whats your mandarin success???

[johnnyd]

Caring for a Mandarin Goby
(in a Nano Tank) by: josh day
Let's not beat around the bush. The purpose of this article is to discuss housing a mandarin goby in a nano reef tank, i.e. a 5-20 gallon saltwater aquarium. And you probably thought I couldn't get any more controversial...
Due to the heat on this topic, please forgive the following disclaimer. However, if you've ever had a passing interest in mandarins and possibly keeping one in a nano tank, you've no doubt seen the blatant hostility from all the nay-sayers out there. I've done a lot of reading about mandarin dragonets, and I've come to the conclusion it is possible to house them in a nano tank as long as they are given the right conditions.
Philosophy
I believe keeping a healthy, happy green mandarin goby in a ten gallon tank is possible. I also believe we will soon be seeing tank-raised and aquacultured green mandarins in the next ten years. Feeding issues will be a thing of the past, and farm-raised mandarins will eagerly accept frozen and processed foods. Nano tanks are very new to the saltwater scene, and fifteen years ago a marine aquarium under 55 gallons was absolutely unheard of. Thanks to new lighting technology and the Berlin method of natural filtration through live rock, smaller quantities of water are holding fish and corals aquarists never dreamed of keeping in 100+ gallon tanks.
Mandarins are some of the most popular, easily available, and cheapest fish on the saltwater market. They experience the greatest mortality rate of marine fish as well. Given these two facts, and given the nature of capitalism (let alone the evolutionary advancement of the marine and reef hobby), I believe we'll be hearing a lot more stories of mandarins eating frozen and pellet food and thriving in tanks once thought impossible to sustain them.
In fact, this is already happening. Many marine hobbyists who've done their homework have reported success in keeping mandarins in nanos, and several have even weaned them onto pellet food. Unfortunately, people are often afraid to admit their success on forums. As mentioned above, keeping mandarins in anything but the traditionally accepted housing--100 gallons, 100+ pounds of live rock, a 2-year old, "mature" tank--brings out the worst in some people. For whatever reason, they will not open their minds to even the idea of success.
Originally, I agreed with them. However, once I really delved into google and nano fish forums, I found many different people reporting the same success stories... a green mandarin eating bloodworms, a freshwater food (which I feed my discus); a green mandarin being supplied pods daily from a separate pod culture tank; a whole tank of mandarins eating Formula 1 pellets. They were always met with the same hostile or rude responses and arguments. Your fish will starve after 6 months. They cannot be kept in systems without an excessive colony of pods. Etc.
I am determined to try and keep a successful and healthy mandarin in my ten gallon. I have done my homework, and I hope you have too. Here are some more thoughts:
I will do everything in my power to provide the mandarin with the nutrition and care it needs.
I believe experimenting with pets is good, as long as the caregiver has done his homework.
Fish are not people. Attaching human elements onto fish or any lower animal is a fallacy. I am not "torturing" a fish for selfish or aesthetic reasons; I am advancing the hobby by trying to do what others have successfully done before.
If my experiment fails, I am prepared to "eat" the fish and all the expenses. I will return the mandarin to the LFS, and I will probably try again with another specimen. If I fail again, I will most likely give up; however, I will never condemn someone who tries the same thing.
I will not know if things are going swimmingly until I reach the six month mark.

 

[johnnyd]

