MY HUSBAND GAVE ME CRABS! (12g jbj nc dx)

[Youngrvt]

Went to the fish store in Lancaster, OH today. Little mom and pop place. They had a little emaciated spotted mandarin fish. He is so thin I thought he would die. They had him in a tank probably only 1/2 gallon, with no gravel or sand or rocks. Only micro algae in the tank with him. He had been their for probably a month or more. I had them offer him food in the pet store and he did not eat. Everyone is probably going to post bad things about me, but I bought him. I have owned a mandarin before in my 90 gallon tall for aprox 2 years. I sold him with the tank. I know he should have a 30 gallon tank or larger. He would have died where he was anyways so I will take my chances. I have quite a large amount of pods and flat worms for him for a little while. I will have to start buying pods for him soon though. I hope he survives. I just put him in the tank and he isn't moving, just breathing. So all of you out their go easy on me. I will do my best to take care of the little guy, looking up more info on him now on training.

[Youngrvt]

Update on my little guy. It has been only 10 minutes and he is eating already. Tiny stuff from the bottom of the tank. Can't tell but probably copepods. I'll post a pic of the thin guy soon.

[Lodie]

Good luck with the mandarin! I hope you can get him healthy again.

[Youngrvt]

pleased to say, the mandarin little guy is eating pods well. I have tried putting a plastic toothpick holder in the tank for him to eat out of and have tried feeding with a dropper. I have tried feeding new life spectrum small fish pellets. he has not ate it yet. The clowns, shrimp, and snails do go in the toothpick holder to eat. He does still appear to be eating pods. He is still very skinny but picking at things to eat all the time. I've been trying to learn about breeding copepods, where to purchase them at a reasonable price, what type to get, and how to do this. If anyone has any suggestions it would be appreciated. The other mandarin I had was much easier, he ate right away. Guess I was just luck the first time.

I am debating on more upgrades for later. Possibilities are a third ecoxotic panarama pro light either the blue, or blue/12k, or rgb? cant decide. Other upgrades I would like eventually would be a jbj light for the back area of my tank to grow cheato. Controler, unsure of type a lot of people seem to have the reefkeeper lite so perhaps this one. More corals with out question. Possibilities are duncan, ricordea Florida, mushrooms, birds nest, zoo, sponge. I would like things that are more blue, purple and green colors.

[eitallent]

pleased to say, the mandarin little guy is eating pods well. I have tried putting a plastic toothpick holder in the tank for him to eat out of and have tried feeding with a dropper. I have tried feeding new life spectrum small fish pellets. he has not ate it yet. The clowns, shrimp, and snails do go in the toothpick holder to eat. He does still appear to be eating pods. He is still very skinny but picking at things to eat all the time. I've been trying to learn about breeding copepods, where to purchase them at a reasonable price, what type to get, and how to do this. If anyone has any suggestions it would be appreciated. The other mandarin I had was much easier, he ate right away. Guess I was just luck the first time.

I am debating on more upgrades for later. Possibilities are a third ecoxotic panarama pro light either the blue, or blue/12k, or rgb? cant decide. Other upgrades I would like eventually would be a jbj light for the back area of my tank to grow cheato. Controler, unsure of type a lot of people seem to have the reefkeeper lite so perhaps this one. More corals with out question. Possibilities are duncan, ricordea Florida, mushrooms, birds nest, zoo, sponge. I would like things that are more blue, purple and green colors.

 

I hope your mandarin gets fatter. Here is a post by Paul Baldassano on Albert Theil's thread on a DIY baby brine shrimp feeder that Mr. Baldassano uses to keep his mandarins in breeding condition:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/305180-the-official-ask-albert-thiel-thread/?p=4063762

 

Good luck!!!

[FlCandy]

I love seeing these little tanks! Same model as mi nano!

 

Looks awesome!

[gena]

Good luck with the mandarin!!!!! I know they say you shouldn't buy them from the store because you feel sorry for them..."they will die there anyways". But...it's not the mandarins fault that he was put in that situation, so why make him suffer if you have the know-how to care for them? I think it's great that you want to save him. At least you have previous experience with that type of fish. I've never personally owned one but would like to one day.

[Youngrvt]

I hope your mandarin gets fatter. Here is a post by Paul Baldassano on Albert Theil's thread on a DIY baby brine shrimp feeder that Mr. Baldassano uses to keep his mandarins in breeding condition:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/305180-the-official-ask-albert-thiel-thread/?p=4063762

 

Good luck!!!

