Mandarin dragonet?

[Steve silbernagel]

I don't have very many fish but I really want one of these. Any thoughts on them and there requirements

 

[Mr. D]

I do not have one but herd it is difficult to keep one healthy in anything less then a 55 or 50-60 lbs of rock on some other sites.

You can train them to eat prepared foods also. If not in about a year you should have enough of a pod population in a 55+ tank

 

[54seaweed]

mandarins there not that hard to keep as they say
you just need to keep a good supply of pods on hand and train to eat other foods both live and frozen
I have a 20 long breeder tank divided in 3 sections
I keep mysiss and brine and pods
he loves them all , the pods are unbelievable on how fast they reproduce started with 4000 now its triple easy
they strive on cheatoe
brine do good to but easier to add eggs as needed mysiss they just eat them to fast to try to breed lol
my mandarin will also eat frozen
I find being able to raise the feeders it can be cheaper but its hard work

 

[bettaowner]

I would want one. They are beautiful fish.

 

[Schism]

mandarins there not that hard to keep as they say
you just need to keep a good supply of pods on hand and train to eat other foods both live and frozen.

lol, easier said than done for most people. Many mandarins go their entire lives eating only pods and often ends in people buying bottle after bottle of expensive pods, especially in smaller tanks.

They are every bit as hard to keep as they say when compared to needs of most fish we keep as hobbyists.

 

[54seaweed]

yes mandarins are finicky on what they eat

that's your first chore : train them to eat other foods frozen,pellets,ect

second : buy a small tank add crushed pea size live rock and bubble stick and some dirty water from your main tank

its not rocket science to raise pods 2/3 gal tank with a good bubble stick to keep water churning

the secret use your dirty water from your main tank to start add cheato and pods watch them multiply fast I tripled my stock in less than a month , yes start up cost is about the same as buying a 1000 + pods and a small holding tank but in the long run it pays for itself in the first month its a big reward for both you your fish and friends, to feed fish pull off a small piece of the cheato throw in main tank watch your fish go nuts over them juicy lil buggers infested in the cheato

if your dedicated to raising a mandarin ,gobys or any fish for that matter whats a extra 5 min with maintenance every week on a feeder/breeder tank saves you money and trips to your local fish store

this direction isn't for everyone but it sure pays off in the long run

I make a few bucks every week selling my pods to my friends along with the cheato it grows just as fast

its not a get rich quick kind of thing but it benefits everyone who takes advantage of it

this stuff is hot at swap meets everyone wants some

I already got a bunch of corals for it ,who knows what I trade for next lol

I enjoy the hobby and love what I get from it in return (MY SANITY!!!) LMAO

how I got into a small book I don't know but now it be time to say .....


THE END

 

[danbstrong]

yes mandarins are finicky on what they eat

that's your first chore : train them to eat other foods frozen,pellets,ect

second : buy a small tank add crushed pea size live rock and bubble stick and some dirty water from your main tank

its not rocket science to raise pods 2/3 gal tank with a good bubble stick to keep water churning

the secret us your water from your main tank to start add cheato and pods watch them multiply fast I tripled my stock in less than a month , yes start up cost is about the same as buying a 1000 + pods and a small holding tank but in the long run it pays for itself in the first month its a big reward for both you your fish and friends, to feed fish pull off a small piece of the cheato throw in main tank watch your fish go nuts over them juicy lil buggers infested in the cheato

if your dedicated to raising a mandarin ,gobys or any fish for that matter whats a extra 5 min with maintenance every week on a feeder/breeder tank saves you money and trips to your local fish store

this direction isn't for everyone but it sure pays off in the long run

If you have a fuge buy a culture of pods to stock the fuge they will reproduce fast enough i have a pair of green mandarin in a 55 with 50-60 lbs of live rock i stocked the pods only once 2 years ago my mandarins bellies are very big and round

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Thx seaweed I actually got a extra 10g just for that

 

[Steve silbernagel]

I'm looking into buying a 1000 pods to jump start the process. Reef2go.com has 500 get 500 free $20 I'm gonna add it to my order course

 

[reefrunner69]

If your going to get one, get a tank raised mandarin from ORA, they have a much better chance of survival.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Ya I've heard that. My LFS has had success with training them to eat from your hands

 

[MikeYQM]

In reality it's not terribly hard to train a mandarin to eat in a week or two.

I held mine in a Hagen breeder box (hob) to keep it isolated & easily accessed. I started with garlic soaked brine to Mysis to garlic soaked Reef Pearls.

The breeder box gets water pumped in one side & overflows out the other. This keeps a slight current which keeps the food suspended & may make it more appetizing to the mandarin.

Without training, mandarins are a gamble. If you put the effort into training, you know it will eat prepared foods if it gets hungry enough.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Thx a lot guys I'm gonna give these ideas a shot. Whatever it takes to keep mandrin

 

[Archer917]

I'm looking into buying a 1000 pods to jump start the process. Reef2go.com has 500 get 500 free $20 I'm gonna add it to my order course

Watch the weather when you order them as it was hot when I ordered mine 2nd day and they still came in cooked to death, and R2G will refund your $20.00 but will not refund any shipping at all.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

That is true

 

[Steve silbernagel]

I just got a twin spot gobby two days ago, wake up to find one of my emerald crabs snacking away on him. They got to go that's the second fish they got. Although this time it ended badly for the little guy.

 

[Beengirl]

I just got a twin spot gobby two days ago, wake up to find one of my emerald crabs snacking away on him. They got to go that's the second fish they got. Although this time it ended badly for the little guy.

Yeah, pretty sure my ruby crab killed one of my fish too.
I've read from other people that they will kill fish if they can get ahold of them.

 

[Beengirl]

Yeah, pretty sure my ruby crab killed one of my fish too.
I've read from other people that they will kill fish if they can get ahold of them.

BTW, sorry about your fish.

 

[Steve silbernagel]

Ya thx I'm not sure what to do I like them in the tank idk

 

[DWilliams]

If your going to get one, get a tank raised mandarin from ORA, they have a much better chance of survival.

Yes go for a ORA mandarin, I have one that eats anything! Frozen, pellet, flake, never seen him turn a meal down.