Background
The green mandarin, or Pterosynchiropus splendidus, is a member of the dragonet family. They are also known as psychedelic fish. Rarer specimens come in reds and there's even a spotted variety, but the average mandarin you'll see in fish stores is the green mandarin male. Males are selected over females because of their more impressive dorsal fin.
Mandarin gobies hail from the Philippines and the Melanesian islands. They are naturally found in reefs or coral rubble with rich sand beds, constantly on the hunt for small crustaceans.
Each specimen is wild caught and exported. Despite their popularity, they are not yet endangered--as shown by their rock bottom prices. Though a mated, healthy pair breeds and lays eggs often, cultivating the eggs and raising the fry has not yet been done successfully on the commercial market.
In the wild, mandarins can consume a vast number of copepods, amphipods, and other "pods" daily. They are extremely difficult to wean onto frozen or processed foods, and many mandarins will never accept anything but live pods. This is why they are considered expert level fish and are thought to best thrive in large, mature systems with copious live rock.
Though your odds of success go up if you introduce the fish into a large, established reef system, many still experience losses. The variety and stacking of live rock seems to be as critical as the amount. The level of nutrients in your tank is also important. Pods must be able to thrive if your mandarin is to thrive.
Because dragonets have metabolisms similar to humming birds, they are always consuming, but they only eat in small portions. Ergo, an inadequate tank can have its entire pod population decimated in a matter of days. Good conditions for your pod population to sustain itself is the number 1 way to successfully keep the mandarin goby.
The Plan
I will arrange my tank to accommodate copepods, the mandarin's main food source. Instead of a fuge or a sump I will culture the pods in a separate venue: several quart mason jars on the windowsill. I will inject the tank with fresh pods on a regular basis so the population will always stay at adequate levels.
The image to your left is a bottle of aquacultured copepods. Each bottle contains 1000 copepods of three different species. They are nutritionally dense and provide the essential fatty acids that brine and other food often given to mandarins do not. Also, if you're able to sustain a constant population, you'll not have to worry about getting your mandarin to eat frozen or processed foods ever again!
According to Dr. Adelaide Rhodes, the creator of Oceanpods, "It is difficult to believe that something so small could have such a significant impact on the nutritional value of fish, but a good analogy is the dependence of whales on krill. Krill are just another type of marine crustacean rich in essential fatty acids, and the preferred food of many species of whale, which filter the krill out of the water by pushing them through the fine mesh of baleen found inside their mouths. Without the krill, the whales would die. Think of the size of the whale compared to the krill and you can begin to see how significant Copepods can be in the marine food web." (Source link)
Please see Dr. Rhodes's site for more information about Oceanpods and how to begin your own culture.
My pod factory will consist of multiple quart jars, each containing a nontoxic plastic dish scrubber (the coarse type of sponge that looks like fishing net). Once the progenitor batch of pods multiply and the population takes off, I will split the culture to the second jar, and then the third, etc. I estimate in a month's time I will be able to lift a scrubber from one jar and shake out enough pods in various life stages to keep my main tank's population at sustainable levels. The decimated quart jar will then have enough time to rebuild its population while I pillage the remaining jars once or twice a week or as needed.
In addition to the copious pod population, I will attempt to wean the mandarin onto frozen mysis, and ultimately, Formula 1 or Marine Cuisine. I've read reports of an LFS worker in Australia having an 80% success rate with getting mandarins to accept prepared or frozen foods. He used freshly hatched brine shrimp and "gut loaded" them with bloodworms and other frozen and processed fare, and slowly he weaned the mandarins onto the regular foods.

 

[johnnyd]

