mandrin

tmkx3

New Member
I have a green madrin that is currently in qt( I just got him). I have 2 pieces of lr in the qt. I have been trying to get him toi eat myis shrimp but I am not sure if he is eating them. He picks at the sand. Can I assume he is eating? I haven't really seen him pick at the rock. He also has little white specs on the tips of his fins. I am thinking this is a parasite. How should I treat. I know mandrins are very sensitive to meds
 

1journeyman

Active Member
Many, many, many Mandarins will only eat tiny live crustaceans commonly referred to as "pods". There is a very good chance that it will starve in QT.
I'm moving your post to the disease forum so you can get some advice. If the fish is healthy it needs to go in your display asap.
Do you have a display tank capable of providing for it's food needs? If not, take it back to the store.
 

renogaw

Active Member
100% agree. put your mandarin into your display if it can support it's life, or send it back. don't put a mandarin into a QT, they are not able to get ich.
 

bizkitpug

Member
I had a mandarin and a spotted mandarin. They seemed to eat well in the beginning then started deteriorating. They both starved in the end, despite my best efforts. Very hard to maintain these fish IMO.
 

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by renogaw
100% agree. put your mandarin into your display if it can support it's life, or send it back. don't put a mandarin into a QT, they are not able to get ich.
I know they are hardy, but I'm not 100% sure they are completely immune to all communicable diseases. We really need better descriptions and pics. I would hate to see the original poster add a diseased fish to his display.
 

renogaw

Active Member
mandarins have a mucus on them that prevents ich from getting on them. it also lets sand stick to them until they shake it off (mine got tail thwapped by my coral beauty and got sand kicked in it's face and body). if its on the tips of the fins though it is possible to be soemthing else, but i'd bet its sand.
 

tmkx3

New Member
I have 125g tank w/125lr. The tank has been set-up 2years. i have waited to get my mandrin because I know they only eat pods. Actually I put him in the main first ( I acclimated by dripping 2 hrs ) but removed him an hr later because of the white spots. I have read about them usually not geting ick because of their slim coats thats why I didn't want to qt him at first. When I saw the specs I freaked.( Maybe moved to fast)I seeded my qt with fber fill from my main. Will this not have pods? Will the lr and the sand from the main not havew pods? He is sifting and picking at the sand
 

renogaw

Active Member
Originally Posted by tmkx3
I have 125g tank w/125lr. The tank has been set-up 2years. i have waited to get my mandrin because I know they only eat pods. Actually I put him in the main first ( I acclimated by dripping 2 hrs ) but removed him an hr later because of the white spots. I have read about them usually not geting ick because of their slim coats thats why I didn't want to qt him at first. When I saw the specs I freaked.( Maybe moved to fast)I seeded my qt with fber fill from my main. Will this not have pods? Will the lr and the sand from the main not havew pods? He is sifting and picking at the sand

if the tank is that old you should be ok on pods. unless the QT has been up and running that long then probably nothing in there. you could move some live rock to your QT but you're going to have to constantly infuse your QT with pods because it will eat everything in there on a daily basis.
 

tmkx3

New Member
The qt has 2 pieces of lr and sand from the main. Should I move him back to the main? The spots I saw I think might be sand. I know that moving them stress them out. I was gonna wait a week or 2 and try to get him to eat prepared food.
 

renogaw

Active Member
the second reason you normally wouldn't qt a mandarin is becaues there will be no food for the thing within days.
you may have enough rock to support the pods that are needed, but it isn't mentioned if you have a fuge. without one the mandarin will destroy your pod population within weeks or months. planning on relying on frozen food is not a good choice. from what i've read, most will eat it to begin with, but then stop. i haven't been able to get mine to eat mysid shrimp yet.
 

tmkx3

New Member
I don't have a fuge. I do have a hob filter with fiber fill in it. Will pods grow there? My tank is not drilled. All my equitment is hob. Do you think it will be to stressful to move him right now?
 

larryndana

Active Member
i'd express ship some pods, they sell them here. then feed him and wait to see whats on him. i'd hate for you to move him into your display and have to move him back to your qt.
as for pods, they will grow and reproduce anywhere....that is anywhere that is safe for them.
 

caz2022

Member
Originally Posted by tmkx3
I don't have a fuge. I do have a hob filter with fiber fill in it. Will pods grow there? My tank is not drilled. All my equitment is hob. Do you think it will be to stressful to move him right now?
You can either purchase a HOB 'fuge or make one out of an old power filter-its cheap and extremely easy.
 

murph

Active Member
Parasites can infect the gills of a mandarin just as they would any other fish and and most definitely can bring parasites in with them to a display tank. I know this for a fact as I have inadvertently introduce parasite to a tank with a mandarin addition.

Ich will not usually be visible on the the skin of a mandarin due to its slime coating but this dos not mean the fish is not carrying the parasite in its gills where the parasite kills the fish by suffocation.
IMO mandarins will not live in the average home aquarium unless food trained. Your small qt is the perfect place to do this training. Mix frozen mysis with live brine. If the mandarin wont even take live brine you may want to return him.
Check melvs reef mandarin diner for an some excellent info on mandarin diet concerns when even in large community displays. IMO the fish is not particularly difficult to maintain in any tank as long as the proper efforts are made to verify its dietary needs. As you will see if you visit the mentioned site they can even be trained to take dry food offerings.
 
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