Mandarin and high flow ok? Multiples ?

Ogi · 09/14/2017, 06:34 PM

I have a 120 gallon sps dominated reef with very high flow, sometimes I see my fish get slightly knocked around but they are strong swimmers, will a mandarin be able to cope in these currents ?

Secondly could I keep more than one? I have a large refugium on the system with macro and live rock, the fudge is probably close to 50 gallons.

sfdan · 09/14/2017, 08:35 PM

I have a pair of scooter dragonets in my 120 SPS dominated tank with very high flow. I think the flow sometimes disrupts them a little bit when breeding but otherwise they have no problem.

I used to think of dragonets as delicate little swimmers that just casually glide around, but believe me, they can swim really powerfully if they want to. When I was QTing them I dreaded the transfers because catching them was somewhat scary affair as they darted around lightning fast trying to avoid getting captured. Granted they spend most of their time in the lower flow areas of the tank (on the rocks and the sand), but when they get into the water column or near the powerheads they have no problems dealing with flow.

FullBoreReefer · 09/14/2017, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ogi

I have a 120 gallon sps dominated reef with very high flow, sometimes I see my fish get slightly knocked around but they are strong swimmers, will a mandarin be able to cope in these currents ?

Secondly could I keep more than one? I have a large refugium on the system with macro and live rock, the fudge is probably close to 50 gallons.

It's hard to say weather it will support a mandarin.

Should you keep multiples? NO

sfdan · 09/14/2017, 08:45 PM

Oh and as for more than 1...

One should not be an issue with a 120 gallon tank with 50 gallon fuge, provided there aren't any other wrasses or types of fish that are direct competitors. If you have a lot of pods in your tank then 2 probably is OK but that feels borderline for me. Lots of pods being that if you look at the tank at night and you should probably see pods all over the place on the rocks and glass.

In my case I was willing to do whatever it took to keep two dragonets, and if it looked like they were depleting all the pods and starving then I was going to make one of the contraptions I've seen in other threads that allow you to feed them live brine shrimp, and then do all the work to make sure they had live brine. Fortunately for me, both of my scooter dragonets love frozen food, and so with the frozen food and pods in the tank they are fat and happy and breeding and have been for about 6 months.

I did get a 24" feeder so I can make sure to target feed them, but otherwise it's pretty easy. I do think scooter dragonets are more likely to eat frozen food than mandarin dragonets though, so YMMV.

djbon · 09/14/2017, 10:15 PM

I manage to keep one mandy alive and fat with no fuge (75G DT). The trick is to have a lot of live rocks with hundreds of cervices/holes that mandy cannot enter. These holes and cervices will act as a safety buffer zones for pods to multiply safely. Just make sure you feed enough to your other fishes as pods need foods as well. I can see hundreds of pods coming out at night feasting on algae film on rocks and glass panels. I made an algae trough for dragon breath and other algae few weeks ago and the amount of pods in there should be able to support another mandy.

Ogi · 09/14/2017, 11:26 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll probably just take a little more time deciding, I have two six line wrasses and loads of pods!

sfdan · 09/15/2017, 02:26 AM

Six line wrasses are both more aggressive than dragonets and more efficient at eating the same food source. The six line will also not be happy to see somebody else eating their food source. I'd proceed with caution.

The good thing about dragonets is they are very easy to differentiate between male/female, so you can start with one, and if things go well you can add their counterpart later. Be careful though, because if your six lines start picking on your mandarin, the six line is going to win. So be ready to rescue the mandarin if things go poorly.

Ogi · 09/15/2017, 03:30 AM

Yeah I don't even want to risk it, I was already on the fence about it. Sometimes it's better to not tempt fate.

MondoBongo · 09/15/2017, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ogi

Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll probably just take a little more time deciding, I have two six line wrasses and loads of pods!

i wouldn't put any dragonet in with six lines. they're strong competition and there is a very high likelihood that will be aggressive towards a dragont that competes with them for food.

i couldn't even keep my sixline in a 75 with my clowns. he bullied them mercilessly.

Wazzel · 09/15/2017, 06:41 AM

I have a mandarin in my 120 with high flow. It is doing fine. I only have a coral beauty that picks at pod so not much competition for food. My other fish are not known to be big pod consumers. I personally would not add a mandarin to a tank that had a lot of wrasses because of a food competition issue. Because of that I have no plans to add wrasses or other fish that will compete with my mandarin for food.

homer1475 · 09/15/2017, 06:46 AM

My mandy will often during feeding times swim up to the top of the tank. Then remain there while my pumps all kick back on to 100%. It looks as though she is "surfing"(for lack of a better term) the waves created by the pumps. Almost like one of those endless pools type concept. I don't think flow would affect a mandy one bit.