Some Tricks
Many hobbyists over the years have discovered a few tricks to help get a mandarin eating or plump. I've outlined several of them below.
Use a refugium.
Create a "pod pile" of small chunks of live rock in a corner. Pile the rubble up so fish cannot enter and spray the area with minute bits of food to herd the pods into the safety area to feed and reproduce.
Target feed blood or blackworms, mysis, or Marine Cuisine to a crevice in the live rock. It is believed fish have selective memories and return to a location that is known to hold food.
Try feeding roe, or fish eggs. These can be obtained at Asian markets under the name of flying fish eggs. They look like the orange little balls on sushi rolls.
Employ a mandarin diner. Though this looks good on paper, I'll be very interested to see if it does anything for a mandarin that doesn't eat prepared foods.
Stock your tank with porous and gnarly live rock. More surface area the better, and place them so there are fish-free areas. By many reports, mandarin success has as much to do with the placement and type of live rock as it does with the volume.
Employ non-combative tankmates that won't go after pods. According to several hobbyists, some mandarins have duplicated the behaviors of other fish. One was even reported to have imitated a crab and begun to consume baby brine shrimp in the water column.
Style your tank around the needs of pods and mandarins.
Conclusion
I don't know if this will work. But I'm willing to risk a lot--the fish, as well as a fair chunk of money--because I believe there is no reason why this hypothesis will not hold water. Nothing tried, nothing gained, as I see it. I've put a lot of thought and time into this project, not to mention investment. I would love to see mandarinfish in smaller tanks because they so easily get lost in the huge systems. I've thought my way through every step of the way, and if I fail... well, I can't say that I haven't been warned.
Progress
5/03/05 Update. I've had the mandarin for one week now. As posted in my blog, he continues to graze on the live rock, sand, and glass, and he continues to snare a goody every 5-10 minutes. I've injected pods twice now into the main tank. I added a scrubber pad into my little HOB filter box. The idea of the scrubber in the filter is to spray the fresh pods into the filter box and let them trickle down into the main tank as they are attracted to light. Algae and detritus from the filter, in theory, should sustain a small fuge-like population in the box.
Now the bad news.
The mandarin is not as plump as I'd like him be. He has improved since purchase, but I can still make out the line in his abdomen. I fear I may have bought one too far gone. As I see amphipods on almost every patch of sand and rock I look closely on, and I can find copepods with a flashlight at night, losing him will not be for want of food.
I've been in touch with Dr. Rhodes and I have started my second culture jar. However, my first jar may have been contaminated. I introduced some algae into the jar, and it could have possibly fouled the water and stunted the culture. Today I removed most of the algae with a prong. I believe most of the pods are deep in the sponge and out of my view, so I will have to wait longer to see a population boom.
Lessons learned: Do not add algae. It can hold unconducive hitchhikers as well as pollute the culture. Also, wait until you are seeing large growth before adding the scrubber. The pods seem to disappear into the pad and it is hard to gauge when you're ready to split the culture.
5/05/05 Update. Moved the scrubber pad from the filter box to the pod pile to prevent a nitrate build-up. The pod pile is much larger and now offers much more protection for the pods. At night I see amphipods everywhere. I also added a large seashell with more scrubbing material wadded inside.
The mandarin is looking better, I'm happy to report.
Pod production in the jars is coming along nicely. I see thousand of tiny pods on the second culture jar, the one without the pad.
5/24/05 Update. I apologize for the lack of updates. My wife and I were gone for two weeks on our honeymoon and my brother was house and fish sitting.
The mandarin is still alive and more active than ever. I expected the pod population to be decimated when I got back, but on the contrary, it continues to boom. There are more than ever and they appear to keep multiplying. There is now a new species of pods, little black ones smaller than the clear amphipods and full grown copepods. They infest parts of the glass that has slimy green algae as well as the sand and many rock and shell surfaces.
I injected a new source of pods a few days ago. Unfortunately, they are so small it's very hard to tell if I'm injecting anything at all. I started a new culture jar with the decimated scrubber pad I used to "replenish" the main tank.

 

[johnnyd]

Here's some conjecture. Perhaps the cultures are not entirely necessary. I believe the scrubber pads and live rock rubble are the sole reason the population is not only keeping up with the mandarin but growing larger. However, I cannot safely conclude this because there hasn't been enough time to truly tell.
The mandarin's appearance remains skinny. I find this disturbing because the frequency of which he consumes pods has increased; he eats something every 2 or 3 minutes now. I don't know what this means, but I have some guesses. One, he may have been too far starved when I bought him. Two, his belly will come back slowly. Or three, he just appears this thin and it's nothing to worry about. After all, the only information I'm going on about their appearance has come from the same people who said this experiment could never be done.

