The Mandarin Reef: Waterbox Marine 35.2 AIO

[ashiWaza]

Hello everyone,

I was initially drawn to the hobby by the beauty of LPS/euphyllia type corals; the fish were beautiful as well, but they just didn't appeal to me as much. The first time I ever saw a mandarin, that all changed! I immediately knew I wanted one, and quickly found out the difficulty level of care required. After many, many hours of research that mostly brought loose-ended information, I decided to build and document the process of housing a healthy, happy mandarin! Hopefully someone else will be able to learn from my process should they attempt their own build.

 

[ashiWaza]

Every website I checked listed 30 gallons as being the minimum space requirement to house a mandarin, yet I also read multiple sources claiming that 90+ gallon tanks can struggle with a sufficient food source for them. I ultimately decided to go into a 35 gallon aquarium, and a good friend had a Redsea 34 gallon that he offered to give me for free. It was in relatively good shape despite being an older tank, it just needed some cleanup. Best part was the free stand!!

 

[ashiWaza]

Shortly after cleaning the Redsea, I decided that if I wanted to put in all this time and effort, I wanted to be completely happy with the end product. I ultimately decided to upgrade the tank to the Waterbox Marine 35 AIO, as I really enjoy the rimless look and Waterbox makes a great product if you dont mind the pricetag.

 

[ashiWaza]

Always check around at local stores! There were a couple downsides with going with a Waterbox, such as the 6 week wait period, and also the shipping fee (Marine version wasn't included in free shipping offers). With an insane amount of luck, I checked my LFS, and they were JUST getting in an entire Watetbox shipment. I immediately bought the tank on the spot, although I'd be lying if I said I didnt consider upgrading sizes since they were right there in front of me!

 

[ashiWaza]

After getting the new tank, I also realized I wanted to be totally happy with the stand. It was in absolutely great shape, but I wasn't super happy with the color. The stand had an acrylic/plastic coating, and I decided it could probably be painted over. Using 'Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2x Paint + Primer' spray paint, I was able to get the finish I wanted. I applied 2-3 coats, and let it dry. After which, I took 2000 grit sandpaper and a spray bottle with water, and did some wet sanding. I had no previous experience with this process and am not super DIY/handy when it comes to stuff like this but it was a pretty easy process. I just wanted a glossy look, and no clear paint drips.

 

[ashiWaza]

I'm a pretty meticulous person and wanted this to be the perfect display tank with some higher end corals along with my mandarin. I decided to go the LPS route, given that the mandarin prefers a lower flow rate from what information I've read through. I dont really care for the bare bottom look, and also wanted a solid bed of sand to eventually aid with copepods, biological filtration, etc. With the mandarin being native to the Indo-Pacific ocean areas, how convenient that Caribsea makes an Indo Pacific arag-alive sand! It was perfect. However upon some further research, I found the sand to be discontinued. On top of that, I found this VERY interesting read about a fellow reef2reef member struggling with nickel/vanadium problems from the same sand! I decided to go with Fiji Pink from Caribsea instead, despite some claiming it leads to cloudiness from the small granule size.

ATI results back, sources of vanadium?

I received my ATI ICP test results and I have extremely high vanadium and nickel. What could possibly be the cause of these metals in the tank, specifically vanadium. I am unable to keep SPS alive for more than a few weeks before they completely STN. All magnets, pumps and powerheads have been...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ashiWaza]

Here is another article from a reef2reef user having issues with the same sand. What I really enjoyed about both of these articles was the science involved, and visuals of the measurements given. There was even mention of people having issues with the Hawaiian Black sand, and the Tahitian Moon versions as well. While these are absolutely beautiful, do your research! I would also like to note that I do like Caribsea products very much, and still use their sand and arches for this build, as well as my existing reeftank

Nano Build - ༺ ᴀq͎ᴜᴀ ꜱᴘʟᴇɴᴅᴏʀ - ɴᴀɴᴏ ʀᴇᴇꜰ ༻

I'm super excited to finally enter in my first Aquarium competition, it's a competition on Nano-Reef.com "365 Day Challenge", I always wanted to participate in this kind of event, this time the timing is good . I wanted to show my aquarium also on Reef2Reef so everyone can see it. My name is...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ranchhand02]

What's your plan for keeping enough pods for the mandarin? I would like to have one but I cant get enough of a pod population built up.

