I'm about to bring home a Mandarin~IM NERVOUS! Help!

aquaspirit04

aquaspirit04

Member
Okay, I have never been so excited/scared/nervous about a fish before. The mandarin, the apple in my eye, I've wanted this guy since I bought my tank. I have about a 100 pounds of live rock, and plenty of copepods breeding and growing (see my last thread for their description, I'm pretty sure I'm dead on about them), and I have a 30 gal. Bio-cube.
i also have a plate coral, a xenia, and a mushroom coral. 1 clown, 1 clown goby, 1 black striper damsel (Though, i might fish him out and give him back to the shop, he's so mean!), and one Emperor Snapper. And last but not least, a peppermint shrimp.
My question is: How should I keep him when I bring him home? Aside from the acclimation time, I know some people like to turn their lights off. How long should I keep them off if I should at all? And my copepods, they all seem to survive and live with the filter on, but they hide under rocks, will he have trouble getting to them under there? Or should I buy live copepods and throw them in? And when or if I do this, should I turn the filter on?
Also, speaking in nitrates and calcium and other levels: Where do they like them at as well?
I'm sorry about the ambush of questions here, but I want to make sure he lives, the last time I bought a prized fish, (A chevron Tang) he lived for about 3 months and died, probably of starvation...I want to make sure my mandarin is happy and full like the rest of my "kids". =)
This all happens on wednesday for me by the way.

Thanks for your help!
 
sh2000

sh2000

Member
I also lost a Chevron after about a week or so, due to starvation. I would buy some copepods just to make sure but you sound all set.
GL
 
al mc

al mc

Active Member
Aqua: Levels of calcium/nitrates no different from other fish
I have mandarins in both my DTs and they needed no special acclimation beyond what you would normally do. A healthy mandarin will easily find the pods under the rocks. They tend to be oblivious to other things going on around them. They just cruise the rock work all day looking for food. I do not think it is necessary to add pods if you already have a good amount.
Biggest obstacles: Enough live rock/chaeto to support pods
'aged' tank to make sure you have a nice build up of pods.
from the sound of your set up you should be fine. You have obviously thought this through well which is the most important thing!
 
aquaspirit04

aquaspirit04

Member
Thanks guys! I thought I would have to buy some more copepods...Do they survive with the filter on or off better?
The tank has been going for almost a year now...A year in February I believe. =) I just sifted the sand and made the glass squeaky clean for him, I hope all goes well...In any sense, I also feed frozen brine and prawn every other day, do you think he would take that as well?
 
sh2000

sh2000

Member
I'm assuming I have all the pods I need I don't look under all the LR or in the SB which is premium Fla. Keys..3 inches deep.But some of the LR has been in the DT for Years Some for many months...I'm gona buy a bag of pods just in case..Just a silly question what do pods look like and where is the best place to look for them to see if you have them ? or enough of them...?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
How do you have 100lbs of LR in a 30 nano? You will need a refugium for the pods to breed in. It can be hang on or under the tank. Mandarines may accept some brine, but they cannot live off of any prepared foods. They live off of pods. They eat hundreds of them per day.
 
aquaspirit04

aquaspirit04

Member
Sorry, typo on my part, I meant a 100 dollars worth of. (About 7 peices, all about 6-7 inches long, 3-5 inches wide, if that helps) Sorry. o.x
Well...mine sort of look like little grayish beetles...its hard to describe them...they're about the size of my pinky nail...but they also resemble shrimp a bit too. I find mine under the bases of my rocks, and they poke out sometimes to eat up any excess food.
I'll have to attatch my ten gallon to the tank for a refugium then...Thank you!
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by AquaSpirit04
Sorry, typo on my part, I meant a 100 dollars worth of. (About 7 peices, all about 6-7 inches long, 3-5 inches wide, if that helps) Sorry. o.x
Well...mine sort of look like little grayish beetles...its hard to describe them...they're about the size of my pinky nail...but they also resemble shrimp a bit too. I find mine under the bases of my rocks, and they poke out sometimes to eat up any excess food.
I'll have to attatch my ten gallon to the tank for a refugium then...Thank you!
Pods are not that big. They are tiny. The adults are the only ones that you can see, and they would be squiggling on the glass. Return the mandarine. You do not have enough to sustain him at this time. In a 30 gallon, you will not ever be able to keep one. You will not be able to supply enough pods for one to thrive. I am so sorry. I know that you like this fish.
 
aquaspirit04

aquaspirit04

Member
Well I never bought him, good thing I asked for advice first. Thank you. =)
I'll get over it. There's plenty more fish in the sea, no pun intended of course ;)
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by AquaSpirit04
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=303542
That's where I got the reply about whatever these things are...Sorry, I thought it was weird myself too...I always knew they were tiny, which is why I asked...and when I was told that they were copepods, I got so excited...oh well, best to have more sources I guess.
No, those are worms. I don't know what kind, so I cannot help you there. They are definitately not copepods though. I hope that someone who knows about various hitchikers sees this, if not then post in the reef forum. They know all about various hitchikers. I am glad that you did not buy the mandarine yet. He would not have been too happy in there
 
aquaspirit04

aquaspirit04

Member
Yeah, even though I'm kinda bummed, I know it's best that he'll be with someone who can make him nice and happy. =)
I know what the worms were, but I also described the little gray bug guys in that thread as well, and the lady told me they were copepods...(I'm not able to get pictures of my beetle-bugs, they move really fast) So I don't know, whatever they are, I'm sure they can't be bad...I'll ask the guy at my local SWF store on Wednesday about them...
Thanks for all of your help again! I'm so grateful.
 
sh2000

sh2000

Member
When is a good time to catch a Mandarin eating ? so I can know or see a pod and him eating them..I'm buying 3 bags of them just in case and pouring them in my DT.
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by SH2000
When is a good time to catch a Mandarin eating ? so I can know or see a pod and him eating them..I'm buying 3 bags of them just in case and pouring them in my DT.
Mandarin have small beak-like mouths. They "peck" at the rock as they eat. A healthy Mandarin will be hopping around the rocks pecking a lot.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by SH2000
When is a good time to catch a Mandarin eating ? so I can know or see a pod and him eating them..I'm buying 3 bags of them just in case and pouring them in my DT.
As 1journeyman stated, you will see the mandarine pecking. They do that all of the time though. They will peck trying to grab a piece of food even if there is not a pod there.
 
sh2000

sh2000

Member
I run a wet/dry not a fuge...is that a huge problem..?? Can putting in 200 pods at a time hurt in anyway ?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by SH2000
I run a wet/dry not a fuge...is that a huge problem..?? Can putting in 200 pods at a time hurt in anyway ?
SH2000, at this time I am going to ask you to start your own thread so that attention can be made to the the original poster of this thread and you can have your issues addressed. Thank you for understanding.
 
sh2000

sh2000

Member
I thought this was related as it has to do with Mandarins I do not agree it was off topic just my opinion..I'm not starting a new thread. I don't understand but thats ok, thanks for the help.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by SH2000
I thought this was related as it has to do with Mandarins I do not agree it was off topic just my opinion..I'm not starting a new thread. I don't understand but thats ok, thanks for the help.
Thank you for starting your own thread. As you can see, you are getting responses already.
 
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