salttrigger
Member
Can I keep this two in a established 60 gal. tank with a 60 lbs of LR and a DSB?
Mandarin Goby and Lawnmower Blenny
- Thread starter salttrigger
- Start date
salisbury a d
Member
I keep a scooter dragonet which is in the same falily of a manderine goby and a lawnmower blennie in a 46 gallon tank and they are fine no fighting.
Adam
Adam
pufferlover
Active Member
The Mandarin is a slow shy feeder and will lose out to the faster Blennie. They are beautiful fish but almost (I say almost) impossible to keep alive. I had one for 5 years and many others that never made 5 months so I have given up on them. The one that was 5 years had its own tank and only a Longnose Hawk as company which is why it lasted so long.
mithrax
Member
You cn keep both of them together. They are peaceful fish and they get along well, They just go about their business of picking tiny amphipods in the LR all day long. Be sure you have a well established tank with lots of amphipods/copepods for them to feed on. Mine learned to eat live adult brine shrimps so I don't have problem of them starving. HTH. 
burnnspy
Active Member
With all due respect to Mithrax, I do not recommend the purchase of special needs marine life to people who arent ready(If you have to ask, then you are'nt) for them.
Getting lucky with a fish or two of a species doesnt warrent the normal mass death of the species to find that 1 lucky fish(ie bad reef keeper and LFS practices). Gonipora anyone?
BurnNSpy
Getting lucky with a fish or two of a species doesnt warrent the normal mass death of the species to find that 1 lucky fish(ie bad reef keeper and LFS practices). Gonipora anyone?
BurnNSpy
salttrigger
Member
I asked because I had a mandarin goby before for about 8 months and it died when i moved but now I have a lawnmower(my firstone ever)
And I would like to keep both. They would be with a tomato clown.
And I would like to keep both. They would be with a tomato clown.
mithrax
Member
With all due respect to you too Burn, I was not recommending anything, I have no degree in marine biology, I was just answering the question. And yes, he/she can as long as the fishes have abundant food to eat, they can live in harmony...and that's true.
[ May 04, 2001: Message edited by: Mithrax ]
[ May 04, 2001: Message edited by: Mithrax ]
salttrigger
Member
Thanks Mithrax.Tomorrow I'm gonna buy a mandarin goby and I hope you are right.
Salvador(he)
Salvador(he)
salttrigger
Member
if its not a goby , what is it?
Can you tell me MR I KNOW EVERYTHING?
by the way I got the f#$$$%^ MANDARIN GOBY
and its doing fine dont you f#$$%^& worry.
Can you tell me MR I KNOW EVERYTHING?
by the way I got the f#$$$%^ MANDARIN GOBY
and its doing fine dont you f#$$%^& worry.
S
slk3599
Guest
I am quoting from Robert Fenner's Conscientious Marine Aquarist :
"The Spotted or Psychedelic Mandarin, has had one of the most dismal survival records of captive marines. Regardliess of what others have said, it is my experience that Mandarin "Gobies" will almost never accept enough of anything other than live foods to sustain themselves. The root of the problem is that the live foods must be omnipresent, giving these fishes a constantly available menu for their ceaseless hunting. The only really workable captive environment is a nutrient-rich live rock reef tank, that is, with substantial interstitial crustacean and worm life. It takes at least 6 months to even begin to meet these criteria. Depending on the density of the rock and invertebrate prey, it may take 30 to 150 gallons to sustain each fish. Finally, all this assumes that no aggresive tankmates are present to interfere or compete with the mandarin's feeding. Don't have this setup? Don't want to kill a beautiful fish? Leave the dragonets in the ocean"
Also they are not gobies, they are a different order - Synchiropus (dragonets)
"The Spotted or Psychedelic Mandarin, has had one of the most dismal survival records of captive marines. Regardliess of what others have said, it is my experience that Mandarin "Gobies" will almost never accept enough of anything other than live foods to sustain themselves. The root of the problem is that the live foods must be omnipresent, giving these fishes a constantly available menu for their ceaseless hunting. The only really workable captive environment is a nutrient-rich live rock reef tank, that is, with substantial interstitial crustacean and worm life. It takes at least 6 months to even begin to meet these criteria. Depending on the density of the rock and invertebrate prey, it may take 30 to 150 gallons to sustain each fish. Finally, all this assumes that no aggresive tankmates are present to interfere or compete with the mandarin's feeding. Don't have this setup? Don't want to kill a beautiful fish? Leave the dragonets in the ocean"
Also they are not gobies, they are a different order - Synchiropus (dragonets)
grouperhead
Active Member
hey salttrigger calm down. burnspy is right. they arent gobies but dragonets. they are very hard to keep alive. they need tons of lr full with copepods and the like from which they can feed on all day. most tanks dont have enought to keep up a good population of their natural foods so they die off. the minimum amt of lr for one specimen is around 100 lbs. i think. they also do better w/ a livesand bed which they can sift through looking for some food. later, bo
oh yeah, p.s. i bet burnspy knows a whole lot more about reef tanks than you do, thats why he is a shark. so just calm down and take his advice.
