Mandarins

[Astinus]

Shar and I have been doing a lot of research, actually I have.

I have read thru the 2 posts regarding these beautiful Fish.

I made sure that Shar was totally informed about them. Especially their special dietary needs.

Since we 1st set up our Tank, back in February of this year, I saw 1 at our LFS and knew that we would love to have 1, some time down the road. So, after reading about Pods, I have been dosing Pods

about once a Month (Budget for us dictates when we can get stuff). Well, we do have a good pod population, I know that a Mandy can deplete them in short order. So, TBH, I plan on maintaining the Pod

dosing and will hopefully get a Mandy some time soon. Not in a Rush.

Last night, Shar and I were looking at Pictures of them. We like The Green and the Red Mandy.

I know that trying to keep 2 mandys will certainly be out of the realm of possibility.

I have seen Links to AlgaeBarn and Todd's Pods. Also, very recently posted here, the Poster mentioned

Apocyclop?? Pods. Sounds like they would be the ideal pod to have a sustainable Pod Population.

I may even consider an attempt at "Farming" them. Further Research on this is on my "To Do" list.

Just wanting to share what we may be adding to our Reef some time in the future.

I Certainly will post pics (in my Build thread) if/when we get 1.

Thank you for reading

[metrokat]

My fav fish but extremely hard to keep as you already know. Supplementing pods to keep a mandarin eating is going to be extremely expensive. Better to culture your own. There is a sticky on this forum on culturing Tisbe which is the food of choice for Mandarins.

Training them to eat frozen is also important. But that doesn't mean they won't hunt pods.

[Astinus]

My fav fish but extremely hard to keep as you already know. Supplementing pods to keep a mandarin eating is going to be extremely expensive. Better to culture your own. There is a sticky on this forum on culturing Tisbe which is the food of choice for Mandarins.

Training them to eat frozen is also important. But that doesn't mean they won't hunt pods.

EXACTLY! I have been seeding the tank with Tisbe. They are all over the Rocks and Sand.

I will certainly look for that Sticky regarding culturing.

TY for the heads up about that sticky floating somewhere in this Forum. Just another reason why I love this Forum!

All of the folks I have encountered have been very helpful!

TY again Kat

[Mariaface]

Don't forget to feed the ones you've seeded!

[NYfishies]

Hi there,

 

They are unbelievable fish and we adore them. Ours passed away a few months ago.

 

I am not saying what you are trying to do cannot be done, but your tank is too small. You are going to spend ~100 a nonh feeding 1 of them by dosing pods. They eat them by the thousands. I do not believe one can keep a Mandy for a lengthy period of time in this manner (we could not).

 

They need a rather large reef that is very mature and can regenerate its own pods naturally.

[Astinus]

Yep yep.

Just found a Good Thread about Clturing the Pods.

According to what I've read, They're Easy peezee.

2, 2 Litre soda bottles. Some quality fish flake or Pellet finely crushed, every 3-4 days.

Damn, this is looking like it could be a real Go of it.

Again, TY Kat for letting me know about the Pod Culture Thread. And TY Maria for the reminder to feed our existing

Pod Population. I do feed Flake to our Clown every 2 to 3 days.

Not to worry, I feed Meaty foods between. (Rod's Food)

[Astinus]

Hi there,

 

They are unbelievable fish and we adore them. Ours passed away a few months ago.

 

I am not saying what you are trying to do cannot be done, but your tank is too small. You are going to spend ~100 a nonh feeding 1 of them by dosing pods. They eat them by the thousands. I do not believe one can keep a Mandy for a lengthy period of time in this manner (we could not).

 

They need a rather large reef that is very mature and can regenerate its own pods naturally.

TY for sharing ur experience and, I am not trying to sound rude when I say this, But I do TY for the "Constructive Criticism".

I do take these statements to heart, as I know U mean well. Not only are u looking out for the Fish, but u are also looking out for our "Wallet".

Again, TY!