 

[ashiWaza]

What's your plan for keeping enough pods for the mandarin? I would like to have one but I cant get enough of a pod population built up.

If you already have an established tank that you're thinking of adding a mandarin to, you could try possibly building a refugium or adding copepods to your refugium if you already have one. I plan on doing a combination of three things: 1) Get a Biota/ORA Mandarin, even though most people claim you will still need additional pod populations in your tank 2) Begin adding pods immediately after cycling, using a kit from algaebarn and if needed 3) add a refugium. I get my rock/sand in on Thurs and I'll also begin aquascaping and thinking about possibly adding a Pod Hotel to give them some refuge.

 

[Reverend Turtle]

If you already have an established tank that you're thinking of adding a mandarin to, you could try possibly building a refugium or adding copepods to your refugium if you already have one. I plan on doing a combination of three things: 1) Get a Biota/ORA Mandarin, even though most people claim you will still need additional pod populations in your tank 2) Begin adding pods immediately after cycling, using a kit from algaebarn and if needed 3) add a refugium. I get my rock/sand in on Thurs and I'll also begin aquascaping and thinking about possibly adding a Pod Hotel to give them some refuge.

Adding a couple of piles of rubble will give pods a good place to hide and breed. To me it looks better than the plastic pod hotels.

 

[ashiWaza]

Adding a couple of piles of rubble will give pods a good place to hide and breed. To me it looks better than the plastic pod hotels.

This is a great idea as well. To be honest I hadn't looked into the Pod Hotel all that much just because I'm hoping I won't need it, but yeah, it looks awful. Might be better to create your own shelter with some dry rock rubble

 

[2Sunny]

Don't hesitate to use Fiji Pink. It's the sand I use in my display. I recently set up a nano, and I went old school with Carib Sea Oolitic which is even finer than Fiji Pink, and I couldn't be happier. Also it took a while, but I have an absolute explosion of pods in my refugium, and I can tell some are making it to the display as I can see my Cardinal and Clowns chasing and eating something during the day on occasion. My only advice is to go heavy on real live rock so the pods have plenty of hiding spaces to keep away from the mandarin. I don't have a mandarin, but I have had a Dragonface Pipe Fish in my main display for about a year. He doesn't eat frozen food or pellets at all, but he seems well fed and is constantly hunting mostly on the open sand. In my main display I can't see the pods, but in my fuge I see that they absolutely blanket the sand. Also, I highly agree with your choice of Algae Barn as the source with which to start. They have fantastic stuff and make it super easy to establish a pod population if you follow their instructions. For the first few months you might even consider weekly buys of 1 jar of pods, just to be sure.

Can't wait to see the progress

 

[ahiggins]

Mandarins are hard and take tons of extra care. I still won’t attempt one. The space requirement isn’t the limiting factor with them-it’s food source availability. Unless you can get it to eat frozen, you’ll constantly have to add pods to the tank.

 

[AZReef13]

I have IM 40 set up for 3 years. I've had my captive breed mandrain in my tank for 2.5 years. I tried the refug idea in on chamber, with no luck. Now I order pods monthly, from Algae barn. I also feed PE Brine, (my understanding Biota, use this when raising thier young), If I had more room from wall to tank I would add a CPR type hang on back Refug.

My Mandrain enjoys swim against the current on my Nero 5.

if planning pair do at same time. ( tried adding male, she wasn't having it so he didn't last very long, Bad gamble) Your size tank look at the Captive breed,

Good Luck

 

[najer]

Good luck, get live phyto as it will feed the pods and your whole tank will love you for it!
Following, love my two, females in different tanks and different flavours!

