Mandarin advice

[LaWoWee]

Im new to keeping Mandarin dragonets. I bought a female 3 weeks ago and it is doing well and eating mysis and pods. I also started keeping chaeto in a net breeder for that reason a week ago. Shook the breeder yesterday and crap load of pods came out. Since i have a good pod population growing, i want to add a male mandarin. If i add one, will they be okay together? Will they pair or fight?

 

[bskerrichard27]

What size tank? One can.consume all the pods in a short time two would be kinda risky..

 

[LaWoWee]

I have a 40 gallon. Shouldnt i be okay if i have pods populating in my chaeto? The one i have currently gets fat off of mysis.

 

[TommyP]

If you dont mind, what did you have to do for the small net breeder w/ chaeto? Is it as simple as I think, place fishnet in tank w/ chaeto let pods migrate to that spot? I am interested in keeping a mandarin down the line as well which is why I ask. Pics if possible? Thanks!

 

[54seaweed]

it's not as easy as it sounds matching up mandarins is a hit or miss either they will get along or fight till the death

One can.consume all the pods in a short time two would be kinda risky..

This needs to be considered

not only will the mandarins consume the pods so will all the other fish in your tank

I add 3000+ every other day to maintain pod population in my main tank
most fish not only mandarins will consume a well populated tank with pods in 1/2 days

you must be able to breed pods in mass quantity's or it's a loosing battle

I use a 30gal long breeder divided into 3 sections for raising pods , mysiss , and brine shrimp

you must also plump them up with good nutrients like phyco pure copepod blend

this will ensure your fish stay healthy with well needed nutrients

raising feeders can be a lot of work maintaining water for proper temps in each section and water quality as they each require different water quality's , temps and parameters for breeding

it can also get quite smelly if you don't keep up proper maintenance
they require lots of water movement along with lr rubble and decent amounts of macro's to hide in
I also have the lighting set up for 5 hour cycles this fools them
leading them to breed faster

another thing I should mention is always wear long sleeve gloves when handling them as pods will burrow into your pours in your skin quite fast , their like leeches and suck blood

 

[Pushwood]

They should be okay together, just watch them closely, and it is even easier for you since the female is eating prepared foods, that means you don't have to rely on the pods but they are still very beneficial to the health of the mandarins. Good luck

 

[LaWoWee]

it's not as easy as it sounds matching up mandarins is a hit or miss either they will get along or fight till the death

This needs to be considered

not only will the mandarins consume the pods so will all the other fish in your tank

I add 3000+ every other day to maintain pod population in my main tank
most fish not only mandarins will consume a well populated tank with pods in 1/2 days

you must be able to breed pods in mass quantity's or it's a loosing battle

I use a 30gal long breeder divided into 3 sections for raising pods , mysiss , and brine shrimp

you must also plump them up with good nutrients like phyco pure copepod blend

this will ensure your fish stay healthy with well needed nutrients

raising feeders can be a lot of work maintaining water for proper temps in each section and water quality as they each require different water quality's , temps and parameters for breeding

it can also get quite smelly if you don't keep up proper maintenance
they require lots of water movement along with lr rubble and decent amounts of macro's to hide in
I also have the lighting set up for 5 hour cycles this fools them
leading them to breed faster

another thing I should mention is always wear long sleeve gloves when handling them as pods will burrow into your pours in your skin quite fast , their like leeches and suck blood

Thanks for the info. Maybe ill wait to see how fast my pods get depleted because right i can see them all over the tank walls. I built this dragonet feeder box but havent tried to train her on it yet.

If you dont mind, what did you have to do for the small net breeder w/ chaeto? Is it as simple as I think, place fishnet in tank w/ chaeto let pods migrate to that spot? I am interested in keeping a mandarin down the line as well which is why I ask. Pics if possible? Thanks!

This is how i have my chaeto setup in my tank:



No fish ever go in there. My hermits manage to climb in though. My return outtake points into it for waterflow while it catches light from my LEDs. Dont have room in my sump for it nor a good fuge light.

 

[Mr. Crabs]

Bet your Mandy will be the first if it's spewing pods in there.

Did you get an ORA Mandarin?

 

[LaWoWee]

Bet your Mandy will be the first if it's spewing pods in there.

Did you get an ORA Mandarin?

If i do see fish stealing from the cookie jar ill put some egg crate on top. No ORA, shes wild caught. I had the LFS feed frozen brine and watched her eat some before i purchased.

 

[danbstrong]

Im new to keeping Mandarin dragonets. I bought a female 3 weeks ago and it is doing well and eating mysis and pods. I also started keeping chaeto in a net breeder for that reason a week ago. Shook the breeder yesterday and crap load of pods came out. Since i have a good pod population growing, i want to add a male mandarin. If i add one, will they be okay together? Will they pair or fight?

