Mandarins, are they really a difficult fish?

[nuwave59]

Fell in love with one, was expecting it to die due to small tank and not enough pods. I asked the shopkeeper, and she confirmed that it was eating brine shrimp, and yes it is! I have it since december, and it's doing wonderfully! If I were you, I'd buy a specimen that's already eating. A collegue of mine bought one a month ago. took a few days before it eat frozen shrimps, but it eats like mine now. I think that you have to be lucky with that one, or have a pool with lots of pods.

[Gregcoyote]

I hope this lasts long term. 6 months isn't quite enough to claim success yet, but good luck.

[Sergie]

Originally Posted by nuwave59

I think that you have to be lucky with that one, or have a pool with lots of pods.

I don't know why people think that. They do not eat millions of pods a day. I have a mandarin in my 90 that only eats pods and I still have enough for probably two more mandarins, not that I will buy two. If you have sufficient rock that are porous, you won't have a problem with pods. Im not saying everyone go buy a mandarin, but I'm also not saying buy a mandarin that eats brine or mysis. Personally, if they aren't eating just pods, I don't think it's right.

[ShaunV]

Great looking fish. Maybe someday when I get a bigger tank. Until then, I will just watch them at the LFS.

[Gregcoyote]

They are a really cool fish. Several long articles have been published, as they have been a mystery as to how to get them to eat reliably for most of this decade. Much more is now known. But as this forum shows...everyone has a story about the success or failure with one of them. But as I have mentioned a few pages back, I am more interested about hearing stories about keeping one at least half it's natural lifespan, taking into account the fish might be a few years old before it hits your home reef. If you have had a fat one for years...you have really succeeded I think. But a few months is what we were proud to keep coral alive for, a few decades back. Now I look back on all the pretty coral I slaughtered because I wasn't smart enough, or technology wasn't there to make my purchase something that would last years rather than months. While many on this forum have had success with this fish, there are far too many, myself included, that have for now given up and waiting for better stock or clarity in long term care for this crazy cool little fish. ORA might be part of the answer...but I have heard hit and miss tails with even their feeding habits.

[PistolPete]

Our collective efforts will get us where we need to be. Sharing our failures and successes with one another is a great way to ensure we are not making the same mistakes and providing the best quality of life for our fish. I have done nearly 4 months of research on Mandarins before I felt comfortable with even thinking about getting one.

I think in the end just be proactive with this beautiful fish, because from all the failures there seems to be a common 'breaking point' with the fish. What I am referring to is when people become complacent with the job they have done and start to slack the fish starts to slide backwards. And it is almost as if it becomes stubborn again and gives up.

Remain proactive with your Mandarin and give it the life it deserved.

That is my two cents.

[Blackfish down]

Does nitrites effect it or is that unknown?

[carey]

No tank with fish or livestock should have ANY nitrites.

[Ptrick125]

Originally Posted by Gregcoyote

I hope this lasts long term. 6 months isn't quite enough to claim success yet, but good luck.

With about 6 months you start to get the hang of it, and it's long enough to blame it on the fish if it dies...

[MarinaClown]

I picked one up yesterday because I saw it eat brine shrimp at the LFS. So I got excited and brought him home. He was in a breeders net after i acclimated him. I was going to keep him there till I turned off the lights.
Then I realized that feeding the guy frozen food once or twice a day may be insufficient without pods. Called my LFS and asked how much for a pack of 2000 pods. He said $16.99. I sad screw it. Took the guy out of the breeders net took him back to LFS and got a purple firefish instead. I am happy with my decision and slept better at night.

[Breakthecycle2]

I have one in Biocube for awhile now. I add Pods every week or other weeks and he seems to be doing OK.

[Gregcoyote]

Originally Posted by Breakthecycle2

I have one in Biocube for awhile now. I add Pods every week or other weeks and he seems to be doing OK.

As long as you keep his food source going, they aren't hard to keep. But keeping a tab on the food source isn't that easy. Adding pods is good insurance.

[Andyden71]

Sorry for asking but what are pods and how do they grow in a tank iv got a 55g with only about 11lbs of live rock I don't have a mandarin in but would love one but need to know its gonna feed iv got a algae blenny

[Gregcoyote]

Unless you have a good renewable copeopod source, or a dragonette (mandarin) that accepts prepared foods, it will starve. Period.

Pods eat phytoplankton and reproduce in swarms under proper conditions. Google "growing Copeopods."

[Andyden71]

I add phytoplankton into tank to feed my xania and polyps

[Sergie]

Pods eat more than plankton. They'll eat leftover anything. I never once fed phytoplankton and all my corals grew and my mandarin kept getting fatter. Don't say it's not possible. Period.

[Gregcoyote]

Originally Posted by Sergie

Pods eat more than plankton. They'll eat leftover anything. I never once fed phytoplankton and all my corals grew and my mandarin kept getting fatter. Don't say it's not possible. Period.

How old is your mandarin and does it eat prepared food? How big is your system? Bet it has more rock in it than the person who posted the question. I was referring to raising pods. It's done with phytoplankton. They do eat other things:

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/copepod.htm

For the vast majority of mandarins, it's starvation that takes them out long before their natural life span. Mine is fat and plump, so far, but I supply hundreds of pods a week to him. This is a topic that has been discussed into the ground. Most of them starve...and by period, I meant you can wish it wasn't so, but it is. Don't mean to sound like a grump. I just hate the death rate on these little guys.

[54seaweed]

Melevsreef.com - Mandarin Care

[Mightyreefer87]

I bought one not a week ago and it hid under a rock and starved. I now have a Ocellated dragonet, or "Scooter Blenny". Haven't seen him stand still since he hit the sand bed. Not as pretty but still an awesome fish.

Here's a pic, he's so busy it's hard to get a good shot.

[carey]

You do realize that a scooter blenny is very similar to the mandarin as far as feeding? Is he eating pellets or frozen?