something killed my blue mandarin

[Trish300]

Not sure where to put this post. Think I put it in wrong spot. Got a new blue mandarin yesterday. It was doing fine, came home today and found him dead with his head eaten and nothing left but the skull and body. Here is what I have in my tank.

100 gal tank
1 foxface rabbit
2 cardinals
2 firefish
1 scooter blenny
1 pipefish
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner shrimp
1 arrowhead crab
various hermit crabs and snails

In all my research none of these fish were listed as a problem with them.
Anyone have any idea what killed him? I want to get another but can't until I figure out what killed him.

Thanks
Trish

 

[oyf709]

itt is hard to identify who killed it, as most Mandarin are not being taking care of , and it could be half sttarve to death by the time you get it in your tank. It could simply die because of starvation and stress at the same time. It is very likely that something ate it after it died.
All the crabs/hermit crabs and shrimps are capable doing that if it is already dead. Sorry to hear your lost tho as Mandarin is one of the most beautiful fish in Salt water aquarium.

 

[TheTodd]

...and one of the most difficult to keep alive. Was it eating at the store you got it from or were you planning to try and train it? I don't see any fish in there that would kill it. Maybe the emerald crab if it was hungry and lucky enough?

 

[nikki_kaiser]

Not sure where to put this post. Think I put it in wrong spot. Got a new blue mandarin yesterday. It was doing fine, came home today and found him dead with his head eaten and nothing left but the skull and body. Here is what I have in my tank.

100 gal tank
1 foxface rabbit
2 cardinals
2 firefish
1 scooter blenny
1 pipefish
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner shrimp
1 arrowhead crab
various hermit crabs and snails

In all my research none of these fish were listed as a problem with them.
Anyone have any idea what killed him? I want to get another but can't until I figure out what killed him.

Thanks
Trish

It could be a lot of things. Most likely with the timing my guess is stress due to acclimation. Did you drip acclimate? Also, bottom dwelling tank mates can be territorial. It's hard to say as the temperament of fish are general but sometimes you will get a few that are more aggressive than the description indicates.

 

[MacDracor]

I would say the murderer is... (Pause for effect)... the supply chain leading up to your purchase!
As stated already, these are difficult fish under the best of circumstances. That it died so quickly makes me think you never stood a chance.

 

[54seaweed]

Points finger at arrow crab

 

[MacDracor]

Very few things will kill a mandarin. Very few will eat a living one. Their slime coat contains a chemical that is apparently very bad tasting and possibly toxic. Only once their dead will things start chowing down.

 

[Trish300]

My husband picked this fish up so I don't know the paticulars as to how it was eating. He did not look too thin when it arrived, but sometimes its hard to tell, and I immediately put copepods in the tank because I had read up on how difficult it is to feed them. I agree that it must have been stress and maybe he was starving when we got him. I would like to get another one, they are beautiful fish, but I will ask more questions where I buy him. I will probably never know what got him, I hope it wasn't the arrow crab, he doesn't bother any other fish that I have seen. But who knows what goes on in the dark of night lol. Thanks all of you for all your answeres.

Trish

 

[Gregcoyote]

I agree with the others on this forum. He died then the arrow crab or other scavenger did the visible damage. We all harp on mandarins as it is the same story over and over again. There are those that have been successful with them, some because of hard work, some are just lucky. Same with tangs in small tanks. But in general, when a fish or coral is listed as difficult, even moderate care, you should reflect on your experience level before buying.

 

[danbstrong]

Not sure where to put this post. Think I put it in wrong spot. Got a new blue mandarin yesterday. It was doing fine, came home today and found him dead with his head eaten and nothing left but the skull and body. Here is what I have in my tank.

100 gal tank
1 foxface rabbit
2 cardinals
2 firefish
1 scooter blenny
1 pipefish
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner shrimp
1 arrowhead crab
various hermit crabs and snails

In all my research none of these fish were listed as a problem with them.
Anyone have any idea what killed him? I want to get another but can't until I figure out what killed him.