I stocked my fugi once 3 years ago with 1000 pods and i keep a pair of mandarin in 55g they are fat and healthy no need to keep throwing pods in they reproduce at a very rapid rate if they have a safe place

 

[LaWoWee]

I stocked my fugi once 3 years ago with 1000 pods and i keep a pair of mandarin in 55g they are fat and healthy no need to keep throwing pods in they reproduce at a very rapid rate if they have a safe place

Thats comforting to hear. Still kind of scared to make the impulse buy. Gonna give it some time. If my clump of chaeto is still a pod factory in a few weeks then ill seriously consider a 2nd. Ive been wanting to buy a bottle of phyto to squirt into the chaeto to feed the pods.

 

[danbstrong]

Thats comforting to hear. Still kind of scared to make the impulse buy. Gonna give it some time. If my clump of chaeto is still a pod factory in a few weeks then ill seriously consider a 2nd. Ive been wanting to buy a bottle of phyto to squirt into the chaeto to feed the pods.

No need to feed pods at least i never have

 

[MacDracor]

All respect and kudos to danbstrong, but that is not a normal situation. I've spoken to and read of more than three dozen fish keepers with mandarins. While I do not have exact figures, here's a rough idea.
Two dozen lost the mandarin to starvation even in tanks as large as 90, with a thriving refugium full of pods. Half dozen had ORA mandarins, of which maybe two eventually refused frozen food. Those two and four of the remaining half dozen are still alive - but the keeper pours money into pods at least every two weeks, some more often. And then there's one or two (well two or three now with Danbstrong) that have fat mandarins that behave and don't eat all the pods.
Very clearly, it CAN be done. But take nothing for granted, and I gotta be honest, even if your female mandarin eats frozen, there's no guarantee a male will. You need to be prepared to spend money on pods if it comes to that, and hope it doesn't.
All that being said, if you have the luck, and your mandarins pair up, their breeding process is fascinating! And potentially lucrative.

 

[danbstrong]

All respect and kudos to danbstrong, but that is not a normal situation. I've spoken to and read of more than three dozen fish keepers with mandarins. While I do not have exact figures, here's a rough idea.
Two dozen lost the mandarin to starvation even in tanks as large as 90, with a thriving refugium full of pods. Half dozen had ORA mandarins, of which maybe two eventually refused frozen food. Those two and four of the remaining half dozen are still alive - but the keeper pours money into pods at least every two weeks, some more often. And then there's one or two (well two or three now with Danbstrong) that have fat mandarins that behave and don't eat all the pods.
Very clearly, it CAN be done. But take nothing for granted, and I gotta be honest, even if your female mandarin eats frozen, there's no guarantee a male will. You need to be prepared to spend money on pods if it comes to that, and hope it doesn't.
All that being said, if you have the luck, and your mandarins pair up, their breeding process is fascinating! And potentially lucrative.

Ya idk these were my first mandarin i bought them as mated pair i guess i just got lucky they dont mate but they do swim side by side and even sleep together they dont eat frozen tho my other fish dont give them time lol

 

[danbstrong]

Ya idk these were my first mandarin i bought them as mated pair i guess i just got lucky they dont mate but they do swim side by side and even sleep together they dont eat frozen tho my other fish dont give them time lol

I wonder why those mandarin starved with thriving pod population tho seems odd

 

[MacDracor]

Well, it's a numbers game. Assuming no other food source for this.
In the wild, mandarin dragonets are observed picking a pod once every 2-5 seconds. Lets use the conservative number, 5 seconds. That's 12 per minute. 72 per hour. Assume a ten hour light schedule, 720 per day. Even with a breeding population, a single mandarin can consume them faster than they can multiply, unless tere are multiple places in which they can feed and breed without predation. A fuge is good for this, but only if enough travel to the DT each day. Piles of rock rubble in the DT can go a long way towards helping, but ultimately, without additional food (frozen or pellets), this is very difficult to sustain. My guess in your case is that there are lots of nooks and crannies the mandarins cannot reach, plus they are eating some of your other fish food when you're not looking.
I'm not an expert, this is only my guess. Either way, I'm pleased they are doing well!

 

[Mr. Crabs]

I want to chime in again. I tried a Madarin once. It didn't work out. Slowly starved to death over the course of 2-3 months. These little guys are so hard to keep fat and happy. I feel like they need a massive pile of live rock to pick through and sustain for a prolonged period of time. Just one eats a LOT of pods. Cultivating pods in a separate container in the tank is a great idea and you seem committed to success. I give you credit, but adding two might really put both at risk of starvation in a 40.

 

[Sniperhank]

I have one in my 55 reef. I have to order pods monthly to keep it going. He is fat and happy, but he's an expense to say the least. Just gave him 2k more pods yesterday infact.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I agree on this thread. They CAN be kept, but it seems the ones that make it have been weaned to foods other than just pods, or the tank was teeming with pods and no other competition. One wrasse can out eat any Mandarine leaving it to starve. Most of these little fish die early in the aquarium. Less than a couple of years. I love this fish and after years of staying away from them, I am going to try a ORA this winter in my frag tank where I can control things a bit better. But I plan to have several food sources ready to go first.