Fell in love with a mandarin!

[Mjpendrey]

Went to my LFS earlier wich was two hours of driving there and back! Got there an they tried to sell me a Orca tl550 complete with water, sand, 6kg of live rock, test kit, Refractometer, koralia powerhead, book, and a voucher for two clownfish for when the tank has cycled. It was £450! Don't know if that's a good deal or not lol! But anyways finally saw some sexy shrimp and man Carey was right they are tiny!! Decided against them but I did fall in love with some stunning mandarins there shame I can't get them anybody successfully got a colony going in a nano?? Obviously I already know that you have to have a well established tank, just thinking further down the line I'd love to get one.

 

[scubasteve03]

Manderins are awsome fish. After your tank is cycled you can seed it with copeods. If you have good rock work thay will stick. Or if your lucky like my friend it will eat missis and brine.

 

[Buffy]

Went to my LFS earlier wich was two hours of driving there and back! Got there an they tried to sell me a Orca tl550 complete with water, sand, 6kg of live rock, test kit, Refractometer, koralia powerhead, book, and a voucher for two clownfish for when the tank has cycled. It was £450! Don't know if that's a good deal or not lol! But anyways finally saw some sexy shrimp and man Carey was right they are tiny!! Decided against them but I did fall in love with some stunning mandarins there shame I can't get them anybody successfully got a colony going in a nano?? Obviously I already know that you have to have a well established tank, just thinking further down the line I'd love to get one.

I'm loving the Mandarin also, I will have one someday

 

[alLexX]

i dont think a nano can support a mandarin tht wont eat frozen food

 

[Buffy]

i dont think a nano can support a mandarin tht wont eat frozen food

The looks like there will be an upgrade building coming in someone's future LOL.

 

[Mjpendrey]

The guy in the LFS only had two and he said they had been there a long time as nobody bits them because everyone thinks they are really hard to get to eat, but he said the two he has there both eat brine shrimp etc but don't think I'll chance it.

 

[Ratrob57]

The guy in the LFS only had two and he said they had been there a long time as nobody bits them because everyone thinks they are really hard to get to eat, but he said the two he has there both eat brine shrimp etc but don't think I'll chance it.

When ever a LFS says that finicky fish is eating for them. I ask when they do thier normal feeding then have them hold the animal till they can show me in person that they eat. Also I have a target mandarin in my 14g bio cube and a green mandarin in my 40 they are fat eating up all the cope's they want and if I ever see thier little stomaches not plump I order some live cope's and put them in the tank. I also run loads of rock in my tanks allowing way extra copepod hiding places. I love mandarins their my fav

 

[Mjpendrey]

Beautiful fish!! How do you target feed?

 

[Ratrob57]

Beautiful fish!! How do you target feed?

I don't I just make sure the tanks have a good copepod population and let the little guys graze they do best when they can just graze for food all day a little at a time.

The target i mentioned is just the type of mandarin.

 

[carey]

I target feed my mandarin and my scooter with a turkey baster. The mandarin is eating frozen foods for me so far and I just squirt some of the food her way and she munches.

I also made sure she ate prepared foods at the LFS, this one I got is an ORA and is raised on prepared foods but alot of times they too will revert to pods. I have a fuge in my 29g cube where these fish are and I also have a 125g with refugium in case the mandarin in the cube doesnt work out as I have really healthy population of pods in there.

 

[Ratrob57]

I target feed my mandarin and my scooter with a turkey baster. The mandarin is eating frozen foods for me so far and I just squirt some of the food her way and she munches.

I also made sure she ate prepared foods at the LFS, this one I got is an ORA and is raised on prepared foods but alot of times they too will revert to pods. I have a fuge in my 29g cube where these fish are and I also have a 125g with refugium in case the mandarin in the cube doesnt work out as I have really healthy population of pods in there.

O have a nautilus sea squirt I use for target feeding corals and I. Reverse to remove flat worms it's like a turkey Bastet on crack it is extendable to reach deep tanks and has graduated volume marks so you can feed or dose the right amount

 

[carey]

Yep, I have the sea squirt too, I use it in my 125g since it's so tall. lol But that works too.

 

[Mjpendrey]

Having Copepods will that affect my levels??

 

[Ratrob57]

Having Copepods will that affect my levels??

Copepods only help they consume unused food and waste an provide food to larger creatures

 

[Ratrob57]

Having Copepods will that affect my levels??

Any tank having live rock and being setup for a while will eventually have Copepods anyway they are good

 

[Mjpendrey]

can add them to a nano leave them for a few months and then add a mandarin? do i need to keep replenshing the copepods or will the breed on thier own?

 

[newbjank]

can add them to a nano leave them for a few months and then add a mandarin? do i need to keep replenshing the copepods or will the breed on thier own?

Please some one jump on this question as I would like to know also.

 

[slitherbomb]

You should just try to buy a mandarin that eats prepared food. It's better for the fish and you.

 

[Ratrob57]

can add them to a nano leave them for a few months and then add a mandarin? do i need to keep replenshing the copepods or will the breed on thier own?

I have never lost a mandarin by following a few simple steps. When setting up my tank I have always found people who have health old reef tanks and purchased some of my live rock and some of my live sand from them I have found luck locally but you can always check your LFS and if they have a large display tank that's the one to buy from not thier livestock tanks. I also buy "seasoned" water again finding someone local to buy water that comes from thier tank. Doing this make my tanks cycle super fSt it is more like moving a tank than setting up new as everything is live. When you get good live sand a d rock you get a free kick tart to your cope population. Copepods only require a running tank with live rock and a source of food to multiply. I have never put anything in to feed them as they live off scraps and waste. So just get your tank setup with the most season ingredients you can. Once your cycle ends add live stock the. Wait for your tank to find it's rhythm this usually happens after a few months when your levels stay in check and you know what you are looking at and looking for In your tank and livestock. At this point if I am not seeing a bunch of cope action in the tank I buy some live copes either reef nutrition, reef soup, or locally cultured and add them. Once I have a steady amount of copes I add my mandarin and then just keep an eye on him. If thier tummy ever doesn't look full add some more copes even when I get them eating other foods I still watch the cope pop. I run my tanks almost filled to the gills with live rock so the copes have many homes and lots of hiding places to reproduce but running a refugium could never hurt to keep a tank stocked with copes.

 

[Durango]

I found cyclops on the LFS and it's frozen copods will this work cause I really want a mandarin too!!