New mandarin

[Biophage]

So I made a routine trip to my lfs today and ended up walking out with a mandarin that eats mysis. I couldnt believe they had one that just eats it without being trained, I had them feed it and I watched it happen. So I couldn't resist. I also picked up a little pod hotel that is already cultured, and a bottle of Tigger pods. I'll probably pick up a few more hotels or make my own and begin culturing them in a 10 gallon so I can keep replenishing the tank since I don't have a sump. I have a 47 gallon bow with a yellow and exquisite wrasse so I'm gonna need a ton. I would not under any circumstances have brought him home if I didn't have proof he was eating prepared foods. After acclimation he found a rock, and is just sitting there with all his fins sticking out as rigid as possible, been that way for 2 hours so far. I'm not sure how they act during stress, which I'm sure he is, so I'm wondering if he's ok. Anyone have any experience with this? Normal or not normal? I also turned the lights off so he can just chill without other fish checking him out and bothering him. So any comments, advice, or suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks!

My phone double posted this, feel free to delete the duplicate *sheepishly looks at forum moderator*

 

[James M]

Its probably getting used to his surroundings.
Although it eats mysis it won’t survive off it and will slowly die in the long run. Your wrasse are going to out compete it for copepods, having no fuge doesn’t help. You are going to need to culture a lot more pods because the wrasses. IMO I would return it

 

[Biophage]

Its probably getting used to his surroundings.
Although it eats mysis it won’t survive off it and will slowly die in the long run. Your wrasse are going to our compete it for copepods, having no fuge doesn’t help. You are going to need to culture a lot more pods because do the wrasses. IMO I would return it

Ty for your reply and you advice. I made the decion to keep a close eye on him and return him if he doesn't do well, which I understand is a strong possibility with 2 wrasses. I may also return the wrasses. I am not sure yet.

 

[bhuyett]

You should be fine with a 47 gallon tank. If the mandarin is eating mysis and brine you are golden. I have a 120 gallon tank with 8 wrasses and my female had done perfectly fine for over 2yrs now. Plus she will swim up and chase down the brine when I blow some down on the sand bed with the turkey baster. If you plan to use a Pod Hotel, you can train her to always go to that specific area. Unlike mine, she doesn't have a specific place to eat.

 

[Biophage]

You should be fine with a 47 gallon tank. If the mandarin is eating mysis and brine you are golden. I have a 120 gallon tank with 8 wrasses and my female had done perfectly fine for over 2yrs now. Plus she will swim up and chase down the brine when I blow some down on the sand bed with the turkey baster. If you plan to use a Pod Hotel, you can train her to always go to that specific area. Unlike mine, she doesn't have a specific place to eat.

That is encourageing, I hope I have similar success with my wrasses competing. I will still keep a close eye on him and do everything I can to keep pods in there. If he doesn't do well I'll return him, I hate watching animals suffer. But you have given me some hope. Thx =]

 

[James M]

A 120 gallon is completely different from a 47 gallon

 

[Biophage]

A 120 gallon is completely different from a 47 gallon

Very much different, but I think his point was that he has 8 wrasses. But I understand the difference and I will do what is right for the animal, if that means returning him I will, I'm gonna give it little while and observe

 

[James M]

Very much different, but I think his point was that he has 8 wrasses. But I understand the difference and I will do what is right for the animal, if that means returning him I will, I'm gonna give it little while and observe

I wasn’t pointing out the difference to you... we also don’t know much about his tank and routines he does .

 

[falc]

They are great fish with some neat personallities, you’ll have to secure a consistent supply of pods to dose before your population gets established. Algae Barn will ship every couple weeks automatically, I have a Manderine and a Ruby Red Dragonet in a 40B and they are plump and happy. You may want to try some live baby brine shrimp and see if they like it, mine love them!

 

[Biophage]

They are great fish with some neat personallities, you’ll have to secure a consistent supply of pods to dose before your population gets established. Algae Barn will ship every couple weeks automatically, I have a Manderine and a Ruby Red Dragonet in a 40B and they are plump and happy. You may want to try some live baby brine shrimp and see if they like it, mine love them!

Thx for the tip, I'm sure I'll be trying a whole bunch of of things. I'll add that to the list.

