Green Man. dragon Gobi
- Thread starter daftboy
- Start date
deejeff442
Active Member
just dump them in the tank .
do you have a sump?
the best way to keep a mandarin is to have a sump with lots of lr rubble for the pods to breed .the mandarin will eat a thousand pods a day .
some people can get thier mandarin to eat frozen along with the pods in thetank but it is a tough task.
do you have a sump?
the best way to keep a mandarin is to have a sump with lots of lr rubble for the pods to breed .the mandarin will eat a thousand pods a day .
some people can get thier mandarin to eat frozen along with the pods in thetank but it is a tough task.
deejeff442
Active Member
yes just dump them in.
i would suggest ditching the canister for a sump.
just get a tank 10-20 gallon that will fit in your stand and fill it with rock rubble it doesnt have to be lr it can be base rock.
the mandarin really needs a good supply of pods to live.
i have mine in a 90 gallon with a 30 gallon sump the only thing in my sump is 40 lbs of rock,heater and the return pump.
the pods need a safe place to breed.
unless you are willing to spend $20 a week on pods.
the mandarin will slowly starve without pods.
i would suggest ditching the canister for a sump.
just get a tank 10-20 gallon that will fit in your stand and fill it with rock rubble it doesnt have to be lr it can be base rock.
the mandarin really needs a good supply of pods to live.
i have mine in a 90 gallon with a 30 gallon sump the only thing in my sump is 40 lbs of rock,heater and the return pump.
the pods need a safe place to breed.
unless you are willing to spend $20 a week on pods.
the mandarin will slowly starve without pods.
deejeff442
Active Member
pretty much.
do you have an overflow box or a predrilled tank?
i can take a pic of my setup if you want.
pretty simple and it adds more water volume to the tank set up for better water quality .
do you have an overflow box or a predrilled tank?
i can take a pic of my setup if you want.
pretty simple and it adds more water volume to the tank set up for better water quality .
jimmy40741
Member
You don't have to have a sump, nor do you have to buy $20 worth of pods a week. If you have a large enough tank with enough LR pods will breed in the tank and even in HOB filters enough to sustain a Mandarin. I don't have a sump and do not buy pods and have had a Mandarin living in my 75 gallon for over a year now. And he's happy, healthy and fat as a little pig.
deejeff442
Active Member
mandarins can live over a year before they starve.
meowzer
Moderator
Originally Posted by Daftboy
http:///forum/post/3121947
I have a 28 gal. with 30 lbs of live rock...its 4 months old.. what do you think i should do ?
IMO...Bring it back to the lfs for credit, and kindly explain to your g/f, that as much as you love the gift, it is not a good fit with your tank, and in the future, a gift certificate would be better
http:///forum/post/3121947
I have a 28 gal. with 30 lbs of live rock...its 4 months old.. what do you think i should do ?
IMO...Bring it back to the lfs for credit, and kindly explain to your g/f, that as much as you love the gift, it is not a good fit with your tank, and in the future, a gift certificate would be better
meowzer
Moderator
Originally Posted by Daftboy
http:///forum/post/3121959
well meowzer like i said in another post.. i have a 50 gallon that im getting ready right now as well
AND...what are you saying?
Is this 50G new also? The mandarin needs an established tank with LOTS of LR, and LOTS of pods
http:///forum/post/3121959
well meowzer like i said in another post.. i have a 50 gallon that im getting ready right now as well
AND...what are you saying?