[lkoechle]

I would definitely train them. I had mone in an 85 gallon and they still needed to be trained on frozen and have pods as "supplement". I had both greens and targets. I found my targets to be easier to train and more eager to eat. And watch them eat in the store, if they dont eat, dont get them. A healthy mandarin will pick at almost anything IMO. They dont exclusively eat pods in the wild, they eat eggs small shrimp, fish bits, anything that fits in their mouth like any other fish. So one in the store should be willing to at least pick at whatever if offered.

[Muraki]

If you attempt a Mandarin.

Mix frozen foods such as black worms and blood worms with live foods (Brine and pods) Target feed the mixture to get them interested in the frozen food. Eventually as time goes on you can introduce more frozen foods. I searched up training guides on the forum search a while back before I got my mandarin, I followed this thread: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/256327-the-many-methods-of-training-dragonets/My mandarin will not say no to frozen foods anymore. I bought him slightly skinny, now he is as plump as my other fish.

 

My tank is a 22L with a 50 gallon sump/fuge. So far the pod population in my display remains constant, but I do leave a ball of the thicker wire like chaeto in the back of the display along with a handful of LR chunks, which my mandarin loves sticking around to hunt during the day. I have a large population of live Mysis that has remained constant in both my display and Sump.

Note: (Thinner chaeto tends to get everywhere)

 

 

Sadly for me, I am much better with fish than coral. Looking at your build thread makes me a little jealous with how your corals are looking. Keep up the good work!

 

****Not saying do or don't get a mandarin, just sharing my experience as of the last 4 months of owning one. ****

[Astinus]

If you attempt a Mandarin.

Mix frozen foods such as black worms and blood worms with live foods (Brine and pods) Target feed the mixture to get them interested in the frozen food. Eventually as time goes on you can introduce more frozen foods. I searched up training guides on the forum search a while back before I got my mandarin, I followed this thread: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/256327-the-many-methods-of-training-dragonets/My mandarin will not say no to frozen foods anymore. I bought him slightly skinny, now he is as plump as my other fish.

 

My tank is a 22L with a 50 gallon sump/fuge. So far the pod population in my display remains constant, but I do leave a ball of the thicker wire like chaeto in the back of the display along with a handful of LR chunks, which my mandarin loves sticking around to hunt during the day. I have a large population of live Mysis that has remained constant in both my display and Sump.

Note: (Thinner chaeto tends to get everywhere)

 

 

Sadly for me, I am much better with fish than coral. Looking at your build thread makes me a little jealous with how your corals are looking. Keep up the good work!

 

****Not saying do or don't get a mandarin, just sharing my experience as of the last 4 months of owning one. ****

TYVM for the Compliment

I have seen that thread regarding training Dragonets.

I certainly do plan on trying, if we do decide to get 1. But, as NYFishes has said above, and has me concerned.

"They need a rather large reef that is very mature and can regenerate its own pods naturally"

I know that I am seeing Pods in our Tank, constantly. And they all vary in size. I am not sure if that is because of

Ages or a mix of different species of Pods. I have been dosing Tisbe Pods mostly, but last month I purchased a bottle of Tigger Pods, I think. My Memory sux and can't remember I am, however, fairly certain that what we have are reproducing.

Back to other food items, I have read a lot of good things about Black Worms. I certainly do want to give them a try.

Our FW tank will enjoy them as well.

[Mariaface]

Tisbe is preferred, but other kinds won't be detrimental. The problem is that even if you see a lot of pods, you don't have any guarantee that they'll reproduce faster than the mandarin can eat them. They have to grow up to maturity in order to reproduce, and the mandarin can easily get through thousands in a day - it's going to be constantly pecking.

 

If you train it to eat frozen, then you can feed that as a staple and let it snack on pods. Any shortage in population won't be too bad because the mandarin will still be eating something, and then you can replenish the population as needed.

