I have a question about the Green Mandarin? - Page 9

nylam · #81 (**permalink**) 07-17-2006, 04:44 AM

I am not sure if I am just lucky or what. I have purchased 2 Mandarins at separate times and I have not had any difficulty in getting them to feed on frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms. The trick is to put the food right in front or around it. This means that you would have to lure the other fishes elsewhere before you feed the Mandarin.It may ignore them the first few times but after a while, it will learn to accept them (much like getting a Lionfish to accept non-live food). In fact, the second one that I had even swims up and competes with the other fishes in getting its share of the bloodworms.

cheeks69 · #82 (**permalink**) 07-17-2006, 01:11 PM

Although it's great that these fish are eating frozen they still need a mature tank with plenty of fauna/infauna to do well long term, these frozen foods exclusively just will not have the necessary nutrition to keep these fish IMO.

rackmac · #83 (**permalink**) 07-19-2006, 08:37 PM

I have a personal friend as the LFS owner. He won't do me wrong as I see it. He refuses to even sell me Mandarin until I've got some corals ect for at least 9 months, not ioncluding cycling times. I guess I've got one of the last honest LFS owners around!!!

3011396 · #84 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 11:54 PM

How do you tell that you have enough copepods to get a mandarin. Right now i have a pile of rock rubble in the corner of my tank and i can always see them in there but I never see them any where else. Should i wait longer to get a mandarin. Right now my tank has been set up for 5 or 6 months.

**DaveK** · #85 (**permalink**) 01-29-2007, 12:01 AM

I have move the question from 3011396 here, so it's with all the other information on mandarins.

**DaveK** · #86 (**permalink**) 01-29-2007, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3011396

How do you tell that you have enough copepods to get a mandarin. Right now i have a pile of rock rubble in the corner of my tank and i can always see them in there but I never see them any where else. Should i wait longer to get a mandarin. Right now my tank has been set up for 5 or 6 months.

First, how large is your tank? You'll need at least a 50 gal tank, and larger is better.

Second, do you have any other pod eating fish? Many wrasses eat a lot of pods and out compete mandarins for them.

Third, are there some pods in the tank, and has the tank been set up for 6 months or more? Your tank has, so you are OK here.

3011396 · #87 (**permalink**) 01-29-2007, 01:08 AM

My tank is a 75 gallon with 100 lbs of live rock and about an inch and a half of sand. i have the rubble pile in the corner which has pods in it. The rubble has quite a few pods but I never see them anywhere else. I only have two other fish a yellow tang and a blenny.

**DaveK** · #88 (**permalink**) 01-29-2007, 01:14 AM

In a case like yours, a mandarin has a good chance of working out.

You have a large enough tank. You don't have any other extreme pod hunting fish. The tank has been established for 6 months and you can see pods in it.

3011396 · #89 (**permalink**) 01-29-2007, 01:19 AM

thanks for your reply. I will proably try one in a couple weeks or so.

**ReefSilly** · #90 (**permalink**) 01-29-2007, 02:05 PM

If you really want one; you need to do more reading on this fish!
If I can add anything it would be; make sure the mandarin will also eat frozen foods. I would check out post #3 in this thread and do tons of research

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I believe this fish should be left in the ocean; my

http://www.marineaquariumadvice.com/...endidus-2.html