Help...my blue mandarin is not eating!!!

[hoveboy]

Can anyone help?
My blue Mandarin male isn't eating, he is getting very thin and his colour seems to be fading. He spends most of his time sitting in the corner of the tank on the bottom under a piece of live rock.
I have another green mandarin (female) in the same tank and she seems to be fine. She did bully him for a while at first, but has now left him alone.
What can I do? All my other fish/inverts are fine and dandy!!??
Cheers
Stu

ps. apart from the zillions of copods and ampods from the liverock, I have tried live & frozen brineshrimp,flake,krill, mysis.

[reefrunner69]

The behavior seems to be indicitive of two males, rather than a male and a female. I'm surprised that if you have tons of pods in the tank that the mandarin isn't out hunting, unless it is prevented by the other mandarin.

[kidafius]

I feel like you have a very very crowded tank. Mandarins, aside from the pod population requirements, need alot of room to swim around and to hunt. The generally recommended tank size per mandarin is 100 gal. Being that you have 2 mandarins, and 7 other fish, in a 55 gallon aquarium, I think that one of your mandarins is not going to make it.....and it looks to be the blue. You might try to find a new home for him before its too late.

How much LR do you keep in there, if I may ask? They need alot of LR. I am really, really concerned about the # of fish and size of your tank for those Mandarins.

[kidafius]

She did bully him for a while at first, but has now left him alone.

Also, Mandarins, generally, are aggressive to other mandarins, unless mated. FWIW

You can read >>here<< about mated mandarines. It will help you tell if that is what you have or two of the same... 8O

What are the other fish housed in the tank?

Cheers
Steve

[hoveboy]

I have around 30lb of LR all teeming with lots of critters and two types of caulerpa.
All the fish I have are juveniles and are 2 blue damsels, 2 firefish, 2 mandarins (1 blue male splendidus and 1 green female psychedelic), 1 false perc and 1 dragon wrasse. I also have 1 long-spined urchin, 1 pink condylactus, 2 skunk cleaners, several turbos, a couple of tiny red legged hermits and a small Marshall Island blue banded Hermit.

Thanks

[kidafius]

I have around 30lb of LR

8O
I am concerned now about several issues. Please, Please, Please read this site. And also click on the Mandarinfish link on that page
http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dyn...ble%2Fgoby.htm


Please!!!!

Originally Posted by hoveboy

1 dragon wrasse.

You should also be concerned about the wrasse. They are a great and interesting fish but it is also in direct competition with the dragonets food source. Most all wrasses will decimate a pod population in short order.

Cheers
Steve

[hoveboy]

Originally Posted by kidafius

8O
I am concerned now about several issues. Please, Please, Please read this site. And also click on the Mandarinfish link on that page
http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dyn...ble%2Fgoby.htm


Please!!!!

OK, I get the message!! Thanks for the advice. Will make arrangements to return my Splendidus to my LFS tomorrow and pop him into their display reef tank (500gals). As for the female, I think she is doing just fine. Will buy some more LR for her tomorrow too. Have also just ordered some rotifer cysts to cater for her burgeoning appetite. Does this make you a little less concerned now Mark?

Cheers for all your help
I am a newcomer after all and have to learn somehow...even if that does mean making the odd mistake along the way

Oh and thanks Steve for the advice about my little dragon wrasse. I will keep an eye on the situation. Hopefully these rotifers will help

[kidafius]

Sorry, I am a l especially passionate about dragonettes. You might say I a bit zealous. Don't ever be afraid to tell me when I go over the top.