[Astinus]

Tisbe is preferred, but other kinds won't be detrimental. The problem is that even if you see a lot of pods, you don't have any guarantee that they'll reproduce faster than the mandarin can eat them. They have to grow up to maturity in order to reproduce, and the mandarin can easily get through thousands in a day - it's going to be constantly pecking.

 

If you train it to eat frozen, then you can feed that as a staple and let it snack on pods. Any shortage in population won't be too bad because the mandarin will still be eating something, and then you can replenish the population as needed.

Indeed. This is the Plan IF we can do it. I will share this Thread with Shar when she wakes from her nap

So far, imo, every reply to this thread has been very helpful. To the point of bringing my head, at least, out of the clouds.

I'd still like to try and see about making a Successful Pod farm

Once I can sustain a Reproducing Farm, I may re-visit this idea of a Mandy.

I am not closing the door on the idea. Still would like to get 1, eventually.

[Muraki]

Glad you are doing your research and planning before you have the fish : )

Only reason I go through the work to keep one is because my wife fell in love with them, otherwise I would have stuck with what I had.

Best wishes on your future endeavors

[Pancetta]

My LFS sells Mandarins already trained to eat frozen bloodworms. I will ask them how they do it.

I had one and it was very easy to care for. One of my favorite fish.Unfortunately we had a cold snap one winter night and he died.

[Astinus]

Yes indeed. How can ya NOT enjoy such a Psychedelic Fish?

As I told Shar. "Mother Nature must have dropped some acid the day that Fish Came into being" lol!

Shar too has fallen in love with them.

And I always try to Research about anything I'd like to go into our Tank.

Need to know everything about the Livestock I/we add.

Whether it is Coral or it is Fish. Gotta know what will help ur specimens Thrive.

My LFS sells Mandarins already trained to eat frozen bloodworms. I will ask them how they do it.

I had one and it was very easy to care for. One of my favorite fish.Unfortunately we had a cold snap one winter night and he died.

Damn! That sucks

Sorry to hear that ya lost it due to Cold Night

That would have torn me up for sure!

[Pancetta]

Yea, my favorite fish. The other two (Pigmy Angel and Starry Blennie) were fine.

 

I think the Mandarin might have been more susceptible to cold because of its skin? I am going to buy another one once my new tank

is stable.

[ReefWeeds]

I think it's good that you're waiting to see what you want to do. With an all-in-one tank, there won't be a good area for pods to establish themselves and reproduce - sumped tanks make this easier as you can turn one of the chambers into a refugium. Not saying it can't be done, but given the fact that it is rare to see anyone that has had a mandarin in their tank for more than a year or two, it is very telling as to the difficulty of meeting their needs in a home aquarium. I also was set on a mandarin as was Jeff until I continued to research and realized the chances of me being able to keep up with their demand for pods and food - and the ability to train them on frozen - made me realize it wasn't worth it. So I admire them from afar and freely admit my tank isn't equipped to meet their needs.

[Astinus]

Damn Stella. That speaks volumes to me.

I know, or pretty much know ur set up. A 66 G with a Fuge/Sump.

I know folks have replied to this thread and it is very appreciated and respected.

I know that everyone means well too.

I hate to admit that this may only just be a dream for us, Short term.

Just took a "Realistic" look at our "Reef". With "Fresh eyes", I have concluded that our Reef and Aquarium is indeed to small.

*Sigh* Oh Well, maybe I'll look into the Blue Hippo Tang instead! lol! J/K

There are plenty of other Fish that would be more appropriate.

1 of which would be a Purple Firefish.

[ReefWeeds]

Damn Stella. That speaks volumes to me.

I know, or pretty much know ur set up. A 66 G with a Fuge/Sump.

I know folks have replied to this thread and it is very appreciated and respected.

I know that everyone means well too.

I hate to admit that this may only just be a dream for us, Short term.

Just took a "Realistic" look at our "Reef". With "Fresh eyes", I have concluded that our Reef and Aquarium is indeed to small.

*Sigh* Oh Well, maybe I'll look into the Blue Hippo Tang instead! lol! J/K

There are plenty of other Fish that would be more appropriate.

