I have a mandarin and i got it after i had my tank going for two months. Everyone said I was crazy because I didn't have a mature tank, but it is doing great and loves the supplemental food I give it(frozen brine shrimp) as well as eating the pods from the live sand bed and the plenty of live rock i have.
Welcome to RAG!
Understand that I'm not trying to "beat up on the new guy", but your method of trying to keep a mndarin has some serious problems.
Assumeing you put your mandarin in your 12 gal tank, the fish is on it's way to a slow death. That size tank can not produce enough pods to keep the fish healthy. This would be true if you had the mandarin in the tank alone. You seem to have it with several other fish, all of which will eat pods and compete with the mandarin for the pod supply.
While frozen brine shrimp is ok for a treat, it is actually a very poor supplemental food. The fish may eat it, but the food value is low. Many people consider frozen brine shrimp to be an almost worthless food for long term use.
I should also warn you that your 12 gal tank is way overcrowded. You have 5 fish in a tank size that should have one or two fish at most. On top of that you have the shrimp and crabs.
I appreciate your comments and I realize that my tank is overcrowded, but my tank is full of surprises because today I just had my maroon clown host a condy anemone.
I appreciate your comments and I realize that my tank is overcrowded, but my tank is full of surprises because today I just had my maroon clown host a condy anemone.
What Dave is saying is that to be able to support a mandarin the tank has to be of decent size like atleast 75 gallon with alot of liverock. Every tank is going to have cool things happen and evn surprises, but haveing a clown host in a Anemone is natural.
Most people that do keep mandarin gobies have a good sized tank with plenty of rock and a refugium for there continued food source. In a tank of even 30 gallon with or without a fuge can be a struggle to keep these fish alive.
Good evening all,
Was at the LFS getting clean up grew for the tank and talking about possible stocking (fish) options I would have in the future with the 36 gallon bowfront reef. The associate there said it would be possible since I had a refugium (which I am currently breeding Copepods) that in 6 months I could get a manderin goby if I was careful. Although I love the idea of being able to have such a fish I feel that this information is inncorrect and a manderine goby needs atleast a 75 gallon well estabilshed tank. I was interested in peoples eperience with this fish and could someone with a smaller tank buy tigger pods weekly to keep copepod population up?.
Thank you for your time
Kes
I had a Mandarin Dragonet for my 12 gallon. Yes, 12 gallon. It survived for for let's say 3 months. It's death was caused by a toxin release in the water from the cowfish i had. I'm pretty sure that a 36 gallon would be great for a Mandarin. Mine survived great in my 12 gallon. He cleaned the coppods i had from the live rock and eventually I trained him to eat brine shrimp and have lots of rock for eating off that. Mine just scanned my rocks looking for food sometimes. Your tank would be great, and a refug with growing copepods would fit him great. Just be aware that when you feed your future fish, the Mandarin aren't at all agressive eaters, so try and give the food more in the Mandarin's direction so he has a better chance at getting some food. Hope this helped.
I would caution you on getting a mandrian. These fish are considered diffucult to care for and are an expert fish only. Their diet is highly specialized and even with a refugium they will usually slowly starve to death. Although there may be pods in the tank the other fish will also compete for them. 6 months does not make an established tank and it definately takes an very well established tank to keep these guys alive for any time at all (6 months is not a long time, how would like to know that you have 6 months or even 12 months to live). These fish are ones to stay away from, IMO.
Thank you reeffish. I am thinking I will get a pearly jawfish and two false clowns or a jawfish and two bangii cardnals and leave the manderin for a time I can get a 200+ gallon reef tank that has been established.
Kes
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