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

The way he was sticking with his fins rigid is how they sleep, found mine do that a lot, thought he was dead the first time, thankfully not lol. Good Luck

 

[Tamberav]

I kept one in a 20 gallon that ate pellets for 4 years until I had to move. It doubled in size. I fed several times a day. It is doable with prepared foods but honestly a lot of work and the high bioload from feeding so often limited the types of Coral I could keep. Stay away from cleaner shrimp or fish that will steal it's food. Good luck.

 

[roberthu526]

I don’t see any reason you can’t keep it in a 47 gallon tank if it eats mysis. You may have to target feed but it should do just fine. Maybe it won’t live as long as it could have but multiple years is a success for me.

 

[PDR]

@Biophage Do you have a fuge?

Although it eats mysis it won’t survive off it and will slowly die in the long run. Your wrasse are going to our compete it for copepods.

Is this based on personal experience?

 

[James M]

@Biophage Do you have a fuge?



Is this based on personal experience?

No but this is what I’ve been told by multiple people here on r2r.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

They are great fish with some neat personallities, you’ll have to secure a consistent supply of pods to dose before your population gets established. Algae Barn will ship every couple weeks automatically, I have a Manderine and a Ruby Red Dragonet in a 40B and they are plump and happy. You may want to try some live baby brine shrimp and see if they like it, mine love them!

are copepods better then brine shrimp? healthier?

 

[davocean]

@Biophage Do you have a fuge?



Is this based on personal experience?

It's based on many years of observation as well as personal experience among many people.
This is one of those constantly challenged topics, and it's another that takes time to learn the typical outcome, so many claim they are having success and others follow, and it's one of those many don't step up and post about negative outcomes later on.

The sad thing is many, like OP, who plans to keep an eye on it, does not realize that usually when you can see signs of poor health, it's usually too late.

A 47g just a hair below what most experienced mandarin keepers would call as minimum, and that is w/out competition.

 

[PDR]

It's based on many years of observation as well as personal experience among many people.
This is one of those constantly challenged topics, and it's another that takes time to learn the typical outcome, so many claim they are having success and others follow, and it's one of those many don't step up and post about negative outcomes later on.

The sad thing is many, like OP, who plans to keep an eye on it, does not realize that usually when you can see signs of poor health, it's usually too late.

A 47g just a hair below what most experienced mandarin keepers would call as minimum, and that is w/out competition.

The reason I asked the question (specifically to James, who is relatively new to the hobby) is because the vast majority of the time I see any advice about mandarins it is from people who have never owned one and are just "parroting" advice (not always a bad thing). The problem with that is you end up having a handful of people with certain experiences and that information gets spread to the point where it seems like there are hundreds of people with the same experience when in reality, it is just the same info being recirculated. Again, not always a bad thing, but can be misleading at times.

I have never heard that mandarins cannot survive on prepared foods if fed often enough so I was just curious where that information was coming from. To be fair, I have never research that specifically.

 

[Oshengems]

I have a 2” almost 3” mandarin in my 75g with 4 wrassse now a leopard a six line and fairy and orange back although 2 of the wrasses don’t really pick pods at one point I had 4 that would constantly pick pods. The mandarin has been with me for about a year and half and I do not add pods only on my 4th month to “seed”, My tank will be 2yo on March and I still see plenty of pods in my sump amd DT as long as you have the rocks to support a pod population you will be good. If he’s eating prepare food your Golden because you will just be supplementing he will be picking pods all day. As long as you see him on the hunt and nipping things of rocks you are good remember there are other things they eat the one I have was also eating flatworms of my acros they have better eye sight than us you can’t see the pods but they can.

 

[roberthu526]

The reason I asked the question (specifically to James, who is relatively new to the hobby) is because the vast majority of the time I see any advice about mandarins it is from people have never owned one and are just "parroting" advice (not always a bad thing). The problem with that is you end up having a handful of people with certain experiences and that information gets spread to the point where it seems like there are hundreds of people with the same experience when in reality, it is just the same info being recirculated. Again, not always a bad thing, but can be misleading at times.

I have never heard that mandarins cannot survive on prepared foods if fed often enough so I was just curious where that information was coming from. To be fair, I have never research that specifically.

You are absolutely right. In addition to what you said, many people on the forums make the argument that a fish doesn’t live as long on prepared food as it would have in the ocean. In fact, most fish in the wild don’t make the first year. If we can keep a mandarin for multiple years in our tanks I consider that a big success.