mandarin goby - Aquarium Advice

beeholtz · 07-02-2009, 08:13 PM

I recently decided to purchase a mandarin goby but the lfs was out so i got a green spotted mandarin goby not my first choice but cool, i have a 9 month established reef tank some mushrooms zoas nothing too crazy, its a 29 gallon, ammonia nitrite nitrate 0 ph 8.3 calcium 370, i have a 2 x 65 watt 1 actinic 1 8,000k bulbs, I have a maroon clown, coral banded shrimp, and the green spotted goby. am i able to house a mandarin goby with the green spotted one w/ oout problems. the reason i got the goby was because i have a copepod explosion for a month or two where they are out 24 hrs a day everywehre in my tank. is it possible to have a mandarin and a green spotted mandarin in this tank? thansk

HN1 · 07-02-2009, 09:08 PM

IMO- No. I would not advise one Mandarin in that tank much less two. Your pod "explosion" is likely to be wiped out very quickly and you will need to supplement with pods or the fish may starve. JMO

pat8you · 07-02-2009, 10:50 PM

If you can't get them to eat an frozen or prepared foods they mandarins will quickly wipe out your pods and then slowly starve over a couple months or less. They are usually already not in great shape when they come in to the stores either. watch to make sure they don't have a sucked in gut behind their fins.

Tank2379 · 07-03-2009, 12:45 AM

Yes I would try to train your Mandarin to eat Prepared Foods. They Love Rods Food if you have any. I would try a Breeders Net and feed him from there. that way you can try a few different choice to feed. I heard of a few Mandarins eating Pellets. But don't worry about your pod Population they will always be there especially if you have a Refugium.

Dr. Dai Phan · 07-09-2009, 10:29 AM

Hello,

In my experience Mandarin fish will ignore flakes but will take brine shrimps. If your tank does not supply enough copepods, buy live brine shrimps and feed them at night time like I do with mine. First, night time feeding will prevent other fish to gulp all the food and second, it allows the mandarin to hunt for live prey at night as they do in the wild. DP

**melosu58** · 07-09-2009, 10:38 AM

One of the problems with feeding brine is that they are not as nutritional for fish. It`s like you sitting down to supper to a plate of twinkies or cupcakes. When I buy them frozen I get them vitamin fortified but I know most mandarins wont eat frozen.

Dr. Dai Phan · 07-10-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melosu58

One of the problems with feeding brine is that they are not as nutritional for fish. It`s like you sitting down to supper to a plate of twinkies or cupcakes. When I buy them frozen I get them vitamin fortified but I know most mandarins wont eat frozen.

True but live brine shrimp is a good adjunctive food for the fish that gets its food through ceaseless hunting. DP