Official Mandarin and Dragonet Show off thread

[metrokat]

I'm sorry that Sam isn't doing well... He seemed to have so much going for him on arrival.

 

So I should be encouraged, or still apprehensive about little-as-yet-unnamed mandarin? The rest of the fam's getting antsy about my trepidation, as she's been in the tank since early December.

She seems to be doing alright. Have you tried live black worms? That will fatten her up. Watch your water quality as they are a nutritionally dense food.

[metrokat]

Sam is doing marginally better. I've been target feeding him more and dumped a crap ton of amphipods in the tank a couple of days ago. I also shut off the mp10s and he seemed out and about a lot more.

[iceet]

Here is my mandarin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAvkCpzAGfU

[crazyfishgirl]

Well Ferdinand and I have been together for a little over a year now. He's doing really well. Fat happy camper:) I've left the back of the tank covered in (omg!) algae and that's where the pods live, he loves hunting in the algae. I'm sorry to say that my red girl Tangerine died a few months back. After I moved her to the bigger tank she did well for a while then suddenly stopped eating and became really shy, always hiding in the back behind the rocks. Ferdinand is eating a mix of Nutramar ova, cyclopeeze, bloodworms and mysis along with the pods. I'd take a picture, but haven't cleaned the glass yet today. Maybe tomorrow

[Archaic37]

Rubio. Got him last week and has been eating pods, Ova, and a home made food with squid, octopus, fish eggs, cyclopeeze, shrimp and clams.

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

 

https://flic.kr/p/m7ZXYh'>https://flic.kr/p/m7ZXYh'>Mandarin Eating Mysis by https://www.flickr.com/people/66620096@N02/'>J.L Photography, on Flickr

[JoeDigiorgio]

Rubio. Got him last week and has been eating pods, Ova, and a home made food with squid, octopus, fish eggs, cyclopeeze, shrimp and clams.

 

Where the eff did you get ova? Spill it!!!

[metrokat]

I have OVA, it's not a new shipment though. Whenever I get it, I get 3-4 packs.

[JoeDigiorgio]

Foster and Smith keep pushing back their expected arrival date on me ((

[metrokat]

There is a worldwide shortage of prawn eggs. Somebody started a new thread which had that info.

Seems to be a contamination or some such problem. Can't recall.

[Archaic37]

Where the eff did you get ova? Spill it!!!

I got it way back in January and haven't had to use it since my mandarin lasted about a week in my tank, despite eating ova and mysis.

[JoeDigiorgio]

Where did you last get yours Kat?

[gdc1118]

My guy Bogie is approaching his first anniversary with me, which has me wondering; how long have folks kept their Mandarins?

This marks the longest that I have kept a Mandarin, and I couldn't be more pleased. I hope it's a anniversary that gets celebrated for several more years to come.

[metrokat]

My guy Bogie is approaching his first anniversary with me, which has me wondering; how long have folks kept their Mandarins?

 

This marks the longest that I have kept a Mandarin, and I couldn't be more pleased. I hope it's a anniversary that gets celebrated for several more years to come.

 

 

wonderful news!

 

Draco lived with me for 1.5 years. He was a happy healthy fish that ate everything. He was fat and active. Then he just died.

 

Bella has been with me since April 2013

Sam has been with me since Oct 2013

[natalia_la_loca]

My guy Bogie is approaching his first anniversary with me, which has me wondering; how long have folks kept their Mandarins?

 

This marks the longest that I have kept a Mandarin, and I couldn't be more pleased. I hope it's a anniversary that gets celebrated for several more years to come.

 

My mandarin, Murat, has just passed I had him for nearly five years. He was fully grown when I bought him, so I have no idea how old he was.

 

I've seen reports from people online who have kept mandarins for eight years or more. They supposedly can live for up to 15 years in the wild.

[metrokat]

I'm sorry about Murat.

[Tamberav]

My guy Bogie is approaching his first anniversary with me, which has me wondering; how long have folks kept their Mandarins?

 

This marks the longest that I have kept a Mandarin, and I couldn't be more pleased. I hope it's a anniversary that gets celebrated for several more years to come.

 

 

 

My oldest is 2 years living the nano-tank life. I have another 1 year old and a 6 month old and two newbies. Mandarins that is

 

I should have written down the exact dates.

 

My mandarin, Murat, has just passed I had him for nearly five years. He was fully grown when I bought him, so I have no idea how old he was.

 

I've seen reports from people online who have kept mandarins for eight years or more. They supposedly can live for up to 15 years in the wild.

 

Sorry to hear It sounds like you did a great job with him. Five years is nothing to scoff at.

[BulkRate]

Wow, natalia_la_loca! Given the rate a mandarin grows I'd guess that it was at least 2-3 years old and if male probably a bit older than that. So 8-ish as the young side of the guestimate?

