Red ruby dragonet?

[Echo2656]

So my fish store has two RRDs at their store right now. I asked them if they were on frozen but they weren't. But they said that RRBs will eat frozen if there is some on the ground after feeding. They also said that they are the hardiest and easiest dragonet and that a my 8 month 20 gallon long (tank style peaceful reef) will have enough. What are your thoughts? I really want to get one of these guys, but do you think i meet the requirements?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

So my fish store has two RRDs at their store right now. I asked them if they were on frozen but they weren't. But they said that RRBs will eat frozen if there is some on the ground after feeding. They also said that they are the hardiest and easiest dragonet and that a my 8 month 20 gallon long (tank style peaceful reef) will have enough. What are your thoughts? I really want to get one of these guys, but do you think i meet the requirements?

20 gallons probably can't sustain a high enough population of pods...I tried one in my 20 and it didn't make it. I wouldn't expect them to take any other food naturally either (tell your LFS if it's that easy to get them to eat brine they should feed it to them)

 

[Echo2656]

20 gallons probably can't sustain a high enough population of pods...I tried one in my 20 and it didn't make it. I wouldn't expect them to take any other food naturally either (tell your LFS if it's that easy to get them to eat brine they should feed it to them)

but i was actually wondering because its a 20 gallon long and the minimum is 30. my tank has the same sand bed of a 30. so I thought i would keep one.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

but i was actually wondering because its a 20 gallon long and the minimum is 30. my tank has the same sand bed of a 30. so I thought i would keep one.

It all has to do with the population of pods your tank can support... imo 20 gallons just isn't enough

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

nothing to do with a sandbed, they eat only copepods and nothing else, they can wipe out the copepods in a 20 gallon in one week.

 

[ying yang]

I'm not sure ,but will tag along myself just to get more Info as I'm wanting a pair of these as my last fish on tank,because they cool looking but also possible pest control .
My lfs last month told me the same that they not eating frozen and this scares me off a little.
But my tank 14 months old and crawling with 8 different kinds of pods, if a Ruby will eat all kinds is a different matter .
One thing that puts me off is if cant getting eating diced/slices/cut up small clams/oysters that I mainly feed my tank or some frozen copepods/or other kinds of frozen cubed food in my freezer then its not right as worse case is they starve to death,which ovbiously isn't right.
But there's threads and info on the net on how to help get them eating prepared foods,and as you say easier of the dragonet family.

But for me I'm looking at my tank at lights out and looking all the pods and my decision to get one based on how many pods they are.
Having a refugium ( safe plage for pods to reproduce without predation ) is very helpful.

Good luck and beautiful fish

 

[theMeat]

20 gallon is not enough. For that matter, 30 gallons isn’t enough neither

 

[Echo2656]

20 gallon is not enough. For that matter, 30 gallons isn’t enough neither

if he was on frozen/pellet could i keep him in 20 gallon long?

 

[theMeat]

if he was on frozen/pellet could i keep him in 20 gallon long?

Theoretically you could. Would lead to a shorter lifespan because it’s not a proper live diet they have evolved to eat. Plus competition for food from other fish will leave a mandarin at a disadvantage compared to most other fish that’r more mobile

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

if he was on frozen/pellet could i keep him in 20 gallon long?

The problem is that they dont have stomachs, food goes right through them, they need to eat constantly all day long.

The best thing to try would be the DIY brine shrimp mandarin feeder, so that it can eat all day, there are videos on youtube.

But honestly it sounds like you have not done much research, so i encourage you to read up on it much more. Its indicated as an "expert" fish, so if you get one you owe it to the fish to at least spend some time googling about it.

Unfortunately many of us have tried only to watch them slowly starve to death in front of us, its a lousy feeling.

 

[DaJMasta]

I would agree that if not eating prepared foods, the pods in a 30g probably are not sufficient either. But you can train them to eat frozen (I've got one a few days in right now), and then so long as you feed daily with powerheads off for a bit they can eat a good bit and supplement with their usual pod hunting.

I'm wondering who started this idea that dragonets don't have stomachs, though. When trained to eat frozen, they can eat a good bit in a short time span and get their needed nutrition from it too. While their normal behavior is to pick at tiny bugs all day, they can just as easily gobble up several of amphipods and have at least enough gut capacity to manage them just fine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

So my fish store has two RRDs at their store right now. I asked them if they were on frozen but they weren't. But they said that RRBs will eat frozen if there is some on the ground after feeding. They also said that they are the hardiest and easiest dragonet and that a my 8 month 20 gallon long (tank style peaceful reef) will have enough. What are your thoughts? I really want to get one of these guys, but do you think i meet the requirements?

Some will and some wont. You almost have to train them to eat frozen foods but ive seen it happen

 

[BirdFish5000]

Even if it will eat frozen, it will <need> pods. You seem very insistent on getting it, so be prepared to regularly add pods to the tank.