What is hard about keeping spotted mandarin?

[kidkameleon3]

I really like these fish and was thinking of going with a the least 1 once I am well established.It says they are difficult.How so? Are they reef safe?

 

[kidkameleon3]

oh ya what about urchins? I got a small white one for my 10 gall a few weeks ago and it does a great cleanign job are htey reef safe?

 

[reefrunner69]

Mandarins rarely take to prepared foods and require a large pod population to keep from starving to death. This also makes treating them if they get parasitic infestation or infection difficult because their live food won't stand up to the treatment, so treating your fish means starving it. If mandarins have a healthy renewable pop population they can be maintained, but this means lots of LR and a large tank.

oh ya what about urchins?

Most are herbivores, but they can be bulldozers in the tank, knocking sessile inverts from the places on the rock that you put them.

 

[kidkameleon3]

ya I noticed teh urchin didn;t seem to notice any other life in the tank other than what he eats,lol.

As for the mandrin sounds like a challenge.If I build it they will come. Maybe a year out, sounds like I need well established tank micro (etc) before even attempting or it would 1)devistate what life sand life I had 2)starve to death.

 

[Doan]

Yes I was recently suduced Feb 20th by the beauty of a mandarine. It was the prettiest one I have ever seen very orange beautiful plumage just amazing. Just sitting there in the LFS starving to death as he refused to eat any prepared food and the little cube they had him in didnt' even have a sand bottom only about 6 inches across and mabye 8 inches deep and 5 inches high. Just starving Reduced to just $9.99 What a great bargin I have about 60 lbs of LR and I have been up and going about 4 months now and besides when the lights go out the bugs take over in my tank. What a great bargin 10 dollars surley he will be ok for a while at least he will do better than here. March 1st. Spent 160.00 on fuge and light talked to local reefers to find pod filled sand and keep wondering did that FAT little fish really make it so I can't find a pod at night to save my life?? 180.00 later... what a great deal and this does not include any costs to stock it or the live sand that I am buying weekly now to make sure he's fed... $9.99 what a great deal..

Serously he is my favorite fish but also my biggest headache. while all my friends are going to niagra this weekend to party and gamble I had to buy a Ref... (thats cool though) He makes me happy

Great fish, get one on your one year tank anniv.

Doan

 

[jamal-188]

I would love to get one as well but I have often wonderint what to do when I first get it. Do I put him in a Q tank knowing he'll starve for a fews days/week so I can kind of get an idea if he's ok or do I just throw him right in my big tank hoping/praying that he won't infect my entire tank with something?

 

[HoopsGuru]

If you are referring to the tank with the clown trigger and porc. puffer I think a mandarin may not be a good choice to add. While I find my porc. to ignore the other fish in my tank...clown triggers are known to be quite aggressive as they get older. If I got the wrong tank in mind...don't pay attention to my advice.

 

[kidkameleon3]

So what purpose does the fuge serve anyway?I have yet to get to that point of obssesion yet.

 

[steve-s]

Try this article >> Refugiums, aka fuges or refuge

Cheers
Steve