Thanks
Trish

How big is your emerald? Iv personally witness my emerald catch a 5" long goby and drag it behind a rock

 

[Bectan01]

I would love to get a manderin, it's one of my favourite fishes. However I also have a scooter blenny and I asked my LFS of they would get along and they said maybe/maybe not there was the possibility that they might fight to the death...

 

[Gregcoyote]

They will certainly compete for the same foods.

 

[ezy33]

My vote is for the arrow crab.
"It is a hardy, long-lived invertebrate, that can be housed in the reef aquarium. This crab has been known to attack crustaceans such as Banded Coral Shrimp, and may even attack small slow moving fish. All crabs are opportunistic feeders and if insufficient food is present they may pick at mushrooms or polyps searching for food."
Arrow Crab

 

[Wendy8184]

Mandarins are the most beautiful fish in the hobby no doubt. But i have learned to walk right past them in the stores. Even if you get the healthiest one, you still have almost no chance of keeping it alive... because they are so picky about what they eat. I dont understand why lfs sell the most difficult fish at the lowest prices.. seems like if they sold them for ALOT of money people would be more reluctant to buy them. By the way i noticed you are from Grapevine... where do you shop for fish and corals? I come up that way from time to time and would like to know some shops to go to.

 

[danbstrong]

Mandarins are the most beautiful fish in the hobby no doubt. But i have learned to walk right past them in the stores. Even if you get the healthiest one, you still have almost no chance of keeping it alive... because they are so picky about what they eat. I dont understand why lfs sell the most difficult fish at the lowest prices.. seems like if they sold them for ALOT of money people would be more reluctant to buy them. By the way i noticed you are from Grapevine... where do you shop for fish and corals? I come up that way from time to time and would like to know some shops to go to.

I disagree on madarin being hard to keep ive kept a pair in a 55g for over 3 years and before that i kept one in the same 55g for a few years until a housefire destroyed my aquarium only thing needed is a good refugium for pods to reproduce without a fugi yes i agree they will not survive

 

[melosu58]

I disagree on madarin being hard to keep ive kept a pair in a 55g for over 3 years and before that i kept one in the same 55g for a few years until a housefire destroyed my aquarium only thing needed is a good refugium for pods to reproduce without a fugi yes i agree they will not survive

You might disagree but my estimation is that you just got a good pair and you probably have alot of pods in your tank. The fact of the matter is that most mandarins dont make it. They will last till the pods run out and then fall to starvation. I`m glad yours made it but the majority dont. They need a big tank with alot of LR to breed more pods and to keep the tank full of them.

 

[danbstrong]

You might disagree but my estimation is that you just got a good pair and you probably have alot of pods in your tank. The fact of the matter is that most mandarins dont make it. They will last till the pods run out and then fall to starvation. I`m glad yours made it but the majority dont. They need a big tank with alot of LR to breed more pods and to keep the tank full of them.

Thats why i said you need a good refugium for pods to reproduce lol i do agree also that you need a lot of lr i have about 60lbs in a 55g most mandarin probably dont make it because lack of areas for pods to reproduce
mandarin are not hard to keep they just need the right environment cant just toss them in an aquarium and hope for the best So yes most probably dont make it but not because their hard to keep but because their not provided with what they need

 

[melosu58]

Thats why i said you need a good refugium for pods to reproduce lol i do agree also that you need a lot of lr i have about 60lbs in a 55g most mandarin probably dont make it because lack of areas for pods to reproduce
mandarin are not hard to keep they just need the right environment cant just toss them in an aquarium and hope for the best So yes most probably dont make it but not because their hard to keep but because their not provided with what they need

I can agree with that.

 

[Gregcoyote]

You have been lucky. 99% of them don't make it long term.

 

[danbstrong]

You have been lucky. 99% of them don't make it long term.

Maybe luck i chalk it up to meeting its requirements ive had 3 and all have lived 2 are still goin strong and the one went down with a housefire but it was going strong for 2 almost 3 years my buddy somehow trained his to eat frozen now thats what i call luck