1 of which would be a Purple Firefish.

Lol to the blue hippo tang! Well if you can find one already trained on frozen that's nice and plump, it would for sure improve your chances. I had a crapload of pods in my tank and the two wrasses I added wiped out the entire population in the DT in less than a week. Along with the rust flatworms - and most of my small snails! So fish can eat a lot. Luckily they both eat frozen too otherwise I would not be able to keep up, that's for sure. I wasn't trying to squash your dreams at all.

[Astinus]

When I am at our trusted LFS next time. Most likely next Thursday, I will ask Brandy, shop owner, if she could get a Captive bred

Mandy and is eating frozen. I know that is a stretch, but, can't hurt to ask. If so, maybe we will get it. Otherwise, nope.

TY Stella

[ReefWeeds]

When I am at our trusted LFS next time. Most likely next Thursday, I will ask Brandy, shop owner, if she could get a Captive bred

Mandy and is eating frozen. I know that is a stretch, but, can't hurt to ask. If so, maybe we will get it. Otherwise, nope.

TY Stella

Make sure you have them show you it is eating frozen. Many will say they are but they actually aren't.

[Astinus]

Absolutely! Brandy is great about showing us a fish eating.

In fact, Brandy offers to show us before we even ask

The LFS has been in business for 17+ years. I would say they know what they are doing.

All the tanks look good, not great, I only wish they had a little better selection of Corals and Fish. They do have a Small FW area, but those certainly are not what you would find in a "Chain" Store. We have seen a place that Shar & I both have said "They won't be around long"

Nasty Tanks and even worse looking corals.

So, long story, longer. Shar & I do trust The LFS that we do 99.9% of our business with.

[Newstead]

I had hoped to have a mandarin in my sumped 75 gal when the tank matured, but in March stumbled on a target mandarin actively eating mysis when I was getting a ywg at my LFS and asked to see it fed. There were 3 targets in the tank with the ywg and one chased the frozen mysis, so he came home with the ywg.

 

I was scared I wouldn't be able to keep up with him in the 75, which was only set up in Feb, so he went into the biocube 29. I feed him 2x day religously, small Hikari frozen mysis or LRS Reef Frenzy which I chop even smaller for him. Jimi sees the coral feeder tube and actually pecks at it if I don't feed him fast enough. I also add pods once or twice a month just so he can have fun hunting them. I do see a few pods on the glass daily, but the bulk of his food is probably the frozen. I soak one feeding a day in Selcon.

 

He has gained weight here and is a plump guy, but sadly, a few weeks after I got him I saw the other two at the LFS and they were skin and bones, even though the employees were trying to train them to eat. They were gone a month later :-(.I was just lucky to find one that is a piglet. It is amazing to watch him suck in a whole small mysis. He eats probably 10 to 12 twice a day or the equivalent, plus the pods he may find. When I got him you could just see the point of his ribs down his sides, now he is plump and rounded all the way to his tail.

 

My advice would be to keep searching until you find one that will actually eat in front of you at a LFS. I have read that sometimes even ones trained to eat will stop after the stress of shipping, but have no experience with that myself. Glad you are being so responsible about thinking of one!

Pic of Jimi today hunting..

.

 

I think he may also eat newly hatched nano conchs - mine lay eggs on the glass every few weeks, the eggs grow and then disappear.

[NYfishies]

Look into a Helfrichi Firefish as well as the Purple. They are gorgeous. Other friendly beautiful nano fish are Pink-Streak Wrasses, many different gobies paired with shrump with Yellow Watchman Gobies and Yasha Gobies being my personal favorite, ORA Whitespotted Pygmy Filefish just to name a fish.

[Astinus]

TY Newstead for sharing ur experience with ur Target Mandy, Jimi". Glad to hear that u are having success so far.

Also TY for the compliment to me regarding my due diligence in trying to research and making sure I am making an educated

purchase, if it happens.