Poll: What is the minimum tank size for a Mandarin

[Myk Verified Sponsor]

I vote a 10 gallon tank plumbed into a 150 gallon rubbermaid tub refugium cycled for about a year. Should be good for a pair, LOL!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I'll look into that @saltyfilmfolks... I've wanted a mandarin since I became interested in saltwater, but I also researched their needs, and that is why I still do not have one. I'll do a bit more research and keep my eyes open for a captive bred spotted that's eating frozen.

Very easy to train.

 

[NanoCrazed]

13.5G (Fluval Evo ) with pod hotel a s live rocks.

This pig of a girl is turning 2+

 

[NanoCrazed]

I should add a few things...

1) conventional wisdom says to get 75G+ tank filled with LR. But it's not tank space as the Mandarin travels but really not by much. It's about food supply.

2) you can keep a Mandarin in a smaller tanks like 10G as long as you make proper preparation and have a backup plan. A pod hotel will do wonders for supporting ONE Mandarin in a small tank that also has additional POROUS live rock...if not, then hopefully you can train it to accept prepared food (Nutra Ova or mysis)... these two are not mutually exclusive, I off course. If all else fails, please know when to rehome the fish a setting more conducive to it' well-being.

3) constantly monitor for starvation. A Mandarin (and dragonets on general) don't really have a stomach and need to constantly eat. So watch for signs of sunken stomach...esp of the rob cage is showing,which at this point is time to find a new home for the fish

 

[james lance]

I have had a Target Mandarin dragonet for two years in a 20 gallon long with a hang on refugiums but now he will eat frozen pellets and flake food and hasn't lost any size still fat and happy. Only added pods once .

 

[SMB]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/live-whiteworms-for-mandarins-etc.357102/

 

[40B Knasty]

Every week with one tank. Can't beat that. All you need to do is a 2-3 gallon water change ever 2-3weeks. I did a thread on the videography forum on R2R.

 

[steveaus10]

recently lost my little guy after 4+ years plenty of food and other fish are fine so I must assume he died of old age seemed healthy right up till his time

 

[GraniteReefer]

I voted 40 as I can only go off of my experience and I own an IM40 that's been up since oct. 2015. I bought the mandarin Dec. 24th 2015 and put it in that young tank(not reccomended), he got thin for a while, I religiously bought pods to add and then early 2017 he began picking at the leftover frozen brine and by the summer of 2017 he was fully pellet trained. He is now super fat and happy and has been in tank 2+ years. So on January 10th I picked him up a small female mandarin that was tank raised by Biota, she has been doing great and growing really quickly(not trained to frozen as they say so be warned still going to need to supplement pods). She has started sleeping with the male in the rock work at night so I think they might actually like each other.
Here they are sleeping together

Here is the biota mandarin the day I added her.

I also just want to add in that my tank was an algae ridden mess for the first 2 years because of how much I had to feed to push the male through the hard times so it's not advisable for someone who wants a pristine tank in these small conditions. Here's a thread that I'm using to follow the process of pairing these two.
https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/388519-biota-mandarin-the-pairing-journey-begins/

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Well I guess I'm not one to talk as my mandarin died yesterday. I have no clue why, no stomach indent, tons of food available, still great color. My only idea is that the light may have been too much for him, he came from an unlit refugium that only had light from the overhead fixtures. It really sucks, he was an awesome looking fish

 

[Gahngoo]

I've been in the hobby for over 10 years. I have a green target Mandarin in a 10g. I got her when she was less than an inch long. I feed her Nutrimar Ova for a long time. As she got bigger, she started eating mysis. She pretty much eats anything I put in the tank. I've had her for about 4 years or so. She's about two inches now with a pot belly.

I think that mandarins should be left to more experienced people in the hobby because they take a lot of one-on-one time until they eat like champs.

 

[Luno]

Got a mandarin in my 15g, demolished pods got her eating mysis shrimp. No issue with enough food.

 

[minder_mano]

30 gal if you have a refugium to keep the pod population up

 

[chowwil]

Have 2 ruby red dragonet in my 20gal for 6 month. No problem, but eats frozen food too