Mandarins, are they really a difficult fish?

[Mightyreefer87]

Yes I do, he's eating on my pod population. He gets to roam a 125 tank, that's crawling in them.

[carey]

Sweet! Good luck

[Mightyreefer87]

Thanks I've seeded the tank twice now, and I keep a close look in their population.

[carey]

As long as he is hunting them actively and you have the pods he should be just fine. I had my scooter for about 2 years and he just suddenly died a few months ago, he was fat so I have no idea what happened. But he ate pellets and frozen food. See if you can get yours to accept pellets or blooworms, mine loved those. Might be easier if he accepted [repared foods on you so you wont have to worry.

[Clownfishlover]

I had a teacher who had one for several years... as long as you have the pods you will be fine.

[Gregcoyote]

Key to keeping all dragonettes is good stock and lots of pods. Otherwise easy to keep, but you HAVE to have the pods unless they are trained to other foods.

[czwicky]

I have had my mandarin for approximately 3 years in my bc29. I have a 20 tall refugium in the stand and a copepod culture tank going at all times. He also eats mysis and I regularly feed him freshly hatched spirulina enriched baby brine. He loves them.

[Gregcoyote]

Originally Posted by czwicky

I have had my mandarin for approximately 3 years in my bc29. I have a 20 tall refugium in the stand and a copepod culture tank going at all times. He also eats mysis and I regularly feed him freshly hatched spirulina enriched baby brine. He loves them.

That's why he is 3 years old! Nice job!

[czwicky]

I spoil all my fish. I grow live brine and hatch baby brine, I culture copepods, I have a tank devoted to growing macro for my angels and tangs, I've had a sponge tank for my angels, I raise daphnia for my freshwater fry and rotifers for my clownfish fry, I culture live phytoplankton, and I make all my own frozen foods from top quality ingredients. And I enrich everything with selcon and amino acids lol. Needless to say the gf thinks the basement is cramped. 19 total tanks running and 5x 10g culture tanks and a 40 breeder qt. I took a 300g water container and turned it into my sump/fuge for my 3 saltwater tanks, excluding the BC29 which is an independent system my oldest fish is a tiger Oscar named dopey (he's not the brightest) at 16 and my oldest saltwater fish is my copperband butterfly at a woping 9 years old. I may have OCD and a bit of an addiction....Hoping to open up and become my LFS soon

[Gregcoyote]

My oldest is a 15 year old coral beauty. I also pamper my fish with a variety of fresh foods. It takes a bit more filtration, but the fishes health is worth it.

That's a old copperband! What does he eat?

[thehowards]

Not the best pic his front fin extends more but we have had our juvenile in a 65g with big pieces of rock for the pods to breed in. Thinking its a male....