Mandarin

jb1

jb1

Member
yes they need an established tank and the feed on pods , that is why it needs to be established
 
lovethesea

lovethesea

Active Member
we had our tank for almost a year and even then we were worried. Jimmy is now a fat and happy fish in our tank. They need lots of rock and copepods, not sure about the algea. He also eats the occasional brine. We have had him almost 1 1/2 years Hopefully you will be able to add one, they are beautiful and peaceful to watch. Everyone else in the tank buzzes by him and he just seems to mind his own business.
Hopefully someone else can contribute the the other things they can get by on.
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
yes they need an established tank and at least 100lbs. of lr to surf threw looking for pods. Witch means if u want one u should have like a 75gal. tank min.
 
cprdnick

cprdnick

Active Member
so, how does the LFS keep so many of them for weeks at a time without any dying
Also, how can you tell if you have copepods?
 
S

slofish

Guest

Originally posted by cprdnick
so, how does the LFS keep so many of them for weeks at a time without any dying
A lot of a LFS setup is never seen. Mosty all have very large filtration systems in the back rooms, only reason thier tanks always look really full. along with filtration, some may have liverock in back which has pods living in them. Some may also just not feed their mandarins. I dont think any fish store would admit to having their fish die. They'd probably tell you they sold it(to the porcelain god). Check out the stomach when you get one. You wil notice an unhealthy one because its stomach will be concaved in. Also, ive heard mandarins will eat live brine.
Also, how can you tell if you have copepods?
Copepods look like little bugs running around your rocks. bout a 1/8 inch in size. do a search on copepods, there are a couple of threads with some pics.
 
lovethesea

lovethesea

Active Member
They probably don't have them long enough. We have ours in a 40 gallon (he started in a 29) and his doing fine as long as no one else is competing for them in the tank. The definition of copepods is a question is that a more experienced person can answer, maybe do a search on this site.
 
jogre

jogre

New Member
If you have even the slightest doubt that you may not have enough pods to keep a Mandarin - don't get one.
I have had one starve in my tank despite my best efforts to keep it alive. Also there are hundreds of posts here from people with dead or dying Mandarin. They are very popular, but also hard to keep.
If you feel confident that you can keep one fed then go for it. Just make sure you keep a close eye on it so you know it is feeding properly. Also see if you can get it to eat prepared foods or brine, just in case the pods get slim.
Hope that helps.
 
s14joe

s14joe

Member
if you have live rock you can have a manderin. Some of these people on these boards freak cuz their fish don't eat.Nothing is definit. I might not eat or it will. I bought my Female Dragonet 2 years ago and it is still in my 20g w/ no probs. If you like the fish, buy it. They are only like $10.
 
marine fanatic

marine fanatic

Member

Originally posted by s14joe
if you have live rock you can have a manderin. Some of these people on these boards freak cuz their fish don't eat.Nothing is definit. I might not eat or it will. I bought my Female Dragonet 2 years ago and it is still in my 20g w/ no probs. If you like the fish, buy it. They are only like $10.

I can't agree with ya on that one.....nobody should just "buy the fish if they like it". Show respect for the animals and have a very established tank for them to survive. Would not matter to me if a fish cost $10 or $100, my concern would be for the fish...not the cash.
 
aarone

aarone

Active Member

Originally posted by s14joe
if you have live rock you can have a manderin. Some of these people on these boards freak cuz their fish don't eat.Nothing is definit. I might not eat or it will. I bought my Female Dragonet 2 years ago and it is still in my 20g w/ no probs. If you like the fish, buy it. They are only like $10.
Wow that tesselata eel looks really really cool! I think i will buy it because i like the way it looks. Even though i only have a 28 gallon tank and could not possibly sustain this creature for any period of time. but hey i do have LR for it to crawl around in.... ahhh the life of a neglected fish.:p
aaron
 
rolangunslinger

rolangunslinger

Member
My thoughts exactly Aarone,
Why would anyone get into this hobby unless they felt a real connection with the fish and animals in the tank. To say they would buy one and if it died they wouldn't worry about it just because of the small price. I think they should break the tank down and use it for a garbage can, they have no business in this hobby.
Just had to vent, sorry
Kevin
 
marine fanatic

marine fanatic

Member

Originally posted by aarone
thanx guys. Why torture helpless fish? sorry it just bugs me.
aaron
Dude, I come close to fist-a-cuffs with the *cough*******cough* employees all the time due to..."Let's sell anything to anyone" and "They dont need care, they sell fast enough to survive us".....drives me insane at times when I hear people's view to fish as "cheap and expendable"
One of my very first fish was a Velvet Damsel....cost like $3. I have him to this day and I love that fish.
 
aarone

aarone

Active Member
:) thats good, i love the velvet damsels (the only ones that are pretty IMO) I was at ***** today talking to a trusted friend from HS in the SW department. A small child walked up to us, and said "im finding nemo!" ... My statement to my friend was... "alot of helpless fish died from that movie" he then proceeded to chow me there 5 gallon finding nemo eclipse system. Fortunately he did not like it at all, and refused to push the product.
aaron
 
lesleybird

lesleybird

Active Member
Hi, Our local fish stores keep them alive on live brine shrimp. It is enough to keep them alive for a few weeks, but in the end they will die of malnutrition from the nutrients lacking in the brine, and they like to eat small amounts all day long. Lesley
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top