Is this 50G new also? The mandarin needs an established tank with LOTS of LR, and LOTS of pods
deejeff442
Active Member
seriously, mine is in a 90 gallon with 150 lbs of lr and a 30 gallon sump with 40 lbs of rubble.
i would consider this to be minimum.
i know mandarins are a small fish but they are a very tough fish to keep in the long run.
seeing they are a pretty cheap fish to buy and look so cool.
they really need a tank set up especially for them.
some will say i have had mine for over a year and it looks great ,but these fish will not look malnurished at all and one day they will find the poor thing dead.
they can go along time without proper nutrition but will be suffering in the meanwhile.
if you really want one i would find a 90 gallon used and use your 30 as a sump and find some rubble rock .
i know most will say the tank has to be a year old at least but if you have alot of lr and seed the hell out of the tank with pods they will breed pretty fast.i would put one in a tank that is a few months old as long as the lr is from an old tank and been running for a while.
you could do a hob filter filled with rubble for the pods to breed but imo this is just too small an area for the breeding.
if you just have a tank no matter how much rock you have and no seperate place to where the fish cannot get to the pods they will all be eaten in short time.like i said they die a slow death if not feed right.
these guys are known to eat a thousand pods a day.
i would consider this to be minimum.
i know mandarins are a small fish but they are a very tough fish to keep in the long run.
seeing they are a pretty cheap fish to buy and look so cool.
they really need a tank set up especially for them.
some will say i have had mine for over a year and it looks great ,but these fish will not look malnurished at all and one day they will find the poor thing dead.
they can go along time without proper nutrition but will be suffering in the meanwhile.
if you really want one i would find a 90 gallon used and use your 30 as a sump and find some rubble rock .
i know most will say the tank has to be a year old at least but if you have alot of lr and seed the hell out of the tank with pods they will breed pretty fast.i would put one in a tank that is a few months old as long as the lr is from an old tank and been running for a while.
you could do a hob filter filled with rubble for the pods to breed but imo this is just too small an area for the breeding.
if you just have a tank no matter how much rock you have and no seperate place to where the fish cannot get to the pods they will all be eaten in short time.like i said they die a slow death if not feed right.
these guys are known to eat a thousand pods a day.
R
roxannej
Guest
It's mandarin dragonette, BTW. The Mandarin is not a goby.
As others have told you, a mandarin needs a well established (1+ year) tank to survive, regardless of your tank setup.
If you are determined to keep the fish, then you have a duty to learn what kind of care you must provide. The most important food source for a mandarin is a healthy, established pod population in the tank. If you are not willing to provide that, you will kill the fish unless you invest the time to train the fish to frozen and/or pellet foods.
Here's a great post by Matt Pedersen, who is actively breeding these fish, on how to train them to frozen:
Chris, I know exactly how to do this. I've written it up several times, so pardon my brevity. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have!
#1. I put any new Synchiropus into a "Breeder Net" - it's a small net pen that you hang in the tank. This allows the Synchiropus to be isolated from the rest of the community, allowing it to settle in and not have to compete for food. This is the crucial first step...skipping this makes the rest relatively pointless!
#2. Start off with feeding ENRICHED adult live brine shrimp. Enriching is crucial...I like using Selcon for a final enrichment, and I feed the adult brine shrimp with phytoplankton I've cultured here (T-Iso, Nanno, Tetraselmis etc).
#3. What happens is that the mandarins get accustomed to taking the live brine shrimp. Having the breeder net, typically what happens is that external currents will push the live brine up against one of the sides of the container...so they get pinned there. So you have a live, wriggling brine shrimp sitting there on the "substrate", and to a Synchiropus this is a pretty natural presentaiton.
#4. Once the Synchiropus is feeding well on live brine shrimp, you start mixing in frozen enriched brine shrimp. While it doesn't wriggle, it otherwise looks the same and gets pinned to the side of the container just like the live stuff does. It may happen quick, or it may take weeks, but once you see the Synchiropus take the frozen brine a couple times, I generally quickly wean the fish off live brine.
#5. Once the fish is eating enriched frozen brine consistently, introducing new foods is simply a matter of time. The next food in the progression is frozen mysis, and FWIW, a Synchiropus will live, get fat and spawn on a diet of enriched frozen brine and mysis.