[ May 07, 2001: Message edited by: Grouperhead ]
oh yeah, p.s. i bet burnspy knows a whole lot more about reef tanks than you do, thats why he is a shark. so just calm down and take his advice.
[ May 07, 2001: Message edited by: Grouperhead ]
teetee
Member
So what's with LFS stocking dragonets, and other sensetives such as Batfish, Moorish Idols, Spotted Sweetlips, & the Orange Spotted Filefish?
It bugs me to see these fish always for sale. Surely the LFS know how problematic these fish are. Does anyone boycott such stores or what. If I were to boycott my LFS on these grounds, I would have no place to shop. They all carry sensetives. It doesn't make good business sense or ethical sense.
It bugs me to see these fish always for sale. Surely the LFS know how problematic these fish are. Does anyone boycott such stores or what. If I were to boycott my LFS on these grounds, I would have no place to shop. They all carry sensetives. It doesn't make good business sense or ethical sense.
burnnspy
Active Member
Thank you SLK3559 and Grouperhead.
Salttrigger, Suferboy and Salisbury A D, I hope the Mandarin you have is one of the lucky ones which will eat foods other than copepods and amphipods.
My advice was an attempt to make you aware of the demanding habits of these beautiful fish and prevent you from having to witness the slow wasting away of a dying non-feeding Mandarin, it is not a pretty sight and can be avoided with proper reef design.
BurnNSpy
Salttrigger, Suferboy and Salisbury A D, I hope the Mandarin you have is one of the lucky ones which will eat foods other than copepods and amphipods.
My advice was an attempt to make you aware of the demanding habits of these beautiful fish and prevent you from having to witness the slow wasting away of a dying non-feeding Mandarin, it is not a pretty sight and can be avoided with proper reef design.
BurnNSpy
fender
Active Member
The reason lfs have them is because they are hot sellers, you would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful fish. Besides, from everything I have read, here and elsewhere, if you plan correctly and are patient, successfully keeping one is possible not necessarily probable. I would ask to see one feeding at the LFS before purchasing. Just to prevent a tradgedy.
Just my .02
Just my .02
kimmisue
Member
Sorry to hear of your losses .
I think the key is KNOW YOUR TANK
if the food is there for them in abundance then they should do fine. If any other fish is fighting for the same food source you will end up with a problem.
I bought a mandarin that most would have said not too. His sides were so caved in he wasn't going to make another week at the LFS
Now he is 3 times the size and still hunting through my tank.
Be sure you have the food for them. A imature tank and a Mandarin is a bad combination. I've heard people say that you should wait a year. I waited 6 months...Realize I had no problems in my tank that diminished his food source otherwise I would've waited longer.
just my .02
Kim
Originally posted by trj:
<STRONG>I can witness to what everyone is saying about Mandarin fishes. Everyone I've had has died within a few months. They are beautful fish, but hard to keep alive. I'd stay clear of them unless you want to witness a slow death!!</STRONG>
[ May 10, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmisue ]
I think the key is KNOW YOUR TANK
if the food is there for them in abundance then they should do fine. If any other fish is fighting for the same food source you will end up with a problem.
I bought a mandarin that most would have said not too. His sides were so caved in he wasn't going to make another week at the LFS
Now he is 3 times the size and still hunting through my tank.
Be sure you have the food for them. A imature tank and a Mandarin is a bad combination. I've heard people say that you should wait a year. I waited 6 months...Realize I had no problems in my tank that diminished his food source otherwise I would've waited longer.
just my .02
Kim
Originally posted by trj:
<STRONG>I can witness to what everyone is saying about Mandarin fishes. Everyone I've had has died within a few months. They are beautful fish, but hard to keep alive. I'd stay clear of them unless you want to witness a slow death!!
</STRONG>[ May 10, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmisue ]