lgreen's Mandarin FAQ

[animalmaster6]

Hey lgreen,

This is a great guide! I am using it for when I get a Psychedelic mandarin in my 125 G tank.

 

 

Two notes:

1. The Psychedelic Mandarin is not the Green Mandarin. See this:

http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp...mp;SortBy=Price

and

http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp...ory=Fish:Gobies

They say they are different.

2. Their is a dragonet called a Flathead Dragonet. I know nothing about them but I know they exist.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemD...&ddid=73239

 

 

Will you update this? Or is this guide just for mandarins and Scooters?

[WordUpFishy]

oh k that answers a lot of ?'s.

but i thought mandarins are a type of goby.

maybe you noted that ans i just didn't catch that.

so whatever, the article still helped

[Nemo Niblets]

Hey lgreen,

This is a great guide! I am using it for when I get a Psychedelic mandarin in my 125 G tank.

 

 

Two notes:

1. The Psychedelic Mandarin is not the Green Mandarin. See this:

http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp...mp;SortBy=Price

and

http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp...ory=Fish:Gobies

They say they are different.

2. Their is a dragonet called a Flathead Dragonet. I know nothing about them but I know they exist.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemD...&ddid=73239

 

 

Will you update this? Or is this guide just for mandarins and Scooters?

 

Actually, the psychedelic mandarin comes in two colors, green and red. The psychedelic you are talking about is actually a target mandarin.

 

That is just a name given to them though, and *most* people refer to them like that ^.

[JohnnyFlash]

Your blue spotted jawfish is crazy awesome. I really think I need one !!

[jarred1]

I have had mine in my 30g for 5 months now it it looks great, I got REAL LUCKY because after it ate all the pods it began to eat prepared foods without me training him. It will eat mysis shrimp sinking pellets and brine shrimp. I bought it when i knew nothing about salt water and knew nothing about this website. Also I dont know if anyone has said this yet but the most important part of keeping one alive is getting one that is healthy.

[wesley42079]

This is great article. I recently saw a mandarin goby @ King Aquarium in San Jose, and I told myself that I would buy one as soon as my nano is stable. Now, I'm kind of thinking twice. I will need to get the "pods" to colonize at a very fast rate before I will consider purchasing the mandarin.

 

Great picture

[lakshwadeep]

You may want to think thrice. It's much easier to get a mandarin that is trained on to non-live foods than relying only on pods, especially for a nano tank. Training your own mandarin can be difficult for a beginner.

[kdog420000]

Will a Mandarin be ok to add as a last fish in my tank? I really would love to get one but waiting till I have more experience with SW I think is a must! I have a 29G BioCub. I think I have a little bit of a head start in this hobby... I have had Poison Dart frogs and other reptiles n amphibs my whole life. They require lots of attention too. Not to say its all the same but... yeah

[sanchez]

I have had mine in my 30g for 5 months now it it looks great, I got REAL LUCKY because after it ate all the pods it began to eat prepared foods without me training him. It will eat mysis shrimp sinking pellets and brine shrimp. I bought it when i knew nothing about salt water and knew nothing about this website. Also I dont know if anyone has said this yet but the most important part of keeping one alive is getting one that is healthy.

 

Just wondering, what types of sinking pellets do you feed?

[TahoeReefer]

I haven't posted in a while, but just wanted to say my Mandarin has been alive and well for over a year and a half now. Primarily on frozen Brine...occasional frozen Mysis. He likes big chunks of food.

 

He also started eating these: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/prod...fm?pcatid=18498

 

Nano Reef Fish Food by Ocean Nutrition

 

I feed these to my Clownfish...they sink to the bottom and my Mandarin eats 'em right up. Took him a few months before he started eating them, but he seems to like them real good now! So does my Peppermint Shrimp.

 

PLEASE NO 10 GALLONS FOR MANDARINS. I feel bad with my 24.

[Gigaah]

I haven't posted in a while, but just wanted to say my Mandarin has been alive and well for over a year and a half now. Primarily on frozen Brine...occasional frozen Mysis. He likes big chunks of food.