But as others have stated, I would not put a mandy in that tank with 2 others that are competing for the same food.

09/14/2017, 06:34 PM	#1
Ogi Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 197	Mandarin and high flow ok? Multiples ? I have a 120 gallon sps dominated reef with very high flow, sometimes I see my fish get slightly knocked around but they are strong swimmers, will a mandarin be able to cope in these currents ? Secondly could I keep more than one? I have a large refugium on the system with macro and live rock, the fudge is probably close to 50 gallons.

09/14/2017, 10:15 PM	#5
djbon Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, MY Posts: 813	I manage to keep one mandy alive and fat with no fuge (75G DT). The trick is to have a lot of live rocks with hundreds of cervices/holes that mandy cannot enter. These holes and cervices will act as a safety buffer zones for pods to multiply safely. Just make sure you feed enough to your other fishes as pods need foods as well. I can see hundreds of pods coming out at night feasting on algae film on rocks and glass panels. I made an algae trough for dragon breath and other algae few weeks ago and the amount of pods in there should be able to support another mandy. __________________ 75 gallon DT, 5 gallon sump, DIY LED bar with moonlight, DIY Arduino controller Current Tank Info: 75 gallon/Arduino Controller

09/15/2017, 06:41 AM	#10
Wazzel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Houma, LA Posts: 4,743	I have a mandarin in my 120 with high flow. It is doing fine. I only have a coral beauty that picks at pod so not much competition for food. My other fish are not known to be big pod consumers. I personally would not add a mandarin to a tank that had a lot of wrasses because of a food competition issue. Because of that I have no plans to add wrasses or other fish that will compete with my mandarin for food. __________________ Mark Beware the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it's a train. Current Tank Info: 120, LED, Bare Bottom, SPS/LPS

09/15/2017, 06:46 AM	#11
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	My mandy will often during feeding times swim up to the top of the tank. Then remain there while my pumps all kick back on to 100%. It looks as though she is "surfing"(for lack of a better term) the waves created by the pumps. Almost like one of those endless pools type concept. I don't think flow would affect a mandy one bit. But as others have stated, I would not put a mandy in that tank with 2 others that are competing for the same food. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

09/14/2017, 08:35 PM	#2
sfdan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: San Francisco Posts: 451	I have a pair of scooter dragonets in my 120 SPS dominated tank with very high flow. I think the flow sometimes disrupts them a little bit when breeding but otherwise they have no problem. I used to think of dragonets as delicate little swimmers that just casually glide around, but believe me, they can swim really powerfully if they want to. When I was QTing them I dreaded the transfers because catching them was somewhat scary affair as they darted around lightning fast trying to avoid getting captured. Granted they spend most of their time in the lower flow areas of the tank (on the rocks and the sand), but when they get into the water column or near the powerheads they have no problems dealing with flow.

09/14/2017, 08:45 PM	#4
sfdan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: San Francisco Posts: 451	Oh and as for more than 1... One should not be an issue with a 120 gallon tank with 50 gallon fuge, provided there aren't any other wrasses or types of fish that are direct competitors. If you have a lot of pods in your tank then 2 probably is OK but that feels borderline for me. Lots of pods being that if you look at the tank at night and you should probably see pods all over the place on the rocks and glass. In my case I was willing to do whatever it took to keep two dragonets, and if it looked like they were depleting all the pods and starving then I was going to make one of the contraptions I've seen in other threads that allow you to feed them live brine shrimp, and then do all the work to make sure they had live brine. Fortunately for me, both of my scooter dragonets love frozen food, and so with the frozen food and pods in the tank they are fat and happy and breeding and have been for about 6 months. I did get a 24" feeder so I can make sure to target feed them, but otherwise it's pretty easy. I do think scooter dragonets are more likely to eat frozen food than mandarin dragonets though, so YMMV.

09/14/2017, 11:26 PM	#6
Ogi Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 197	Thanks for all the advice guys! I'll probably just take a little more time deciding, I have two six line wrasses and loads of pods!

09/15/2017, 02:26 AM	#7
sfdan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: San Francisco Posts: 451	Six line wrasses are both more aggressive than dragonets and more efficient at eating the same food source. The six line will also not be happy to see somebody else eating their food source. I'd proceed with caution. The good thing about dragonets is they are very easy to differentiate between male/female, so you can start with one, and if things go well you can add their counterpart later. Be careful though, because if your six lines start picking on your mandarin, the six line is going to win. So be ready to rescue the mandarin if things go poorly.

09/15/2017, 03:30 AM	#8
Ogi Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Australia Posts: 197	Yeah I don't even want to risk it, I was already on the fence about it. Sometimes it's better to not tempt fate.