Mandarin's and Flakes

[JRGumby]

OK, so whenever someone posts a thread saying "Can I have a Mandarin?" the answer is always "no." I understand why that is, the vast majority require just a ton of pods to eat and you can't supply that large a habitat for them in such a small environment.

 

But what if you went to your LFS, asked to see it eat, and watched as it devoured flakes? I know this is rather an anomoly, but I am curious as to how they fair in a smaller tank when they are trained to accept nonlive prepared foods. Is it enough for them to eat prepared food several times a day?

 

If anyone out there has any experience, please post what you fed it, how many times a day, and how well he did.

[rhs]

I saw a goby devouring brine shrimp at the fish store, just Monday. He was very surprised.

Is a 30 gallon tank too small for a Mandarin or any goby ?

[mamdike]

In my experience, they usually starve to death in even moderate sized aquariums...they just cant get enough to eat. If you can find one that eats prepared foods, great!

Mike

[russ49merc]

I would snatch him up it is very rare to get one to eat prepared food.

[russ49merc]

Originally posted by rhs

Is a 30 gallon tank too small for a Mandarin or any goby ?

 

There are lots of diff kind of gobies. I think gobies are the best fish so many diff kinds and all be good with each other.

[Kogut]

I had a mandarin for over a year and he ate blood worms. He's lost an eye over the year+ from some unknown phenomena... but he's still alive and currently lives with my X in TX...

[doody]

I have one that eats blood worms, mysis and brine. I've got him in a 5g mini bow. He's pretty fat, and seems happy-n-healthy. Not to much nutrition in brine. So if thats all he eats then leave him be.

I've seen a few people keep them in 5g tanks for long periods if they eat prepared foods. I say go for it.

[doody]

By the way, I still see lots-o-pods in the tank.

[raciampa]

I got chewed out for putting a spotted mandarin in a 10 gallon, but he is eating mysis and live brine. I also feed my reef cyclopeeze. He might eat this also, but I have not seen him for sure. The green mandarin is harder to feed prepared foods. Good Luck!

[doody]

Yeah, I heard that some will eat cyclopeez, but I have'nt tried it yet. I am gonna start dipping my food in zelcon and garlic. I also plan on buying pods from florida pets every 6mos just to be safe.

But like I said he's doing fine in a 5g.

[Withers]

the thing with mandarins is, that they will sometimes take prepared foods, but those foods are lacking in the nutritional value that mandarins need to live. so while they may be fine for 6 months or so, you'll see very very few people (in fact, probably none) who have kept a mandarin in a nano for a long period of time (1 year or more). the stories are always of "i know a guy", or "i've heard of", but never any personal experience.

 

it's just one of those fish that you should hold out on until you have a large tank that can support it.

[gekko]

I had a mandarin die in my 12 gal. It actually ate worms for awhile, but then stopped for no reason. Same feeding techniques, no success, dead fish.

[Perpetual98]

I think that mandarins are actually dragonettes, not gobys, but that doesn't really matter for this conversation.

[ebin]

I always hear the whole brine only is not enuff nutrition and i could see that point but what are the nutritional values of pods? ever really think about it. i think those little mandarin bastards are eating more when they scoot around the bottom.

 

I do believe they are dragonnetes.

 

Russ,

Its not tank size that is an issue with the mandarin its maturity of tank