 

[johnnyd]

Updates on a Mandarin Fish in a Nano
By Josh Day
If you're interested in keeping a mandarin fish in a ten gallon tank, please see my in-depth article here.
Progress
11-21-06
Several weeks ago the editor from Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine contacted me and asked if I would be interested in writing an article about nanos and mandarins for their publication. I happily accepted and am pleased to announce the article will be coming out in February 2007. So be sure to pick up the February issue of TFH and check out the story.
As for the mandarin, he is doing wonderfully and is staying fit. But don't take my word for it; check out the pic below.
9-19-2006
We have been in our new house for two months now and the mandarin is still with us.
Healthy and well fed and very much alive I'm pleased to say.
I had not fed the nano tank for three or four days prior to the move. When I broke down the ten gallon reef and got the mandarin in his bucket with the clownfish, it was very obvious he was not in good shape. Very skinny with a hollow stomach. And to make matters worse, once he hit the bucket, he would not move at all.
I was pretty sure he was done for and would not make the move.
Fortunately I was wrong. After I set the tank back up, he was back to his usual self within an hour.
I've found a new trick for "gut loading" him on pods. I keep my magnetic scrubber in the tank, and the pods congregate on the scrubbing surface pressed against the glass. I break the magnetic lock and hover the outside magnet an inch away from the scrubber, letting the mandarin cruise up and down to feast.
Obviously, I'm very careful not to get startled cause I could easily squish him if the two slammed back together!
1-06-06
2006, green mandarin in a ten gallon nano still A-OK
Nothing new to report. This is good, of course, but I have some future plans in the works for the mandarin as well as this whole project...
I may be moving soon to an actual house. I'd like to upgrade the tank to a 20 gallon long and add an HOB refugium chocked full of chaeto, scrubber pads, and small pieces of live rock, while keeping a healthy flow.
I feed approximately 1/2 teaspoon of roe every other day (off days cyclopeeze), rinsed in tank water to get most of the unnatural dye before it hits the tank. Pods are visible in the tank at night so a steady number appear to coexist with the mandarin. I supplement sometimes from my vase, which is crawling with pods, by swapping out a pourous rock of ugly starburst polyps and zoanthids.
For a while in Nov. and Dec. I got lax. I only dosed roe about twice a week during the holiday shuffle. Finally, when I spent a couple hours looking at the tank, I noted the mandarin's abdomen was concave. Still well-rounded and healthy, but his stomach looked as if he were sucking in.
Not good.
Immediately I started a daily roe feeding program. In three days he was back to himself... full stomach, no trace of lines on the side. A healthy mandarin looks chubby, like a fat muppet from Sesame Street, and when you see his stomach on the underside it should either be flush with his body or slightly rotund.
The daily feedings of rich foods like roe obviously take a toll on the tank. I do weekly water changes, 1-2 gallons, which is about 20% due to the live rock and sand that takes up some of the volume. Nitrate has not once tipped over 5... actually it has never registered on my test kit, and I hope to keep it that way. However, green hair algae is a constant problem, thanks to the high nutrient content and dosing of phytoplankton, but the water changes and chaeto macro I keep in the tank seem to keep it in relative check.
9-15-05
Apologies for the long hiatus. Yes, the mandarin is still alive, and he's thriving. He is beautifully well rounded and there isn't a trace of the line you see in so many mandarin abdomens. My pod population has seemed to hit a stable point, and you can see hundreds at night over the glass. In addition to the copepods and amphipods, I've seen some huge isopods, nearly ten times the size of the largest amphipod. Pretty neat.
I took three pods from the main tank and dropped them into the pico vase. I did this a month ago, and the vase is filled with pods now. So far I haven't needed to harvest them for the main tank, but if that time comes, they are here.
The mandarin continues to eat roe and Cyclo-peeze with relish. I also believe he's eating mysis.
I'd take some new pictures, but he hasn't changed really at all from the last shots.