#6. Once the fish is feeding well on the foods I want to be sure it eats, the fish is ready to go into the tank at large. I've found using a "Feeding Station" (look this up in relation to Seahorses) works really well with Synchiropus (also look up Malev's Mandarin Diner). You have to watch the Dragonette to make sure it's getting what it needs and that it's found the feeding station and otherwise just not getting outcompeted. FWIW, this is probably more of a problem in a LARGER aquarium vs. a smaller one (i.e. I keep 2 Synchiropus splendidus and 2 S. stellatus in a 24 gallon cube...it works and "breaks the rules" because they're all fully trained onto prepared foods and I feed pretty heavily!) If the fish goes into the main tank and starts to get thin, you'll have to repeat the process or reconsider the community it's going into (obviously if we are talking a breeding situation with dedicated broodstock tanks, outcompetition shouldn't be an issue!)
Bottom line, once they settle in, they are pretty solid fish in my book. Obviously you need to start with healthy fish, i.e. avoid the really emmaciated specimens...they are too far gone. Look for the ones that are active and picking around the tank for food.
As far as PELLETS, my only thing with those is that it takes a LONG time. Luis made the observation that he tried an old batch and didn't have any luck..when he used a newly opened container they went right to it. Mine mandarins probably took 6 months or longer to accept pellets, whereas my Red Scooter Blennies may take them in as little as 2 week's time! Formula 1 pellets (smallest size) seem to be the ideal first pellet to offer -they're soft and have a really enticing smell. After that I've been able to get mine to also eat Formula 2 pellets and Spectrum Pellets.
Bottom line, If you take your time and dedicate the effort, you'll have no problem.
FWIW,
Matt
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/364424/green-man-dragon-gobi#post_3121985
Just remember that you have to keep the mandarin well fed or it will die. As you can see above, it takes a lot of effort and patience to accomplish this task.
Mandarins are like aquatic hummingbirds - always eating.
As others have told you, a mandarin needs a well established (1+ year) tank to survive, regardless of your tank setup.
If you are determined to keep the fish, then you have a duty to learn what kind of care you must provide. The most important food source for a mandarin is a healthy, established pod population in the tank. If you are not willing to provide that, you will kill the fish unless you invest the time to train the fish to frozen and/or pellet foods.
Here's a great post by Matt Pedersen, who is actively breeding these fish, on how to train them to frozen:
Chris, I know exactly how to do this. I've written it up several times, so pardon my brevity. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have!
#1. I put any new Synchiropus into a "Breeder Net" - it's a small net pen that you hang in the tank. This allows the Synchiropus to be isolated from the rest of the community, allowing it to settle in and not have to compete for food. This is the crucial first step...skipping this makes the rest relatively pointless!
#2. Start off with feeding ENRICHED adult live brine shrimp. Enriching is crucial...I like using Selcon for a final enrichment, and I feed the adult brine shrimp with phytoplankton I've cultured here (T-Iso, Nanno, Tetraselmis etc).
#3. What happens is that the mandarins get accustomed to taking the live brine shrimp. Having the breeder net, typically what happens is that external currents will push the live brine up against one of the sides of the container...so they get pinned there. So you have a live, wriggling brine shrimp sitting there on the "substrate", and to a Synchiropus this is a pretty natural presentaiton.
#4. Once the Synchiropus is feeding well on live brine shrimp, you start mixing in frozen enriched brine shrimp. While it doesn't wriggle, it otherwise looks the same and gets pinned to the side of the container just like the live stuff does. It may happen quick, or it may take weeks, but once you see the Synchiropus take the frozen brine a couple times, I generally quickly wean the fish off live brine.
#5. Once the fish is eating enriched frozen brine consistently, introducing new foods is simply a matter of time. The next food in the progression is frozen mysis, and FWIW, a Synchiropus will live, get fat and spawn on a diet of enriched frozen brine and mysis.
#6. Once the fish is feeding well on the foods I want to be sure it eats, the fish is ready to go into the tank at large. I've found using a "Feeding Station" (look this up in relation to Seahorses) works really well with Synchiropus (also look up Malev's Mandarin Diner). You have to watch the Dragonette to make sure it's getting what it needs and that it's found the feeding station and otherwise just not getting outcompeted. FWIW, this is probably more of a problem in a LARGER aquarium vs. a smaller one (i.e. I keep 2 Synchiropus splendidus and 2 S. stellatus in a 24 gallon cube...it works and "breaks the rules" because they're all fully trained onto prepared foods and I feed pretty heavily!) If the fish goes into the main tank and starts to get thin, you'll have to repeat the process or reconsider the community it's going into (obviously if we are talking a breeding situation with dedicated broodstock tanks, outcompetition shouldn't be an issue!)