 

He also started eating these: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/prod...fm?pcatid=18498

 

Nano Reef Fish Food by Ocean Nutrition

 

I feed these to my Clownfish...they sink to the bottom and my Mandarin eats 'em right up. Took him a few months before he started eating them, but he seems to like them real good now! So does my Peppermint Shrimp.

 

PLEASE NO 10 GALLONS FOR MANDARINS. I feel bad with my 24.

 

I have two mandarins. A spotted and a green(male spotted female green). The spotted is a fat little boy. he'll eat most meaty frozen food as long as its small enough has come to a complete rest at the bottom of the tank his favorite is bloodworm and mysis. The Green I've only had for a month. So far she only eat pods. She has gained size and is healthy. I also have a scooter blenny he eats what ever food and pods as well. keep in mind this in a 55g.

[lakshwadeep]

Here's a good link on the gut analysis of wild Synchiropus ocellatus, with percent based listings of different prey items:

http://www.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/publish_db/Bul...25/no25003.html

[smilodon]

My mandarin is in my tank for 5 months now, and it didn't eat anything except live BS, and then slowly accept frozen blood worm, and then accept pallets.I think is the time to choose a female mandarin now.

And I remember famales have a short dorsal fin, but seems not entirely true.

My mandarin had a short dorsal fin before, but after it got fat up, it has a longer dorsal fin now. So how ot recognize the female except dorsal fin difference.

 

Here is the video and pics.

 

here is the mandarin 4 months ago and its dorsal fin is short,

but now it becomes long dorsal fin.

[Cosmoreef]

Hi i have a mandirin all i have to do in my nano is take a breeding trap for guppies put it floating in the tank in a high flow spot and put chateo and a small small piece of live rock and your mandinien will have a well supplie. cause the copapods get a good sive then crawl out and well get eatin good luck and ive had one with success for up too 13 months

[spacemonk]

smilodon, which NLS pellet formula does your mandarin accepts? Do you always feed it like that (pouring food close to it's hideout)? thanks!

[Gigaah]

Forumula one they've been known to accept because they are very tiny

[spacemonk]

Gigaah, thx! I guess I will just wait for the ORA's mandarin which just goes on sale (http://reefbuilders.com/2010/07/05/captive-raised-spotted-mandarin/).

[rex'sreef]

thank you so much for this thread! I am purchasing a green mandarin as soon as my refugium is up and running for my reef tank!

[jfarabaugh]

smilodon, which NLS pellet formula does your mandarin accepts? Do you always feed it like that (pouring food close to it's hideout)? thanks!

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=244893&hl=

[Pen3]

I got my brothers Mandarin onto Otohime in one week and two weeks for mine. When i feed my fishes it just comes out and finds them on the sand and even up in front. I mix the Otohime S2 with Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-C, AminoOmega, and NatuRose..

Edited November 3, 2010 by Pen3

[saralear]

Hi there!

 

I just acquired a Green Spotted Mandarin, I have a 125 Gallon set up for 1.5 years with about 300 lbs of LR and what I would consider a lightly stocked system (details are in my tank thread in my signature).

 

The mandarin is 2 years old and very healthy, I would like to think I have enough pods in my system, but would definitely like to supplement his diet with frozen food, however I would like to echo the sentiments of other reefers... If I wasn't going to use the "jar method" how can I "spot feed" the mandarin without my other fish going after him and his food, any ideas?

[awcamp]

I saw this posting on another site and just thought I would add it here to help spread the knowledge about these little guys. Good luck to all...

 

Training Mandarins to eat frozen food

 

here is the manual address http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1217

[saralear]

I saw this posting on another site and just thought I would add it here to help spread the knowledge about these little guys. Good luck to all...

 

Training Mandarins to eat frozen food

 

here is the manual address http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1217

 

Thanks!

[lehaneya]

i got a green mandarin about a week ago for my 10g nano. The fish store did not inform me of there eating habits. When i went back they told me they have been feeding them frozen cyclopes mixed with frozen mysys. A week later he is finally eating and has become more active swiming around the bottom as oppose to hiding all the time(he still hides but at least he comes out every once in a while.) Hopefully i will have luck with him from here on.

[lessergeneration]

im on month 7 with my mandarin in my 29g biocube. she eats brine, bloodworms, arctipods, and cyclops.