 

Wasn't it "common knowledge" up until recently that these fish that supposedly die within 6 months when kept in nano tanks? Impressive accomplishments in that this thread is predominantly composed of success rather than than sob stories, and is 43 pages long.

 

My own experience has been that the smaller tank and stocking restrictions ensure the fish gets enough food, provided you engineer the tank around its particular needs. Mine's coming up on month #7... as a testament to how cautious/pessimistic I've been she isn't even named yet. The family is pondering what it will be.

[natalia_la_loca]

Wow, natalia_la_loca! Given the rate a mandarin grows I'd guess that it was at least 2-3 years old and if male probably a bit older than that. So 8-ish as the young side of the guestimate?

 

Wasn't it "common knowledge" up until recently that these fish that supposedly die within 6 months when kept in nano tanks? Impressive accomplishments in that this thread is predominantly composed of success rather than than sob stories, and is 43 pages long.

 

My own experience has been that the smaller tank and stocking restrictions ensure the fish gets enough food, provided you engineer the tank around its particular needs. Mine's coming up on month #7... as a testament to how cautious/pessimistic I've been she isn't even named yet. The family is pondering what it will be.

 

Yup, 8-ish sounds like a good guess.

 

And yes, that was definitely the common knowledge, especially at the time I got him. The more I read, the more I feared I was condemning my Murat to an early grave. At first I thought I was just incredibly lucky in finding one willing to eat frozen, but I really think it has more to do with providing the right foods, eating conditions and tankmates.

[afyounie]

Here is my little scooter blenny. Calling him Koopa because he looks like a koopa trooper from Super Mario.

 

In this photo he isn't as colorful. Now the markings on his tail and top fin are becoming orangish red. The blue dots on his body are also far more brilliant. He eats mysis which I didn't think he would, but I lucked out. I actually was just going to get pods every other month or so but he loves mysis and apparently now Rod's Food. Fat little booger. I feed once a day and make sure to squirt food to him on the sand since the wrasse is a glutton. He also eats the amphipods that I got from getyourpods.com. Got the 1200 pack and they have colonized the sump and the DT. I get a couple that come into the DT every once in awhile. I thought the scooter dragonets were fairly peaceful, but I must have got the most obnoxious dragonet in existence. Mine likes to display at me aggressively, like in the picture, when I approach the tank then repeatedly attack the front glass. He can get pretty violent when hitting the glass. Does anyone else have a punk dragonet? Maybe this explains why the Arc-Eye hawkfish didn't bother him. Koopa could be on top of the hawkfish and the hawkfish wouldn't do a thing. Hawkfish has gone back to the LFS because he kept messing with my firefish.

[Tamberav]

Here is my little scooter blenny. Calling him Koopa because he looks like a koopa trooper from Super Mario.

 

 

In this photo he isn't as colorful. Now the markings on his tail and top fin are becoming orangish red. The blue dots on his body are also far more brilliant. He eats mysis which I didn't think he would, but I lucked out. I actually was just going to get pods every other month or so but he loves mysis and apparently now Rod's Food. Fat little booger. I feed once a day and make sure to squirt food to him on the sand since the wrasse is a glutton. He also eats the amphipods that I got from getyourpods.com. Got the 1200 pack and they have colonized the sump and the DT. I get a couple that come into the DT every once in awhile. I thought the scooter dragonets were fairly peaceful, but I must have got the most obnoxious dragonet in existence. Mine likes to display at me aggressively, like in the picture, when I approach the tank then repeatedly attack the front glass. He can get pretty violent when hitting the glass. Does anyone else have a punk dragonet? Maybe this explains why the Arc-Eye hawkfish didn't bother him. Koopa could be on top of the hawkfish and the hawkfish wouldn't do a thing. Hawkfish has gone back to the LFS because he kept messing with my firefish.

 

My green spotted male is very aggressive and will bully other fish. I have other ones that are peaceful.

[afyounie]

My green spotted male is very aggressive and will bully other fish. I have other ones that are peaceful.

Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one that has a fish with a napoleon complex. Kinda sucks because I would love to get a ruby red dragonet. Also, how fast do dragonets grow? I've realized that mine has grown a ton in the last month. Somewhere between a quarter and half inch.

[sirreal]

Here is mine hanging out with his buddy

sorry her buddy

[metrokat]

[Tamberav]

Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one that has a fish with a napoleon complex. Kinda sucks because I would love to get a ruby red dragonet. Also, how fast do dragonets grow? I've realized that mine has grown a ton in the last month. Somewhere between a quarter and half inch.

 

My small ones grew fairly quickly but the growth slows down as they get bigger. They won't ever get to Salmon's like the wild ones though.