Official Mandarin and Dragonet Show off thread

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

#BABYPROOF TULLE SCREEN TOP! #BAMMM

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/66620096@N02/12723113455/'>

https://www.flickr.com/photos/66620096@N02/12723113455/'>Untitled by https://www.flickr.com/people/66620096@N02/'>J.L Photography, on Flickr

[Simone]

I hope you guys won't hate me now but I currently have an 8 gallon, which I know is not fit for these fish long term but plan to get a larger tank, probably around 30 gallons with a fuge, very soon. I have read the Matt Pedersen article and used his technique in training Olive onto frozen. I can't remember if it was Matt Pedersen or Matt Wittenrich who said in an article that they knew someone with a spawning pair in a 10 gallon, but that combined with the fact that Pedersen kept 3 pairs in a 24 gallon made me feel like it would be ok to have two juveniles in the 8 gallon temporarily.

 

I keep LPS, softies, clams, and gorgs so I'm ok with having a controlled amount of nitrates and I have a skimmer. I originally had other fish in the tank with Olive but now it will be two little dragonets only. I am getting more macros and gorgs to add cover for pods and do add pods sometimes as a supplement. I feed twice a day, I'm now mixing cyclopeeze, mysis, and ova at every feeding but I'm about to run out of ova.

 

Yes, some of the rubies are ridiculously small, I will get the biggest I can and take precautions.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread!

[Tamberav]

#BABYPROOF TULLE SCREEN TOP! #BAMMM

 

Untitled by J.L Photography, on Flickr

 

Where you get the super fine mesh? I need somes!

[Tamberav]

I hope you guys won't hate me now but I currently have an 8 gallon, which I know is not fit for these fish long term but plan to get a larger tank, probably around 30 gallons with a fuge, very soon. I have read the Matt Pedersen article and used his technique in training Olive onto frozen. I can't remember if it was Matt Pedersen or Matt Wittenrich who said in an article that they knew someone with a spawning pair in a 10 gallon, but that combined with the fact that Pedersen kept 3 pairs in a 24 gallon made me feel like it would be ok to have two juveniles in the 8 gallon temporarily.

 

I keep LPS, softies, clams, and gorgs so I'm ok with having a controlled amount of nitrates and I have a skimmer. I originally had other fish in the tank with Olive but now it will be two little dragonets only. I am getting more macros and gorgs to add cover for pods and do add pods sometimes as a supplement. I feed twice a day, I'm now mixing cyclopeeze, mysis, and ova at every feeding but I'm about to run out of ova.

 

Yes, some of the rubies are ridiculously small, I will get the biggest I can and take precautions.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread!

 

I would probably wait for the 30g before trying to pair the spotted then. If they don't get along, they fight pretty bad sometimes, tearing up fins with no where to run in an 8g. You would probably be safer with a ruby.

 

They will appreciate the 30g though. They are very active fish. Always hovercopetering around. Now that I have mine in a 40B, they make use of it all.

[metrokat]

A CAMERA, QUICK HIDE!!!

https://flic.kr/p/ktcpV4'>https://flic.kr/p/ktcpV4'>Pink Milli 2-25-14 by https://www.flickr.com/people//'>J.L Photography, on Flickr

Cute fishy.

 

#BABYPROOF TULLE SCREEN TOP! #BAMMM https://www.flickr.com/photos/66620096@N02/12723113455/'>https://www.flickr.com/photos/66620096@N02/12723113455/'>Untitled by https://www.flickr.com/people/66620096@N02/'>J.L Photography, on Flickr

Getting a ruby huh?

[metrokat]

He (Sam the Skinny) slurped up some arctic copepods and a bunch of OVA. Awww yeah.

[metrokat]

For those folks that are looking for OVA, you could try an alternate food which has worked well for me.

 

These are arctic copepods, I believe the same ingredient as cyclopeeze and Dr G's, Reef nutrition copepod food. The difference is that this is a little jar of pure copepods. They are stored in the freezer but never freeze. The color of the pods is a very rich orange, unlike the brownish red I see in other products. It is available from brine shrimp direct in many sizes.

 

 

BSD uses glycerin in many of their pastes so I am assuming this product has glycerin as a preservative also. It adds a bit of a carbon source to your tank, much better than phosphates.

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

Where you get the super fine mesh? I need somes!

Believe it or not, go to your nearest Fabric store... its the same material used for making Tutus... its called Tulle (Tweel) Saved me a dozen times since January... Previously using the BRS 1/4" netting I lost 3 gobies and blennies...

