Paddy's Mandarin Paradise

StirCrazy · #1 05-26-2011, 07:23 PM

in the long run you will not be able to produce the pods required in this size of tank for one mandrin little lone 2. but they are eating blood worms so you need to train them to eat a more ballanced food for them as blood worms are good for a suplament but not a staple. a high quality small pellet or something like that would be an ideal food to get them eating, but don't buy a bunch see if you can borrow a few table spoons from some one till you know you are sucessfull in getting them to eat it.

If I saw this sooner I would have urged you to go with a min of a 90 gal for a pair of mandrins but to late now. one way to help with the production of pods is to fill your refuge about 1/2 to 3/4 full of rubble rock. I did this in my 94 gal but hid the piles of rubble under the rock work and in the sump. with over 240 lbs of Live rock and rubble I went from tones of pods to seeing them once and a while with in a month of adding the mandrins so they are a large consumer and mine did mate several times as the tank was 24" tall. in hind site a 30" tall tank would be better but 24" works for the most part.

Steve

gobytron · #2 05-26-2011, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

in the long run you will not be able to produce the pods required in this size of tank for one mandrin little lone 2. but they are eating blood worms so you need to train them to eat a more ballanced food for them as blood worms are good for a suplament but not a staple. a high quality small pellet or something like that would be an ideal food to get them eating, but don't buy a bunch see if you can borrow a few table spoons from some one till you know you are sucessfull in getting them to eat it.

If I saw this sooner I would have urged you to go with a min of a 90 gal for a pair of mandrins but to late now. one way to help with the production of pods is to fill your refuge about 1/2 to 3/4 full of rubble rock. I did this in my 94 gal but hid the piles of rubble under the rock work and in the sump. with over 240 lbs of Live rock and rubble I went from tones of pods to seeing them once and a while with in a month of adding the mandrins so they are a large consumer and mine did mate several times as the tank was 24" tall. in hind site a 30" tall tank would be better but 24" works for the most part.

Steve

I kept a pair for almost a year in a 12 gallon aquapod...
The tank had been established for YEARS prior to the pair being added and there was also the benefit of having the sump space in the back to pack with liverock rubble for 'pods to breed where there was no predation.

2 years later, that same pair is living in my 95 gallon.

It can be done in small systems, but they have to be perfect and dialld in for this specific species.

paddyob · #3 05-26-2011, 08:30 PM

This is not my first time keeping mandarins. Thank you for your concern, but I am sure you will see that I have taken steps to support them.

I plan to train for frozen food.

Also... There us nothing else in this tank. Large. HOB fuge and this tank has been running non stop for about 4 years. I revamped it this year. V

Anyone who experienced Nano reefing knows keeping mandarins in a small tank IS very, very possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

in the long run you will not be able to produce the pods required in this size of tank for one mandrin little lone 2. but they are eating blood worms so you need to train them to eat a more ballanced food for them as blood worms are good for a suplament but not a staple. a high quality small pellet or something like that would be an ideal food to get them eating, but don't buy a bunch see if you can borrow a few table spoons from some one till you know you are sucessfull in getting them to eat it.

If I saw this sooner I would have urged you to go with a min of a 90 gal for a pair of mandrins but to late now. one way to help with the production of pods is to fill your refuge about 1/2 to 3/4 full of rubble rock. I did this in my 94 gal but hid the piles of rubble under the rock work and in the sump. with over 240 lbs of Live rock and rubble I went from tones of pods to seeing them once and a while with in a month of adding the mandrins so they are a large consumer and mine did mate several times as the tank was 24" tall. in hind site a 30" tall tank would be better but 24" works for the most part.

Steve

StirCrazy · #4 05-26-2011, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddyob

This is not my first time keeping mandarins. Thank you for your concern, but I am sure you will see that I have taken steps to support them.

I plan to train for frozen food.

Also... There us nothing else in this tank. Large. HOB fuge and this tank has been running non stop for about 4 years. I revamped it this year. V

Anyone who experienced Nano reefing knows keeping mandarins in a small tank IS very, very possible.

no problem, I wasn't saying it can't be done, just that it is harder and more work ensuring you get mandrins that are taking dead food and taking the time to switch them to a more ballanced food.

I myself have been trying to figure out what to put in my 30 gal when it is finnished and I was thinking of one mandrin but I am still on the fence as I go away frequently for a couple days at the time so I wouldn't be able to feed it several times a day.

Steve

paddyob · #5 05-26-2011, 11:48 PM

I had one over two years in a fully mixed reef. This tank I am using now used to be my nano.

It did eventually take frozen and then my tank crashed. Sad.

I figure I did it with one and 4 other fish. Why not two in a dedicated tank with fuge.

Slick Fork · #6 05-27-2011, 12:28 AM

I had a mandarin in my old 110 gallon. Whenever I fed NLS pellets it would become visibly excited and race around snatching anything up that made it to the bottom. I didnt try to train it, it just sort of happened after a couple of months. I think it might've grabbed one by accident one day and that was that

toytech · #7 05-27-2011, 12:58 AM

Im 6 months now with my mandarin in a 15 gal , Just added a sump last week . Dunno why everyone is so against it , there fish, i feed it just like the rest of my fish . I am going to try and get it to eat pellets though , if you have any sucess with that let me know .

StirCrazy · #8 05-27-2011, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toytech

Dunno why everyone is so against it , there fish, i feed it just like the rest of my fish .

the biggest reason is they are very resistant to eating man made or dead food, it is rare to see one which does eat food other than live pods. Now we are starting to see more as they are starting to be captive bread.

12 years ago when I got my pair there were only rhumors of mandrins that would eat anything other than there natural food, now you can actualy see them eating other stuff in pet stores. but mandrins eating prepared food (weather it be blood worms or what ever) is still an exception not the rule. and as captive raised ones become more common more people will be able to enjoy them.

Steve

paddyob · #9 05-27-2011, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slick Fork

I had a mandarin in my old 110 gallon. Whenever I fed NLS pellets it would become visibly excited and race around snatching anything up that made it to the bottom. I didnt try to train it, it just sort of happened after a couple of months. I think it might've grabbed one by accident one day and that was that

I am trying to train onto NLS finicky eater pellet. Loaded with garlic ha ha!

paddyob · #10 05-27-2011, 04:03 AM

As for pics... the two of them are acting very shy. They swim about a lot... but usually on the back side of the rock wall and therefore hard to get a good shot of.

Soon. Sorry people. I am trying.