 

[ashiWaza]

Mandarins are hard and take tons of extra care. I still won’t attempt one. The space requirement isn’t the limiting factor with them-it’s food source availability. Unless you can get it to eat frozen, you’ll constantly have to add pods to the tank.

Agreed, and I noted above that research states a 30 gallon tank is a good minimum, although people have experienced feeding problems with up to a 90 gallon tank. I should also note that I plan to add the copepods immediately after cycling, and then waiting a couple months before adding the mandarin. The mandarin will probably end up being the fish in the tank as well, so I'm hoping not having another predator of the pods will help (still in process of determining CUC, I need to research the various effects they can have on copepod populations. Not sure if emerald crabs, etc. would eat them.)

 

[ashiWaza]

Good luck, get live phyto as it will feed the pods and your whole tank will love you for it!
Following, love my two, females in different tanks and different flavours!

Any general information you'd like to give me about your setups? The fish are in separate tanks? I debated trying to go with a pair as the only fish in my tank, but I'm worried they would decimate the pods. What size tanks are you running? How mature were they before adding mandarins?

 

[ashiWaza]

Don't hesitate to use Fiji Pink. It's the sand I use in my display. I recently set up a nano, and I went old school with Carib Sea Oolitic which is even finer than Fiji Pink, and I couldn't be happier. Also it took a while, but I have an absolute explosion of pods in my refugium, and I can tell some are making it to the display as I can see my Cardinal and Clowns chasing and eating something during the day on occasion. My only advice is to go heavy on real live rock so the pods have plenty of hiding spaces to keep away from the mandarin. I don't have a mandarin, but I have had a Dragonface Pipe Fish in my main display for about a year. He doesn't eat frozen food or pellets at all, but he seems well fed and is constantly hunting mostly on the open sand. In my main display I can't see the pods, but in my fuge I see that they absolutely blanket the sand. Also, I highly agree with your choice of Algae Barn as the source with which to start. They have fantastic stuff and make it super easy to establish a pod population if you follow their instructions. For the first few months you might even consider weekly buys of 1 jar of pods, just to be sure.

Can't wait to see the progress

Beautiful tank. I did order the Fiji Pink, should be here on Thursday. While I did read a few online stories of Fiji pink blowing around, my main hesitation came from two RL friends who recommended against it. However they have a 90 and a 73 gallon tank, with high flow and SPS. I think with the lower flow rate the mandarin likes anyway, that the Fiji Pink will do just fine. I like how the sand and the "open-ness" of your tank look.

 

[Phil D.]

I had a Mandarin for 5 years that I got from my LFS, who trains them to eat frozen, Unfortunately 4 months ago he jumped out of my Red Sea E-260, (still trying to figure that one out). I purchased a new mandarin from Live Aquaria and he arrived a day later, (decent sized too! 2.5"). So as of today he is very happy and healthy, roaming the tank looking for pods, and when I feed, (fish eggs, brine, mysis and rotifers), he immediately starts snapping up the brine and rotifers. Sometimes he eats the fish eggs.

 

[najer]

I have a 125 ish G and a 13.5 G.
(Watch people kick off about the smaller tank size!)
I rescued one of five spotted mandarins from a shop, she was the only one still pecking so I left the other four as I tried rescuing non active ones before but never found a trigger food.
I had two tanks leak in a few months so I got the Evo 13.5 as it was almost the same volume as the two that leaked, it has all that remains off my 10 year old original sandbed and lots of old rock in it.
Pods live in the sand as well and eat live phyto amongst other things.
Leave your glass for a day or two extra between cleans, pods love glass film algae.
The fancy girl in the big tank probably needs to go on a diet, my tanks are a lot grubby compared to most tanks so no chance of that.
A healthy mandarin will peck between 5 and 10 times a minute, each peck = a pod, do the maths, getting one to take offered foods helps but their instinct is to graze all day.

People jumped on my case about this pic recently, check the fat across her back, she does still look sunken below the line, whatever, if she can store fat then that is good and she has grown a bit