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exile415
Guest
How much live rock minium to keep a mandarin. I love these fishes color and i'm loking forward tro keep one
jedi
Member
Here is a thread you should read on Mandarins.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=162766
Jedi
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=162766
Jedi
ophiura
Active Member
There are ways around it...but none make them easy. However, I wouldn't consider them very very difficult to keep because we KNOW what they eat and it can be provided them. Some can be trained, with patience, to take prepared foods. Or hold out for a specimen that is eating frozen brine/mysis or even live brine (which you should fortify). Do not take an LFSs word for it however, make them prove it by feeding it and watch it closely. While I think 100lbs is very desireable I am not sure that it is a 100lbs minimum or nothing. You do need a relatively large very mature tank. This is not a fish to go in a tank younger than 6 months old, nor when you just start seeing 'pods and thinking you have plenty. It can be done in smaller tanks, say 55g or so with lots of rock, but it is best to also set up a refugium for insurance as well.
mudplayerx
Active Member
100 pounds of live rock is WAY overkill. I have a psychedelic dragonet in a 55 gallon with about 60 pounds of live rock and the pods are literally swarming everywhere. I think how well the rock is established is more of a factor than how many pounds of live rock.
I also have lots of caulerpa growing and the pods seem to breed in the root structures.
I also have lots of caulerpa growing and the pods seem to breed in the root structures.
mudplayerx
Active Member
Whoa, I sounded a little overzealous there with the WAY remark. I just wanted to stress the fect that I am sucessfullly keeping one with only 60 pounds of live rock.
When I bought him at the store he was ematiated and his belly actually went inwards. I'm happy to say that 7 days in my tank he is now fuller looking and his belly is sticking out like normal.
He's only about 1-1/2 inches big so its hard to see him a lot of the time but he is a great addition to the tank and a joy to know I saved him. The one other fish I have is a yellowtailed damsel and he gets along with the dragonet perfectly... which is odd becuse the damsel used to herd my camelback shrimp like sheep until I removed them.
When I bought him at the store he was ematiated and his belly actually went inwards. I'm happy to say that 7 days in my tank he is now fuller looking and his belly is sticking out like normal.
He's only about 1-1/2 inches big so its hard to see him a lot of the time but he is a great addition to the tank and a joy to know I saved him. The one other fish I have is a yellowtailed damsel and he gets along with the dragonet perfectly... which is odd becuse the damsel used to herd my camelback shrimp like sheep until I removed them.
ophiura
Active Member
It is a bit fast to claim success; several months is usually required to get a good feel for the pod reproduction versus mandarin eating ability. But nonetheless, I would agree that saying 100lbs is minimum is a bit misleading. There are ways to have this fish without that (though again a fair amount of mature rock is needed, or a refugium, or training to eat prepared foods, etc). You can have 100lbs of LR and still lose this fish as well.
hermitkrab
Member
Okay several Marine only fish magazines say the minimum for a mandarin is a 40g tank with atleast 75 lbs. But like mudd said 60 lbs. could be enough but more rock doesn't always mean more pods just more room for them to live and it is more likely that you will have more pods with more rock. I would say you must have at least 75 lbs. of live rock for one that is a good place for pods and because mandarins like a lot of coverage. You also should have a refugium although that isn't required but it will insure that your mandarin will have all the pods it wants. I also want a mandarin. I have a 40g tank with like 90 lbs. of liverock (counting my refugium) and over 100 lbs. of live sand (also counting my refugium) and I have an 11 gallon refugium with 65 watt PCs. I believe later in the summer my tank should be ready for a mandarin (I started my tank a little before December).
tthemadd1
Active Member
I think you might be pushing your luck with the manderin... You really need to have a tank that is almost two years old. That way you have plenty of pods in your fuge and tank. If you go ahead and get one early, make sure you use the sponge idea that Oceana recommended. I have been doing it for a few weeks and it has worked out really well. Good Luck and good fishing..
hermitkrab
Member
Two years? That seems a little high to me.