Mandarins in a Nano..

[Xtasia]

Interesting article.

http://joshday.com/mandaringoby.htm

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.

[Kabong]

As long as you go into it knowing theres a chance that the fish may never take prepared food's
and you may have to spend the next 15 to 20 years culturing pods for it.
In theory it should be doable

[StirCrazy]

looks/sounds like he is slowly starving a mandrin to me.


Steve

[EmilyB]

I've kept a few mandarins in a BIG tank. The longest has lived about three years. And they eat a lot more than pods. In fact, I never really saw mine eat a pod. Pods move pretty freaking fast. He ate a lot of minute somethings from the rock, and definitely ate worms from the sandbed. You will notice fishbase has absolutely no information on the natural diet of mandarin dragonets.

[Bob I]

Originally Posted by EmilyB

I never really saw mine eat a pod. Pods move pretty freaking fast. He ate a lot of minute somethings from the rock, and definitely ate worms from the sandbed. You will notice fishbase has absolutely no information on the natural diet of mandarin dragonets.

I would tend to agree with that analysis. Let's take it a step further. I too have never seen my Mandarins eat pods. If indeed pods were their main diet would Mandarins not be nocturnal pod hunters when pods are active If I take a flashlight to my tank at night, I see hundreds of pods scurrying around. However, the Mandarin is sound asleep. The Mandarin appears to sleep very soundly. He loses almost all his colour, and passes out somewhere.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Bob I

The Mandarin appears to sleep very soundly. He loses almost all his colour, and passes out somewhere.

yup, I flushed one as I thought it was dead.. all grey and molted looking

how ever I did see the little tiny pods it picked off the rock a few times.. I think by people saying Pods they are kinda generalizing and giving the impression they eat the big copapods the ones I saw you could barley see.

Steve

[Snappy]

My blue pair (m&f) eat something that I can't see that is growing on the rock all day long. I too have not actually seen them eat what I would call "pods". However, they eat a lot and are looking healthy and whatever it is they are consuming often creates a smoke-like puff from their gills when they chew it. The article author said his eats once every 3 minutes, I would say with mine it seems more like every 20-30 seconds depending on where in the tank they are.