Live pods in cowtown

Delphinus · #1 10-24-2007, 03:42 PM

Centropyge's likely do reduce a pod population some. Pretty much anything eats pods really, it's just that mandarins are such ponderous eaters ("Hmmm shall I eat this or not? Hmmmm? Hmmmmm?") that usually if you offer them any prepared foods, that the other tankmates eat up all of it before they get enough of it. Thus, the the need for enough of a live population of pods that the mandarin can work on for other the 23 hours, 55 minutes that you're not there trying to directly feed them. Sometimes you get one that "figures it out" and eats food when offered but that's more an exception than the rule.

Catherine, Mark, I'm glad you trust your sixlines but I'm just posting my experience which in hindsight is a fairly well documented trait with these fish. I too thought "No, my mandarin is a nice fish" ... Lived peacefully with a mandarin for at least a full year after I moved the mandarin in from a different tank that I was taking down. There was no warning or any kind of lead-up to the event, otherwise I could have tried something. Anyhow, forewarned is forearmed. Sixlines are OK fish but they are known to become potentially troublesome as they age.

Der_Iron_Chef · #2 10-24-2007, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

....they are known to become potentially troublesome as they age.

I'm pretty sure I've heard my mom say the exact same thing...in reference to me.

michika · #3 10-24-2007, 04:07 PM

I'm sure you are right. I've heard tons of stories with sixlines becoming mean or agressive as they age. It sounds like its the rule and not the exception that this trait comes out later in their lives.

digital-audiophile · #4 10-24-2007, 04:18 PM

I've had my sixline for almost 2 years and I can attest that although he was a model tankmate for most of the time, it has been the past six months that he has turned into a pest. He now spends most of his day rushing up to his reflection at the side of the tank and flaring his fins. The rest of the time he spends picking on my clowns.

He is not a super agressive feeder though, he tends to wait for food to sink to the bottom of the tank before he pops out of the rocks to grab it.

michika · #5 10-24-2007, 04:49 PM

Makes me wonder if it has gone into some mating frenzy.

digital-audiophile · #6 10-24-2007, 04:58 PM

Perhaps I need to arrange a booty call for him

michika · #7 10-24-2007, 07:20 PM

:d <-- is supposed to be

mark · #8 10-24-2007, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Catherine, Mark, I'm glad you trust your sixlines but I'm just posting my experience which in hindsight is a fairly well documented trait with these fish. I too thought "No, my mandarin is a nice fish" ... Lived peacefully with a mandarin for at least a full year after I moved the mandarin in from a different tank that I was taking down. There was no warning or any kind of lead-up to the event, otherwise I could have tried something. Anyhow, forewarned is forearmed. Sixlines are OK fish but they are known to become potentially troublesome as they age.

Appreciate your comments and cautions re: 6-line, just was going back to the reason of the thread. Guess I'm still on a tangent but needing to add pods in a 90g for a Mandarin is exasperated by having a 6-line.

digital-audiophile · #9 10-24-2007, 10:26 PM

I just need to get a stand build for my grow out tank, once this is up and running I will move my sixline into that tank. I would hate to get rid of him, he is my oldest surviving fish and even though he is a maniac I still love him.