 

[johnnyd]

7-26-05
He's begun eating Cyclo-peeze in addition to the roe.
I'm going to try to wean him onto mysis and Formula 1 as well. I tried yesterday with mysis, and he didn't seem interested in the slightest. I may have more luck with Formula 1 because it's easier to mix it with the roe. The Formula 1 also settles on the bottom.
Another point of interest is the pods appear to be returning. Last night and this morning at dawn I checked the tank with a flashlight, and they were scurrying about, everywhere. On a whole, they were all pretty large too. This makes me wonder. Does the population naturally wax and wan as I had hypothesized before? Has the mandarin not pursued the pods as virolently due to his new diet? Or is this the results of the 2 bottles of Seapods I put in a few weeks ago?
I doubt I'll ever be able to answer any one of those questions definititvely. There doesn't seem to be an exact science with pods. Then again, this mandarin project is pretty far from exact science.
7-11-05
Some great news. The mandarin eats! And he eats something other than pods!
No more speculation--finally, I can venture into the realm of fact. This mandarin happily and greedily consumes roe, the orange fish eggs scattered atop sushi rolls. He slurps them off the sand, off the rocks, and even gobbles clusters of them. By many accounts, these fish can only eat small portions at a time, but mine devoured every last orange ball he could find and was hungry for more. This may be because he hasn't eaten much in several days (he wiped out the podulation), and once he gets in trim shape, he may settle down and not go after the roe with such zeal.
I can't really express how exciting it was to witness this fish finally eating.
Now for some questions I'm going to look into.
Will roe sustain a mandarin indefinitely? I need to look up the nutrtional content of roe. Also, I'd like to find a brand that doesn't have sugar or soy or other crap, even though most fish foods contain soybean in some form.
Good news is I won't have to rely solely on pods, though I plan to buy a bottle or two every month.
Other questions... do other mandarins eat roe as well? I'll have to contact an LFS that carries multiple fish and see if they'd be willing to try feeding them roe. Now that I know for a fact he is eating something I can supply in abundance, I can finally begin to experiment and try to wean him onto Cyclo-peeze--if he isn't eating them already--then mysis, then ultimately powdered Formula 1. Best way to do this is the mandarin diner, which was mentioned at the outset of this project.
A nice thing about roe is it goes straight to the bottom, unlike the Cyclo which floats and wanders.
For the first time since I started this project, I feel like I'm not on a fool's errand and even somewhat vindicated, and all of my time and work hasn't been for naught.

 

[johnnyd]

7-08-05
I've begun to worry about the state of the new mandarin.
He decimated my thriving pod population in a week. I can still see amphipods at night, but the preferred little copepods are nearly invisible. The pod pile is still active, which gives me some hope--if I keep at least some pods alive, they will continue to reproduce, though not in great numbers as before. The copepods have always been difficult to see in the pod pile so I can't say if they're in there in abundance or not.
The mandarin is also getting skinny fast. The rate it's happening is so alarming that I may have to give him away at the local reef club meeting next week. However, I think I may see some light in the tunnel.
I ordered a new batch of copepods. Anyway, the new copepods product is called Seapods My last culturing experience was a total waste of time and resources. I'm not doing that again. Instead, I may order a number of these bottles from Sharky's every month, the exact quantity to be determined when I inject the two initial bottles directly into the tank.
Today I went to the LFS and finally bought some Cyclo-peeze. I was expecting frozen blocks, but instead I came home with some freeze-dried. Freeze-dried looks like powdered red chunks, and they break apart when they hit the water to reveal copepod-size "Cyclo."
And for the first time, I honestly believe the mandarin is eating something other than pods.
Though my turkey baster has not been exactly effective, I sprayed enough to settle on the bottom and some of the rocks, and the rest--that wasn't engulfed by the clown and the rampaging brittle star--eventually came to a standstill too. I watched the mandarin for about five minutes and saw it hitting up the area of sand directly blasted with the Cyclo. The mandarin was busy consuming... and he was chewing, which is something different from the other times when I thought he maybe was eating mysis or frozen brine.
I also bought some roe too, the orange fish eggs on sushi. Unfortunately, it has soy and crap on them, but it was all they had... and the clownfish loved it nonetheless. Later today I'm going to inject the tank again with roe to see what happens.
This mandarin was hale and hearty for 2 weeks at the fish store with NO live rock whatsoever. This makes me believe he was accepting some form of prepared foods as his state has diminished in my care when I had loads of pods...
Unfortunately, all those white dots above have vanished due to the mandarin's appetite. But I am working on bringing them back.
I've learned a lot from my last go-around. I do not intend to lose this mandarin too.
6-30-05
Purchased another one.
The following is lifted from my blog.
I picked up a fat and healthy mandarin male today. A far cry from the last trooper, this guy looks like a muppet with fat cheeks, a nice, rounded gut, and a full underside and throat. Apparently, coloration is not a factor in their health and state as my last one was as bright and alluring as this guy.
He's eagerly swimming about the tank zapping pods. He has been at the LFS since 6/16 and is in remarkably good shape, much better than the other two on display. My hope is he was accepting the prepared foods offered to the other fish in the tank.
I'm going to try some roe tomorrow or the next day when I can get out to an Asian food market.
I'm also still on the look out for cyclopese shrimp as they are not sold around here at all.
6/10/05 Update
Well, after getting back from Wal Mart, I investigate the nano tank and couldn't find the mandarin. A moment later I discover him dead, stuck on the intake of the powerhead.
I did not see him this morning but by his near perfect state (though clearly dead, he looked asleep and only a little ragged) he must have died within a half hour of me finding him.
This was a shock as I had watched him closely last night and he was fine, no change in behavior whatsoever... and eating, always eating. I'd use the magnifying glass and watch as he came up to the glass and saw him slurp down 1 or 2 pods at a time.
I looked at the body up close and he had not changed a bit since I got him from the store. Skinny and pinched in the abdomen. It appears he did indeed starve, but I just don't understand it. The tank enjoyed an overabundance of pods, and even when I felt the population was dwindling, you could still find at least 3 or 4 on every rock or area of sand.