Thanks for the site! Not sure exactly how to make it but gives me more ideas. I also found some containers sold to put the baby brine shrimp or pods in so that the can escape slowly throughout the day in the tank to be eaten. Still debating on the next thing to do but I better decide fast before she runs out of pods.

 

I love seeing these little tanks! Same model as mi nano!

 

Looks awesome!

Thanks. I do too, it is cool to see what others have done with the same tank and what works well for them. It always give me great ideas.

 

Good luck with the mandarin!!!!! I know they say you shouldn't buy them from the store because you feel sorry for them..."they will die there anyways". But...it's not the mandarins fault that he was put in that situation, so why make him suffer if you have the know-how to care for them? I think it's great that you want to save him. At least you have previous experience with that type of fish. I've never personally owned one but would like to one day.

I could certainly use the luck! Perhaps I shouldn't have bought the little girl, my tank certainly isn't the appropriate size for her, and she is so far gone I'm not sure I could save her with all the pods from an ocean. I did have good intentions and I have had one before and researched quite a bit on them. She is still eating though.

I was so looking at how emaciated she was when I got her that I apparently didn't notice that she also had a fin missing. Not sure if it is a disease or eaten by another fish before I got her? More research in my future. :/ I was told that if she died I could return her if with in this month. Perhaps they would take her back still alive? I have my doubts that they would take her back alive. If I did return her I'm quite sure she would die then. Which is what I was trying to prevent in the first place. I have pics from the day I got her and noticed it was missing then too. I would hate to get my clowns sick too. Should have quarantined her! ahhh sigh.

[Youngrvt]

Tooth pick holder used as a feeding bowl.

 

Flat worms siphoned out. I hate these things!

 

my siphon was iv tubing and a gallon bucket.

 

 

Female emaciated spotted mandarin missing left front fin.

 

 

[Youngrvt]

Haven't posted much. I'm a busy mom of 2 kids. One is 4 months old and the other is 6 yr old. Also a wife and everyone has had a cold lately. update: Mandarin is still skinny. Possibly a little less skinny. But doing great.

Purchased a 3 hole frag holder for only $6.00. and love it. It is small and clear so not an eye sore.

Their is so much I want to buy for my tank. It is just finding the money now. and I also want to do some SPS. just perhaps a birds nest or acropora. Only one or 2 pieces. Not sure If I will be any good at it since I'm so new to it but might try soon.

Not sure If I need another Panarama Pro light for it or if the two I have are enough? I also wouldn't know what color to get with the new one? RGB or Blue/White or Blue?

[Youngrvt]

Attempted fragging colt again. Attempt failed again. posted to get suggestions. They pretty much said to do what I've been doing. Toothpicks or rubber bands loose. Dang slippery breakable things won't attach for me.

 

I've got 3 more mushrooms for 5 dollars each. One has floated away and I can't find it. The other 2 are doing great.

 

Tested my water yesterday, siphoned out flatworms, cleaned glass, replaced pillow stuffing, and did a water change. My calcium is at 500 still before my water change. I was hoping the frogspawn would use some of it up but no luck. I might need a clam in the future. The ph 8.2 and sg=1.026 and other stuff at 0.

 

 

 

[fishfest10]

Nice looking tank and good luck with the mandarin! Looks like she's doing well.

 

I usually just pull off a piece of my tree coral when it's getting too big and stuff it in the crevice of a piece of rubble. I set it somewhere the flow is fairly indirect and out of the reach of my pistol shrimp that likes to decorate his cave with my coral frags. The frag attaches itself to the rock pretty quickly. Some people put the mushrooms in a shot glass with a piece of rubble until they attach. Hope that helps.

[ebiusmaximus]

Very Nice!

[Youngrvt]

Went and purchased some frags from LFS yesterday. I got 2 candy canes, a zoa, a poly, and a red glowing mushroom. The mushroom got loose and ran away. He hasn't been seen since. One of the candy canes have something the comes in and out of a whole in it. I can't figure out what it is? I will try to post a video. It is pretty cool looking, just hope it isn't something bad. I also found yesterday a baby mushroom that has appeared. As well as what I think I a glass bad anemone. The anemone won't last long here soon he will get juiced.

[Youngrvt]

Should have used the shot glass for the mushroom! Thanks for the tip!

[KSMART]

Nice tank! I like that shot glass Idea. what I've done for fragging mushrooms is I bought some fabric mesh from walmart and I put the mushroom on the rock and I put the mesh piece around it and glue it on the bottom of the rock and leave it like that for a week or so. the mushroom attaches to the rock and then you can take the mesh piece off and throw it away. the fabric is cheap and you dont need much.