at the requirements. The 48" tank will have a 20-ish gallon fuge in the sump; if I get good pod populations I might try it. I've also been encouraged by @Paul B 's mandarin feeder - which is a bit of a nuisance, but still not too much so. (I don't think I'll have space to culture 'pods, unfortunately - we live in an apartment and if I had permission for another aquarium I'd rather have a small nano. Even a brine shrimp hatchery and a blackworm culture are pushing it, I think). I'll have to think hard about it.

Either way, 40BKnasty, if I do go with this I'll definitely contact you. Thank you for offering to teach me how to do this. I hope many people on this forum have learned from the 40BKnasty-eatbreakfast exchange.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm sort of considering a springer's damsel, but I'm still worried it may become aggressive.

Eatbreakfast, thanks for suggesting the assessor. This seems to be yet another species that likes hiding in rockwork, but according to some things I've just read they also come out after a while. I'll consider this as well as the wrasses. I did some googling of the chalk bass, tobacco basslet - it seems these can be semi-aggressive?

 

[40B Knasty]

Thanks again to all!

I'm not in a position to keep a Mandarin right now. I am very interested in one, but so far have balked at the requirements. The 48" tank will have a 20-ish gallon fuge in the sump; if I get good pod populations I might try it. I've also been encouraged by @Paul B 's mandarin feeder - which is a bit of a nuisance, but still not too much so. (I don't think I'll have space to culture 'pods, unfortunately - we live in an apartment and if I had permission for another aquarium I'd rather have a small nano. Even a brine shrimp hatchery and a blackworm culture are pushing it, I think). I'll have to think hard about it.

Either way, 40BKnasty, if I do go with this I'll definitely contact you. Thank you for offering to teach me how to do this. I hope many people on this forum have learned from the 40BKnasty-eatbreakfast exchange.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm sort of considering a springer's damsel, but I'm still worried it may become aggressive.

Eatbreakfast, thanks for suggesting the assessor. This seems to be yet another species that likes hiding in rockwork, but according to some things I've just read they also come out after a while. I'll consider this as well as the wrasses. I did some googling of the chalk bass, tobacco basslet - it seems these can be semi-aggressive?

Swissguard or Swalise basslet are pretty sweet. Had a Swissguard in my 20g. Probably the best tank mate of all time. Best friends with my clown. Not aggressive at all. When it stabs at food. It looks like they are, but it is just locked on and wants it. So it's movement is very fast. They come out as much as a gold assesser. The assessers are weird how they swim upside down. I would have suggested them, but from my observation they hide a lot and was also told the same thing by someone who owns 2 of them who has 28 years experience with them and a LFS.

Have you ever thought about a fire fish or scissor tail dart fish?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thanks again to all!

I'm not in a position to keep a Mandarin right now. I am very interested in one, but so far have balked at the requirements. The 48" tank will have a 20-ish gallon fuge in the sump; if I get good pod populations I might try it. I've also been encouraged by @Paul B 's mandarin feeder - which is a bit of a nuisance, but still not too much so. (I don't think I'll have space to culture 'pods, unfortunately - we live in an apartment and if I had permission for another aquarium I'd rather have a small nano. Even a brine shrimp hatchery and a blackworm culture are pushing it, I think). I'll have to think hard about it.

Either way, 40BKnasty, if I do go with this I'll definitely contact you. Thank you for offering to teach me how to do this. I hope many people on this forum have learned from the 40BKnasty-eatbreakfast exchange.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm sort of considering a springer's damsel, but I'm still worried it may become aggressive.

Eatbreakfast, thanks for suggesting the assessor. This seems to be yet another species that likes hiding in rockwork, but according to some things I've just read they also come out after a while. I'll consider this as well as the wrasses. I did some googling of the chalk bass, tobacco basslet - it seems these can be semi-aggressive?

Yellow assessors start out hanging out in caves more comparable to a royal gramma, but usually between the 3-6month range get bolder substantially. The last one that I had was always front and center, even when I was doing tank maintenance.

I've found the smaller Liopropoma species to be significantly more secretive than assessors

I've only ever had chalk and tobacco basslets was with closely related species at feeding time, but even that wasn't bad.