 

[johnnyd]

My hypothesis is he was too far gone when I bought him and he just could not recover to a proper weight, even with plenty of food. I wish my camera would take pics of the pods on the glass, it's really quite amazing how many I have. It honestly looks like an infestation. At least with him gone the pods can really take over the tank now...
I still believe in my original theory and I won't let this deter me. However, I'm going to let the tank really get good and covered in pods, and for the meantime I'm going to try some zoanthids.
I'll update on this project when I get another mandarin, this time one in excellent shape and a lot larger, around 2 and a half inches.
6/07/05 Update
It has been a while since my last report on the mandarin project. And no, it's not dead; on the contrary, everything seems to be staying at the status quo.
The mandarin's appearance remains the same, though he may be a little plumper. Good news is he's definitely not getting skinnier. I'm starting to believe there is no problem because he continues to be active, colorful, and alert. He perks up when frozen adult mysis shrimp are injected into the water column, and though I haven't seen him eat a piece of mysis, there appears to be some cause and effect with his behavior and mysis.
The pod population seemed to be dwindling for a while. My quart jar production is not going well... and I'm almost at the point of abandoning it. The 2 scrubber pads and pod pile in the main tank may be sustaining the pods; I just have to refrain from injecting more from the quart jar next time the population drops. Either the population naturally waxes and wanes or the quart jars are keeping the pods in good numbers. I'm inclined to believe in the natural waxing and waning as the quart jars seem to be doing a lot of nothing--there has been no boom in population, and you can only see one or two pods at a time on the glass.
Today I scrubbed algae from the front viewing panel and there are hundreds of pods on the glass. And they still are crawling all over their protected areas. I'm going to inject more mysis into the pod pile; this seems to boost their population with direct feedings.
I'm feeding the pods in the quart jars powdered Formula 1.

 

[vinnyraptor]

just added one to a 95 gal live rock tank that im trying to slowly make a reef tank. she ( no top dorsal ) fiercly ate live brine at the store. wont take frozen yet, but has buzzed around picking the rock like a humming bird ten minutes after she hit the water. her belly is skinny also. picks at algae blooms, and never stops searching for food during the day. i keep rubble rock in my filter hopefully copepods can breed there safely and maintain a population. i plan on doing a live brine feeding every 3 or so days, ensuring she gets her fill via turkey baster. i have never seen a copepod in my tank but assume i have some. tank has been up 3 1/2 months, about 15 hermits, 10 snails, 1 camel shrimp, 1 sand sifting star. and 2 clowns. and 1 carpet anemone. about 80 lbs of rock.