[BulkRate]

For those folks that are looking for OVA, you could try an alternate food which has worked well for me.

 

These are arctic copepods, I believe the same ingredient as cyclopeeze and Dr G's, Reef nutrition copepod food. The difference is that this is a little jar of pure copepods. They are stored in the freezer but never freeze. The color of the pods is a very rich orange, unlike the brownish red I see in other products. It is available from brine shrimp direct in many sizes.

 

 

 

BSD uses glycerin in many of their pastes so I am assuming this product has glycerin as a preservative also. It adds a bit of a carbon source to your tank, much better than phosphates.

 

Thanks for that, Metrokat. I've been watching my last pouch of Nutramar slowly but surely marching its way towards depletion, expiration & freezer-burning over the past month or two. Aaaaalmost have Fio eating Larry's Reef Frenzy (which everything else in the tank goes berserk for)... but she won't really go for it without a few flakes of prawn roe mixed in.

 

This looks like an excellent option.

 

I've given up on my tsibe cultures... they just never seem to take off. Plus a local reefer sells little 6-oz bottles of pods for around $10 at several stores - not the most cost-effective but mighty convenient as a refresher every 2-3 weeks. Next time I'm splurging will probably hit up Keydiver - from what it looks like he practically ships you an big 'ole 2-liter as a "small" order. Clearly a graduate of the John Maloney School of Applied Mathematics

[Simone]

I would probably wait for the 30g before trying to pair the spotted then. If they don't get along, they fight pretty bad sometimes, tearing up fins with no where to run in an 8g. You would probably be safer with a ruby.

 

They will appreciate the 30g though. They are very active fish. Always hovercopetering around. Now that I have mine in a 40B, they make use of it all.

 

I will definitely hold off on the pairing. In the reading I've done, it didn't specify what age or maturity level they should be paired at but I trust your judgement and especially as Olive's gender is unclear it makes sense to wait.

 

Yes, they move slowly but pretty much constantly. I'm sure they will love a larger tank. Thank you again for the advice!

[Tamberav]

Believe it or not, go to your nearest Fabric store... its the same material used for making Tutus... its called Tulle (Tweel) Saved me a dozen times since January... Previously using the BRS 1/4" netting I lost 3 gobies and blennies...

 

Thanks, going to go look for some!

[Based]

So I added a green/blue mandarin last night and it spooked my ruby red to jump, I was adding a controller to my leds so I had my lid off. Poor guy didn't make it, and the mandarin is super reclusive, I was hopping it would be active like my target was.

[Tamberav]

So I added a green/blue mandarin last night and it spooked my ruby red to jump, I was adding a controller to my leds so I had my lid off. Poor guy didn't make it, and the mandarin is super reclusive, I was hopping it would be active like my target was.

 

Sorry to hear I am definitely paranoid about taking lids off. The ruby's are a pain in the ass. I am still trying to figure out a good permanent way to block the overflow box. Had one take a ride to my filter sock already. I have lots of small fish but these scooters in-particular just look for ways to get into everything or get out.

 

I have the same experience, my blue/greens/red are shy (especially the female) and my target is all up in everyone's face. If it's only been a day though, then he is probably still adjusting and he may come around.

[xzeror]

Quite the opposite problem unlike most mandarin owners....but.

 

Is my female gonna explode? She's been fat for months, but I think she keeps getting bigger. I have a large male in there too and they have been together for quite a while. I have also seen them do a kinda dance and chase, not sure if that's their spawning dance though.

 

Should I be worried? She eats like a cow (mysis and brine) and acts the same as always. If she was prego it wouldnt take months for the babies to pop out would it?

 

PS: She looks like a little sea cow hovering along the tank haha.

 

http://s695.photobucket.com/user/xzeror/media/IMAG1359.jpg.html'>

 

http://s695.photobucket.com/user/xzeror/media/IMAG1364_1.jpg.html'>

 

http://s695.photobucket.com/user/xzeror/media/IMAG1365_1.jpg.html'>

[metrokat]

Quite the opposite problem unlike most mandarin owners....but.

 

Is my female gonna explode? She's been fat for months, but I think she keeps getting bigger. I have a large male in there too and they have been together for quite a while. I have also seen them do a kinda dance and chase, not sure if that's their spawning dance though.

 

Should I be worried? She eats like a cow (mysis and brine) and acts the same as always. If she was prego it wouldnt take months for the babies to pop out would it?

