Madarin Dragonet

[Jellybeanie]

I'm just finished cycling my new 200L tank. Water conditions are perfect and have just started adding some Live Rock. I'm going to leave it for about another month before adding fish (going to start with 2 clowns). Eventually, after the recommended 6 months to a year, I want to add a Mandarin Dragonet. I understand that they are quite picky eaters and will usually only eat pods. I was wondering if I set up a pod pile with some rubble LR in a corner of the tank, leaving it grow for the year before adding the Mandarin, would it produce enough pods for the Mandarin? I'm not sure setting up a refugium would be possible for me so a pod pile is the only other solution I can think of. What would be the best way to set up a pod pile? Under a strawberry carton, a pile in the corner, etc. What should I feed the pods? What fish should I avoid if I want to set up a large pod population? (i.e. Fish that eat a lot of pods). Should I buy pods to start off with or is it likely that they have hitch-hiked into my tank on the live rock? Thanks

 

[bribo12]

Honestly a pod pile will not sustain it in that size tank. Even a refugium would have trouble keeping up. Getting one to eat frozen would be really the only way to keep it in a tank that size.

 

[Jellybeanie]

That's pretty impossible though, so I've heard?

 

[Bectan01]

If you have plenty of live rock (at least 55 pounds, preferably more) I think it will be ok. Remember not to stock any other fish that will compete for its food and while you can get them to eat frozen you can always repopulate the pods in your tank. Just curious, what did you cycle in your tank if there was no rocks? Just the sand? Definitely get all the rock you want in there and cycled before you add your first fishes

 

[Jellybeanie]

Yeah I'm adding only small amount of rock, about 2-3 kilos (roughly 5-6 pounds) at a time, and monitoring the water parameters. I used an artificial ammonia source from my LFS and am getting the rock after it has been cured. So far the water has stayed the same, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels remain at 0 and PH stays at 8.3-8.4 so it seems to be okay. The guy at my LFS said I could add some hermits now if I wanted but I said I'd hold off for a while. Although they wouldn't produce a very large bio load would they? Clowns and Cardinals wouldn't compete with the Mandarin Dragonet for the pods would they? I read that they eat mainly mysis and brineshrimp and that's all I really plan to put into the tank so would that be okay?

 

[Jellybeanie]

Oh and thanks

 

[Bectan01]

When you cycle a tank most of your beneficial bacteria live in the rocks, some reside in the sand too but not in the water column. Make sure you finish stocking your tank with all the rock you plan to keep and cycle it properly. When I set up my 55g I bought all live rock (expensive but worth it) and like a newbie I added a a scooter blenny as one of my first fish. They are from the same family as the mandarin and he never ate frozen - I guess I had enough rock in the tank to keep him fat and happy and no other competitors to take his food.

 

[Jellybeanie]

Does that mean after setting up the rock I should add the Mandarin? I thought you were supposed to wait like a year?

 

[Jellybeanie]

I also just read on some other forums that you should have 1.5 pounds for every gallon. My tank is 200L (about 52 gallons) so that would work out to be around 77 pounds (about 35 kilos). Would that be enough or too much/little? I'm afraid that if I get too much there will be very little space for fish to swim...

 

[Jellybeanie]

Also Bectan01, what other fish did you have in your tank along with the blenny?

 

[54seaweed]

mandarins should not be added to a new tank they require a mature tank of atleast a year or so they will starve in a new tank , it is recommended you train or purchase a trained mandarin ,
it's not impossible to train them it just takes patients the best way is to hang a breeder net in the tank put mandarin in start with live brine shrimp slowly add frozen as it takes to the brine after it takes to the frozen you can repeat these steps with pellets I used the grain size ones , it took me almost 3 weeks to train but it was well worth it I've had mine now over 2 1/2 years now , I also breed pods most just use a 5 gal pail with a lid sand on bottom with about 2 inch of water and some rubble that is piled a little higher than water , yes it does stink as the water gets stagnant over time you don't need to change it though just fill as needed just keep it in a cool place and they will thrive just feed them a tea spoon copod blend every otherday
here is a good read about mandarins very helpful to understand the needs of your mandarin ,
Melevsreef.com - Mandarin Care

 

[Jellybeanie]

Thanks

 

[Bectan01]

Yes you should wait! I made a new salt error by purchasing the scooter too early and was lucky I guess that he survived in my tank - it's not recommended though. I have a pair of clowns, a cardinal, a firefish, a court jester goby and a sharpnose puffer and they all get along fine...

 

[Bectan01]

I have about 70 pound of rock and it still has plenty of open swimming room

 

[patrick seastar]

Get a hang on the back refugium like the CPR Aquafuge2 with it's light fixture &. Add some plants for the copepods to feed on & rubble, sand, or fiji mud-(from what i hear it helps them) so they can seed into them & then Just add a bottle or two of copepods every three months. That'll keep a steady population without the risk just like in the big tanks with the big refugiums. Manderins constantly hunt & feed expet at night so, a tank less then 200 gallons will lose all of it's copepods eventually.

 

[carey]

Best way to keep a mandarin to to have them eat frozen food or pellets. I purchased an ORA mandarin, they are supposed to eat pellets. Mine did not, but after a month of intense feeding several times a day by target feeding my mandarin took to some frozen. It took a few more years but mine now eats pellets. I must have tried over a dozen different frozen foods though and my water parameters were just plain terrible due to all of the overfeeding.
Even now, years later i still overfeed, cause it is possible for a mandarin to go back to pods only at any time. This is undoubtably the hardest fish I have to keep. Not sure i would do it over again if given the chance.
In that size tank you would need more than 1.5 lbs per gallon in my opinion as well as have established rock. ALot of established rock. You want to see pods everywhere in your tank, by the thousands. Thats the only way my mandarin lived for the month it took to train her, she wiped out every last pod I had. i even had a pod tank at one point. lol