Green Mandarin Dragonet

[kevin5500]

I have read some of the posts pertaining to the Green Mandarin and how fragile it is. I have just recently set up a 36 gallon aquarium with about 15 pounds of live rock. One of my fish is a Green Mandarin, added to the tank on July 23rd. He seems to be doing fine right now but I'm afraid that won't continue based on what I have read here. I purchased 1 bag of 200 copepods from this website and added it to the tank. Is there anything else I can do to increase my chance of sucess with this fish? Do I have to add more copepods in the future or will they multiply fine on their own?
Kevin -

[hr]
Head

 

[doktorj99]

you don't have enough live rock or copods to support him...your best bet is to bring him back and wait until you can give him the right enviorment....when did you set up your tank??....you need to have a tank that is atleast a year plus old.....sorry to be the bearer of bad news but he looks good now but he will starve soon....

 

[lsu]

The tank is too small and there is not enough Lr, return him and get something else, sorry. The bottled pods will be eaten before they have a chance to reproduce, unless you can add a couple of bottles per week.

 

[kevin34]

Ya like everyone else said the tank is too small and there simply isnt enough live rock to support it. I would return it and get a new one if you ever upgrade to a 90+ gallon tank.

 

[kevin5500]

I hear what you all are saying but I purchased him from this website so I can't send him back. I'm at a loss......

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by Kevin5500
I hear what you all are saying but I purchased him from this website so I can't send him back. I'm at a loss......
Sadly..he will probably starve to death.

 

[kevin5500]

You would think that in the write-up on each fish that they provide they might mention things like you need an established 90 gal tank, lots of live rock, established copepods etc...... I put him in the tank on July 23rd so how long do you think he has? I put the 200 copepods in the tank on the 2nd of August.

 

[ifirefight]

Kevin,unfortunatelly thats what happens sometimes....lots of people love these fish and they are not very expensive.....but most die because people dont do the research or think they can be the exception to the rule. These fish need pods...lots of pods. I have a 130 gallon established reef,200 lbs of LR, and added a hang on "soap dish" of chaeteo to be safe ............but I lost my mandrin after 6 weeks or less.These are tricky fish to keep alive. I will try again AFTER I add my 45 gallon refugium to the set-up

 

[doktorj99]

are there any LFS near you?? most will take it back for some kinda of credit...if not just donate him to the store and cut your loss...it's better to lose the money by giving him a chance then letting him starve in your tank...good luck

 

[kevin5500]

Wow! Like I said, if they had posted any of the information you just provided under the mandarin profile on this website I would have never ordered him. He is such a great looking fish! I hate to think that I am starving him. I am emailing saltwaterfish.com to ask them to add some of these details to the "mandarin" profile. Thanks for your time!! Good luck with the tank.
Kevin

 

[kevin5500]

Originally Posted by doktorj99
are there any LFS near you?? most will take it back for some kinda of credit...if not just donate him to the store and cut your loss...it's better to lose the money by giving him a chance then letting him starve in your tank...good luck

I will give that a try. I also have a couple of friends with larger tanks that might take him. Thanks for the help!!
Kevin

 

[lsu]

Originally Posted by Kevin5500
You would think that in the write-up on each fish that they provide they might mention things like you need an established 90 gal tank, lots of live rock, established copepods etc...... I put him in the tank on July 23rd so how long do you think he has? I put the 200 copepods in the tank on the 2nd of August.
That's why you need to do independent research before you purchase any livestock. Google can be a fishes best friend. Everyone makes mistakes at first don't let it bother you too much.

 

[kevin5500]

Originally Posted by LSU
That's why you need to do independent research before you purchase any livestock. Google can be a fishes best friend. Everyone makes mistakes at first don't let it bother you too much.

Point taken. This is certainly a hobby to research before buying like you said. I caved into the "wife" who kept asking if I was ever going to put any fish in it?