 

PS: She looks like a little sea cow hovering along the tank haha.

 

 

 

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. Okay she is SEVERELY egg bound. How long has she been like that?

[metrokat]

I found this on WWM

 

Mandarin dragonet possibly egg bound, and Epsom use f's 7/31/13
I have never asked a question on this forum before so I hope this is the right place.
<Indeed it is>
I have a spawning pair of spotted mandarins and I am worried that the female has become egg bound, is this possible?
<Yes>
The spawn regularly but recently the female has got huge and they do the rise but no eggs are released this has been going on for 2 weeks. Do you have any suggestions?
<Yes; either a bath (of several minute duration) of a teaspoon per gallon of Epsom salts added to system water (outside the tank) or these added directly to the system at the rate of a tsp. per 5 gallons system water.
Bob Fenner>
Mandarin dragonet egg binding 7/31/13
Thank you. will Epsom salts affect coral and inverts??
<Not overtly negatively at the proscribed dosage. See WWM re MgSO4 use>
As they are tricky to catch and it is a big tank. Also what are the symptoms of egg binding?
<As you state, a cessation in spawning/egg release, bulging...>
She hasn't gone off her food and is very greedy!
<Mmm, well; other causes appear similar... gut blockage (same treatment), tumorous growths... BobF>
Mandarin dragonet egg binding 7/31/13
Sorry to bother you again. Your help is greatly appreciated you said the dose is 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons in display tank is this us gallons or uk gallons
<Level teaspoons and either measure of "a gallon" is close enough. B>
Mandarin dragonet egg binding 7/31/13
I read that they are pelagic spawners and hold eggs so the always appear more rounded is that correct??
<Callionymids do rise toward the surface (toward sunset) and are spawners... external fertilization... Females are decidedly larger, a bit less colorful, their unpaired fins not as flowing... but do not appear rounded at all times. I've seen the species used in the trade many, many times there and the wild>
Is it just the norm Epsom salt u can buy or does it have to be specifically for the marine tank??
<Epsom is Epsom... magnesium sulfate... Household use quality/purity is fine. B>
Mandarin dragonet egg bound 8/1/13
So how many tea spoons for 120 gallon aquarium??
<... ? See prev. email...>
Mandarin 8/1/13
Also how long should I use it for?? Would you recommend 1 day??
<Search WWM... tool on every page... "Epsom salt dosage, treatment">
Epsom salt for egg bound mandarin 8/1/13
Hi, I spoke to you yesterday. I have dosed the tank with Epsom salt accordingly, I was just enquiring as to how many days I should dose?
<... the salt doesn't leave solution till you change water>
Re: Epsom salt and mandarin egg bound 8/7/13
Good news, the mandarin had eggs tonight Thank you for your help
<Thank you for this follow-up. BobF>

[Tamberav]

Wow, that does not look healthy at all. Good find Kat! I think you need to do something for her ASAP.

[xzeror]

I'm scared to dose my display tank... I have a 5g pico with a yasha goby could I move her to that tank and dose that one? Or is there really no risk in dosing my display?

 

Thanks again Metro <3! Going to buy some epsom as we speak.

[metrokat]

Epsom is salt, so it should not hurt anybody else.

[xzeror]

Epsom is salt, so it should not hurt anybody else.

 

 

 

So which would you suggest? Dose the display and not move her?

[JoeDigiorgio]

Does she look dramatically smaller on random mornings, then swell back up, or has she just gotten bigger and bigger? What tank is that? A breeder? I had an issue at one point where the pair didn't have enough height available and the female wouldn't release. I had to literally upgrade to give them enough height to release but she would absolutely not release before then.

[metrokat]

Does she look dramatically smaller on random mornings, then swell back up, or has she just gotten bigger and bigger? What tank is that? A breeder? I had an issue at one point where the pair didn't have enough height available and the female wouldn't release. I had to literally upgrade to give them enough height to release but she would absolutely not release before then.

How do you know so much!

[tetraodon]

My mandarin decided it was done being im my breeder net, luckily he jumpee into the main tank

[JoeDigiorgio]

Lol oh Kat :*

[SouthFlorida_Tron]

IMMMMMM HUNGRYYYYYYYY!

 

https://flic.kr/p/o6a3D9'>https://flic.kr/p/o6a3D9'>Hunting Mandarin by https://www.flickr.com/people//'>J.L Photography, on Flickr