Bottom line, once they settle in, they are pretty solid fish in my book. Obviously you need to start with healthy fish, i.e. avoid the really emmaciated specimens...they are too far gone. Look for the ones that are active and picking around the tank for food.
As far as PELLETS, my only thing with those is that it takes a LONG time. Luis made the observation that he tried an old batch and didn't have any luck..when he used a newly opened container they went right to it. Mine mandarins probably took 6 months or longer to accept pellets, whereas my Red Scooter Blennies may take them in as little as 2 week's time! Formula 1 pellets (smallest size) seem to be the ideal first pellet to offer -they're soft and have a really enticing smell. After that I've been able to get mine to also eat Formula 2 pellets and Spectrum Pellets.
Bottom line, If you take your time and dedicate the effort, you'll have no problem.
FWIW,
Matt
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/364424/green-man-dragon-gobi#post_3121985
Just remember that you have to keep the mandarin well fed or it will die. As you can see above, it takes a lot of effort and patience to accomplish this task.
Mandarins are like aquatic hummingbirds - always eating.
R
roxannej
Guest
Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/3121982
seriously, mine is in a 90 gallon with 150 lbs of lr and a 30 gallon sump with 40 lbs of rubble.
i would consider this to be minimum.
i know mandarins are a small fish but they are a very tough fish to keep in the long run.
seeing they are a pretty cheap fish to buy and look so cool.
they really need a tank set up especially for them.
some will say i have had mine for over a year and it looks great ,but these fish will not look malnurished at all and one day they will find the poor thing dead.
they can go along time without proper nutrition but will be suffering in the meanwhile.
if you really want one i would find a 90 gallon used and use your 30 as a sump and find some rubble rock .
i know most will say the tank has to be a year old at least but if you have alot of lr and seed the hell out of the tank with pods they will breed pretty fast.i would put one in a tank that is a few months old as long as the lr is from an old tank and been running for a while.
you could do a hob filter filled with rubble for the pods to breed but imo this is just too small an area for the breeding.
if you just have a tank no matter how much rock you have and no seperate place to where the fish cannot get to the pods they will all be eaten in short time.like i said they die a slow death if not feed right.
these guys are known to eat a thousand pods a day.
Great post!
I would just correct one thing - mandarins don't need a large tank, just a well established one. I have a breeding pair in a 30 gallon tank.
http:///forum/post/3121982
seriously, mine is in a 90 gallon with 150 lbs of lr and a 30 gallon sump with 40 lbs of rubble.
i would consider this to be minimum.
i know mandarins are a small fish but they are a very tough fish to keep in the long run.
seeing they are a pretty cheap fish to buy and look so cool.
they really need a tank set up especially for them.
some will say i have had mine for over a year and it looks great ,but these fish will not look malnurished at all and one day they will find the poor thing dead.
they can go along time without proper nutrition but will be suffering in the meanwhile.
if you really want one i would find a 90 gallon used and use your 30 as a sump and find some rubble rock .
i know most will say the tank has to be a year old at least but if you have alot of lr and seed the hell out of the tank with pods they will breed pretty fast.i would put one in a tank that is a few months old as long as the lr is from an old tank and been running for a while.
you could do a hob filter filled with rubble for the pods to breed but imo this is just too small an area for the breeding.
if you just have a tank no matter how much rock you have and no seperate place to where the fish cannot get to the pods they will all be eaten in short time.like i said they die a slow death if not feed right.
these guys are known to eat a thousand pods a day.
Great post!
I would just correct one thing - mandarins don't need a large tank, just a well established one. I have a breeding pair in a 30 gallon tank.