 

[vinnyraptor]

although im no expert i believe a varied diet is probably the best bet for these guys. and a whatever works mentality. it probably varies from fish to fish too, my buddy kept one for years in a dirty tank with little live rock on frozen brine. maybe he had a type of worm it liked too? im gonna offer mine live brine, frozen, spirulina, roe, shrimp, clam, etc... seems to be happy with whats in there now, will keep you updated...
i do disagree with keeping one in a 10 gallon, mine seems to enjoy buzzing around, and exploring. sometimes just feeding a pet isnt enough, they need to be happy, need recreation. a bird in a large cage that gets set out on the porch on a summer day is much happier than one in a small cage in a dark room. i think its true for fish too, stress is a big factor, maybe the small confines were the cause?

 

[johnnyd]

well i think this is a good write-up about how a mandarin can be kept in a 10g tank, i just ordered one for my 28 euro tank.

 

[nuro]

just wanted to share; i tried the pod jar culuring thing and it failed miserably.

 

[johnnyd]

Originally Posted by nuro
http:///forum/post/2688920
just wanted to share; i tried the pod jar culuring thing and it failed miserably.
you have to follow things perfect ex: using diffent things for DT and culture jar to prevent cross contamination. if your cafefull it can be quite easy, if you follow all the steps.

 

[novahobbies]

I've read this article with some interest, and I have a couple questions for you!
First, I support the effort it has obviously taken you. Besides obviously going against the general rules for mandarins, you have decided to risk your virtual neck by posting your results -- both good and bad. I appreciate the honesty. It was a little hard to read, however, as the posts seemed out of order from one another, but I think I sorted it out. Just so I'm clear, though, this was a log you kept through 2005 and 2006 -- is the fish alive now?
Also, if the animal survived and thrived, have you considered moving the experiment further? I see two avenues you can explore from this initial test: 1) repeat the test with another animal, as in science all experiments must be repeatable with similar outcomes, and 2) consider a breeding test! As you said yourself, the future of these fish should be considered, and population decimation by taking wild caught animals can be curbed by experiments with captive breeding. As with seahorses, a probable outcome of captive breeding would be a hardier fish more adjusted to tank life...eating frozen foods, etc. So, in summary, I would like to know if you're going to continue experimenting!

I have two mandarins in seperate tanks. My female is in a 37 gallon tall seahorse setup, complete with a do-it-yourselfer fuge stocked with chaeto, 40 lbs of live rock, and multiple hidey-holes for the little female. My male is quite large, in a 55 gallon tank with another chaeto stocked fuge, 60-70 lbs live rock, and a fake coral head that basically turned into a pod pile. I've had both animals for 3 months now. When I examine my glass and substrate margin with a magnifying glass I see tons of minute animals -- most too small for the

[hr]
eye -- but they're crawling over everything, so I have no reason to believe the mandarins are having problems.
My 55 gallon tank is in transition right now. I recently purchased a 110 gallon predrilled tank that I've been setting up. There's going to be a 30 gallon sump/fuge for filtration, plus all the live rock is being transferred over with the addition of another 60 lbs of tufa rock. In the meantime, I'm considering keeping the male mandarin in QT for a period of 4 weeks or so with established live rock. I want the pod population to increase after I transfer the sand/rocks/water to the 110 gallon tank. When the initial period is over, I was considering adding the male AND female to the 110 gallon tank. I doubt I'd have any success at breeding, but there's only one way to find out!
Anyway, thanks for posting such an interesting article!

 

[johnnyd]

its not my atricle but its from a site and i thought it was very good so i put it up. def need to know what your doing to keep a mandarin though