Mandarin Goby
- Thread starter clowns77
- Start date
saltylake
Member
please avoid buying this fish unless you have a tank above 75 gallons and that has been established for over a year. You also need atleast 100 pds of live rock, so that you pod population can substain the mandrians complete diet of PODS.
The best advice is that these fish should be left in the wild.
thanks
The best advice is that these fish should be left in the wild.
thanks
angief
Member
Sorry but I don't agree with the previous post. I have a UK 35 gallon (approx 45 US gallon) Tank and I have had my Mandarin for 4 months and the little fella is doing just brilliant. I do have quite a lot of LR and the Mandarin picks at it all the time. Take a look at my web site for yourself.
OOps sorry forgot to add my site address:
<a href="http://www.afcmltd.co.uk/Marine/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.afcmltd.co.uk/Marine/index.htm</a>
OOps sorry forgot to add my site address:
<a href="http://www.afcmltd.co.uk/Marine/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.afcmltd.co.uk/Marine/index.htm</a>
byrself
Member
keeping a mandarin in a small tank can be done, but requires effort on your part. they eat live pods, but you can set up a refugium with pods, or order some from ipsf.com, and feed them. this can get expensive, but can keep a mandarin happy. don't get one just to throw it in the tank and let it go, but if you are determined and lucky enough, you can do it in my opinion. alot of folks disagree for various reasons, and most are good, but this crap about leaving them in the wild is pointless. fish stores have the responsibility of not ordering them to sell to people, and as long as they do they will keep doing this.
member bashing because they have a mandarin is stupid. go bash your fish store if you really have a problem with this. imo.
member bashing because they have a mandarin is stupid. go bash your fish store if you really have a problem with this. imo.
bigred
Member
I have one in my tank that was a 70 and then changed to a 112 but he has been gorging him self on the pods and doesn't eat anything else. I had a 100 lbs of LR in my 70. Now I have 140 in my 112. He is doing just fine. I also have a 55 and can't get one to stay alive in that tank. I has 75 lbs of LR and was started a month and a half before the 70. I don't think it would have enough to eat in that size tank. Thats my opinnion. Good luck.
wamp
Active Member
I kept one in a 20 gallon for over a year. Moved him to a larger tank and he died. I still belive these fish are poorly caught and handled in the wild which leads to their demise. I honestly think this is the reason most die.
They do eat pods and other worms and must have these in a tank to survive. I do not however belive that you have to have X amount of gallons to keep them sucesfully. I think it is more in the way they were handled before you got them. The long term affects of starvation are still not known. When the fish are caught and stored they are not put into a holding tank with LR. They are put into a bag and then into a holding tank. No LR or pods are given to them to eat. They get shipped at least 3 times before you see them. Permanent damage is done to their digestive tract and I belive this is why most do not do well....
Just My.02...
It's luck of the draw if you ask me.....
They do eat pods and other worms and must have these in a tank to survive. I do not however belive that you have to have X amount of gallons to keep them sucesfully. I think it is more in the way they were handled before you got them. The long term affects of starvation are still not known. When the fish are caught and stored they are not put into a holding tank with LR. They are put into a bag and then into a holding tank. No LR or pods are given to them to eat. They get shipped at least 3 times before you see them. Permanent damage is done to their digestive tract and I belive this is why most do not do well....
Just My.02...
It's luck of the draw if you ask me.....
wamp
Active Member
Thats what I have always done. I watch him in the store to see how he is ating. I still do not suggest them to everyone but I think if you get a healthy speciman than it will do fine.
I still think it is sad that all these fish have to die due to improper handling and or care on our part. Maybe one day we the aquarists will have a say in how these fish are handled and can demand better treatment.
I recently visited a wholeseller. I was surprised at the number of fish kept in small tanks. Their filtration was state of the art Sand and UV with C02 used to regulate PH to acclimate fish. It was very nice but... the fish still were cramped and I saw no effort of the keepers to provide a healther enviroment.
Mandarins were kept in small 4"x4" compartments with no pods or any other food to eat. It was sad. But, we keep buying them and driving demand up so they will continue to supply them. It's all about economics.....
Just keep an eye on the one you want. Have the store hold it for a week and visit it every now and then. See if he is showing signs of stress. Sliming around the skin, or his stomach sunk in, heavy breathing and cloudy eyes. They also loose some of their fin tissue when distressed. Just some signs to keep an eye out for when selecting a fish.
Good Luck
I still think it is sad that all these fish have to die due to improper handling and or care on our part. Maybe one day we the aquarists will have a say in how these fish are handled and can demand better treatment.
I recently visited a wholeseller. I was surprised at the number of fish kept in small tanks. Their filtration was state of the art Sand and UV with C02 used to regulate PH to acclimate fish. It was very nice but... the fish still were cramped and I saw no effort of the keepers to provide a healther enviroment.
Mandarins were kept in small 4"x4" compartments with no pods or any other food to eat. It was sad. But, we keep buying them and driving demand up so they will continue to supply them. It's all about economics.....
Just keep an eye on the one you want. Have the store hold it for a week and visit it every now and then. See if he is showing signs of stress. Sliming around the skin, or his stomach sunk in, heavy breathing and cloudy eyes. They also loose some of their fin tissue when distressed. Just some signs to keep an eye out for when selecting a fish.
Good Luck
pbuckler
Member
On the contrary to many of the above posts, I have had my tank setup for 3 months and it is a 45 gallon with a 5 gallon refugium. My mandarin is doing great, he is constantly hunting and hopping around my tank. I really enjoy having him, he is one of the most colorful creatures in my tank. I have over 40 lbs of LR and 40 lbs of LS. I have more pods than I can count, I know my mandarin is doing fine.
dinhouse
Member
"Clown" I have a mandrin and I have had her for going on a year now I have a 55 gallon with about 100lbs of LR in it. I'm not sure that the size of the tank has much to do with it. It is all about the fish. I read up on them before I bought mine. I also made the LFS feed it in front of me to make sure it was eating. When the guy dropped in the frozen bring and she started eating them like there was no tommorow I knew this was the fish for me. The key is just patience just wait until your tank has a good podd count and then also wait until you find one that will eat frozen foods. IT IS POSSIBLE TO KEEP A MANDRINE IN A TANK SMALLER THAN 110 GALLONS!
demosthenes
Active Member
Originally posted by AngieF:
<strong>I have a UK 35 gallon (approx 45 US gallon) Tank </strong><hr></blockquote>
Not a bash, but have just been sitting here thinking about this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't gallons the same here as there? I know there's a difference between the metric system and such, but a gallon in the US is the same as a gallon in the UK correct?
<strong>I have a UK 35 gallon (approx 45 US gallon) Tank </strong><hr></blockquote>
Not a bash, but have just been sitting here thinking about this. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't gallons the same here as there? I know there's a difference between the metric system and such, but a gallon in the US is the same as a gallon in the UK correct?
S
sandy
Guest
Do they get along with scooter blenny's? (I know they both eat a lot of pods)... just a question.
lnarobbins
Member
IMO they will get along with your scooter. you just have to have a established tank with plenty of lr. if you are worried about your pod population then the mandarin might eat baby krill
jmo
alan
jmo
alan
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mr hanky
Guest
i would definatly listen to the 2 sharks in this situation!! i have had a bit of experiance with these fish, and i find size(gal) dosnt matter!! food and health are the biggest issues! i had a psyhco. in my 75 for over a year and he eventually starved because i didnt know any better. the mand/psycho i have now are doing great because of the knowledge (feeding/care) i have learned over time!!!! mr hanky. ps make sure they eat before you bring them home!