Hi! I have a 45g cube reef tank and I am interested in getting a mandarin in the near future but am worried about it’s feeding habits. The tank is coming up on a year old. Any tips for keeping mandarins? Would I need to continuously add pods or would my tank be self sufficient?
Tips on keeping a Mandarin?
- Thread starter gizzo12
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12gallonsofhex
Valuable Member
There are some captive bred Mandarins that are more expensive, but are used to living in aquariums and eating standard foods. I had good luck setting up a white worm culture to initially feed my wild Mandarin and training it to eat TDO pellets and frozen food.
Dark_Knightt
Valuable Member
I acc just received my ORA mandarin slightly over a week ago, and she is great. They dont lie when they say they are one inch. She is only slightly bigger than my thumbnail! I was at first afraid of her starving, because everyone told me it couldnt be done, but its working out great. The best news was when I first decided to feed her tiny bits of frozen brine, and she ate it! I was so happy, because i knew now that she wouldnt only have to eat pods! Plus this makes it so much easier. I put her in a breeding box because my clowns could tear her in half, my torch coral and nem could easily eat her. The box is absolutely stocked with pods though! I dose everyday just to be sure, and theyre always in there.
For your tank, even though it is a 45g, I would suggest getting an ORA mandarin: they are more expensive, small, but worth every penny. I would suggest you add some pods, maybe wait about 2 weeks, then order an ORA mandarin, with like 4 bottles of pods and some phyto. Give the mando a few days before you try feeding it frozen though. If the mando is very small, get a breeding box like i did. YOu can add small squirts of the pods daily, and you can just either put pods in a fuge if you have one, or just leave the bottle caps open so they can get oxygen, and leave em in the bottle. Once the mando is big enough, put her in the tank.
Best of luck to you, great choice, mandos are beautiful.
For your tank, even though it is a 45g, I would suggest getting an ORA mandarin: they are more expensive, small, but worth every penny. I would suggest you add some pods, maybe wait about 2 weeks, then order an ORA mandarin, with like 4 bottles of pods and some phyto. Give the mando a few days before you try feeding it frozen though. If the mando is very small, get a breeding box like i did. YOu can add small squirts of the pods daily, and you can just either put pods in a fuge if you have one, or just leave the bottle caps open so they can get oxygen, and leave em in the bottle. Once the mando is big enough, put her in the tank.
Best of luck to you, great choice, mandos are beautiful.
jazzfisher
Well-Known Member
Biota also has great captive bred mandarins too. They are raised on pellets & frozen & live food so they also will eat "normal" food Like the ORA mandarins. Check out this thread:
Mine is great!
Mine is great!
xxkenny90xx
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Is your tank full of pods? Yes there are options out there for tank raised dragonettes that eat frozen food but that can only be a small part of its diet. It will still need to graze on pods ALL DAY.....
a diy baby brine shrimp feeder is also a great supplement for them
a diy baby brine shrimp feeder is also a great supplement for them
Thanks everyone! I never have seen pods but I also never have looked. If I end up not going with a captive bred one, should I seed my tank with pods before hand and also during or will it be able to maintain a population?
Tankkeepers
Valuable Member
It will not be able to maintain a large enoff population to keep one alive you should do as others have suggested and get a captive one trained on frozen look at it this way while initial cost is higher cost in long run is lower not haveing to buy or breed pods all the time and or losing it due to starvation and being out tje money with nothing to show
Tankkeepers
Valuable Member
Iv seen them starve in much larger tanks then yours with a much larger pod population as in 1000s on the glass alone it may be ok for a few months but without you adding more on a regular basis it will eventually run out and starve
Tankkeepers
Valuable Member
And if youve never seen pods then you definatly dont have enoff for one as there should be so many you can not look into the tank without seeing them
