Mandarin

[redsea]

Hello,
I may be getting a mandarin tomorrow or sometime in the future. I called the store and they said that they were eating frozen. Anyone have tips on keeping mandarins?
Thanks

 

[carey]

My ora blue mandarin was eating frozen too, but not much anymore, she's eating alot of pods. Just hope you have alot of live rock in case that happens to you. It's not rare for them to revert to pods, even the tank raised ones.

Good luck!

 

[redsea]

My ora blue mandarin was eating frozen too, but not much anymore, she's eating alot of pods. Just hope you have alot of live rock in case that happens to you. It's not rare for them to revert to pods, even the tank raised ones.

Good luck!

Thanks. I don't have a sump/fuge, so where can I put the pods. Right into my tank?

 

[redsea]

Actually, I have the red sea max 130d, so I might have one built in.....

 

[carey]

Getting pods isnt as easy as just adding them. If the mandarin doesnt take the prepared foods he will just eat his way through a bottle of pods in less than a week. It can take months and months to build up a natural pod supply.

That said, mandarins arent for the weak of heart, they are very difficult to care for no matter what some people may say. I'm still second guessing my decision to buy one LOL

 

[redsea]

Getting pods isnt as easy as just adding them. If the mandarin doesnt take the prepared foods he will just eat his way through a bottle of pods in less than a week. It can take months and months to build up a natural pod supply.

That said, mandarins arent for the weak of heart, they are very difficult to care for no matter what some people may say. I'm still second guessing my decision to buy one LOL

Ok thanks for your help. I think I have decided to hold off for now. Maybe I will try one later on down the road.

 

[carey]

I think thats a wise choice. I waited almost a year to get mine and like I said I am still debating if I did the right thing. I would just die inside if I starved a fish, thats even worse than a fish just dieing off.

Get some good pods growing for a decent amount of time and then i say give it a try.

Good luck!

 

[bootz]

well i am actually in the same scenario no sump fug, had my 30g tank running for 8 months with 30lb(+) of LR. Whats the right way to start growing pods ? any help would be schweet.

 

[mr_X]

a mandarin will eat a bottle of pods a day.

 

[carey]

From what I've read and researched the best way is to have a fuge or a sump setup with live rock and macro algae. In there they can grow and populate the entire tank. If you just pour them into your tank you'll have some for awhile but your fish will eat the majority of them before they can truly seed the tank.

From what I've seen the healthier the tank the more they spread. You just need ALOT of live rock with lots of nooks and crannies for them to live and reproduce in, safe from getting eaten.

 

[ilostnemo]

well i am actually in the same scenario no sump fug, had my 30g tank running for 8 months with 30lb(+) of LR. Whats the right way to start growing pods ? any help would be schweet.

id not put one in a 30g tank. theyd eat that tank dry in hours.

 

[Affordable Aquatic]

id not put one in a 30g tank. theyd eat that tank dry in hours.

You really need a larger system with lots of rock and preferably a safe place for them to reproduce (a fuge). The pods are so small, and the mandarin needs to eat so many, that you can really eat the entire population rather quickly. I dont think buying bottled pods is a practical solution.

I had a mandarin in a 55g that ate frozen food (mysis, brine shrimp, and blood worms). The problem with feeding mandarins frozen is that they cant compete with the other fish in the tank, and have terribly eye sight. They fish is designed to slowly hover across the rocks looking for tiny bugs to eat. Tossing mysis on the surface will never be noticed by the mandarin. I used to have to take a turkey baster and blow food across my fish's nose to get him to notice it. And even then, if the food wasnt moving he would ignore it. I suppose if it didnt appear to be alive, the fish wasnt interested. While he ate every day, and thrived, feeding them this way can be difficult and is time consuming.

Also, remember wild caught mandarins will be looking for live food, and my be very slow to eat frozen. Many wont take to frozen at all, and once they begin to starve you just cant bring them back.

 

[BfishLpond78]

I am also curious about this as well...

scenario, say you have a stable system...how long before a pod colony is established enough for one of these guys? If you look in the fuge will you see all the pods? If so, how do you know you have enough?

 

[carey]

If you have a stable system and lots and lots of rock with a refugium you should see pods within a few months in your tank. BUT I have noticed in my 125g that the population sometimes explodes and then goes back down to normal. Someweeks I have thousands on my glass sometimes none. That was why I was hesitant to get a wild caught mandarin. But I ogtta say the ORA tank bred one isnt that much better. She is eating some frozen food but not like I want her to.

Also mentioned above, they are very slloooowwww eaters, and most other fish will get the food before they do. I use the turkey baster to feed min