Whats the best advice i can get for a spotted mandarine?

[Skuseman]

I purchased a spotted mandarine tonight. I was wondering if anyone has any good thoughts about good care of them? I got a little advice from the local fish store. But i wanted everyone opinion here. Thanks[/code]

 

[Fluff]

The best advice I can give you is that these fish do best with a good bit of live rock with a plentiful supply of pods to eat. This normally requires an established system. I've also read of people using fuges to propagate pods for the madarin. Good luck. They are great fish.

 

[saltwatersmac]

Really should do research before purchase but I've also done this before I knew better . Here ya go


http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.php?s=&name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=3

Good Luck

 

[cmor1701d]

Read that article. It's quite good. I have LR and macro in my sump (fuge area) for breeding pods and a large pod pile in my tank. I have two juvenile mandarins (didn't see one for a month, bought another, then saw both a month later). My tank is 125 gallons with 190+ pounds of LR and a DSB. It was set up for over a year before I got a mandrin.

 

[Skuseman]

Dumb question what is a pod and what lives inside of it and how do i get the little critters to plant into the pod? This was not a good fish to buy i have no lr or pods. I was told they eat live foods so i planned on simply feeding them brine shrimp.I'm glad to have you guys here to help thanks in advance.

 

[saltwatersmac]

A pod is short for copepods or amphipods. They are small animals that are natural prey for the mandarin and other species. Mandarins are known as pod-eating machines. I have read where some have coaxed them into taking other foods but it seems to be a rarity. Many people purchase mandarins after bad advice from LFS. They are beautiful fish and inexpensive...a combination not common in this hobby. You might consider trying some other foods since you already have it but it might be a better idea to find a new home.

 

[Salttanker]

I would bring it back if you can. It will likely starve without LR and/or PODS. They are beautiful though.

Mike

 

[seaham358]

If you have no LR IMO you should take it back to the LFS and get your money back. Even if it eats some prepaired foods it needs pods for the long haul.
How old and what size tank..

 

[Skuseman]

My Mandarin is eating flakes and granules and also brine shrimp he is starting to plump out again. I'm going to be getting some live rock in the next couple weeks. What a cool fish.

 

[Scottm]

you got lucky. most people can't get those things to eat anything. Mine loves wardleys shrimp pellets and frozen brine shrimp though so I got lucky too.

 

[DragonForce]

It seems to me that alot more Manderin are eating flake, brine, pellets frozen etc than people really know. I am constantly hearing storiers of Manderin eating perfectly fine.

 

[Skuseman]

Not to change the subject but i have been lucky in regards to getting fish to eat different foods. My vilante puffer eats whatever i put intot he tank. when i got him he would only eat frozen krill.

 

[flamingonhot]

yes there are more accounts of them eating other foods but just because somebody else has had that happen doesnt mean you should buy one without having an established colony of copepods.

Also try enriching its food so it gets plenty of nutrients and stuff. A lot have people that have gotten them on flake and whatnot have had them die due to lack of nutrients.

you really should do research on any sw fish before you buy it. Well for any fish for that matter.

Someone should really start a species profile on mandarins. Maybe i should submit one lol.Most people who have these have no idea what they really eat or how to keep them. but so far it seems like your doing pretty good since you had no lr, got it without knowing anything about it really, and expecting it to eat flake food.....and suprisingly it did!

if you do get lr get a lot of it and some macro. if it new lr the mandarind will make short work of the existing pods on it. try culturing some first then add them to te tank.

HTH

 

[djlynch]

I have a green mandarin in a 125 with 150# of live rock and he does NOT eat the misis i feed the tank, he only grazes on the live rock. Just like flamingonhot said , the best advice to keep a mandarin is to get some liverock.. alot of it. Honestly, I bought some (over 70#) of seeded rock from a friends tank just to keep a mandarin.

There is a GREAT 7 page article in the 2005 annual "Marine Fish and Reef USA" magazine titled "secrets to successful mandarinfish keeping". Go to a local fish store and you can probably find a copy of this magazine. Excellent advice.

HTH

 

[Brenden]

My LFS has been in business for 50+years he told me he sells 5 or 6 a week and has had around 1 out of 500 that would eat prepared food.