how do you know when your ready for a mandarin?

kermit_criminal · 11/26/2009, 10:53 AM

how do you know when your tank is ready to support a mandarin or other fish who live on various tiny critters in the tank? until the creaters populate every square inch of the tank bottom + rocks?

spleify · 11/26/2009, 11:00 AM

IME a larger system that has been set up for a while, maybe a year or so, that has a refugium is likely your best bet. Very few mandarins will eat prepared foods. So its important to make sure your system is mature.

HTH

Good luck

BTW how old is your tank and what size is it? Do you have a refugium?

Rangereefer · 11/26/2009, 11:03 AM

Some Mandarins you can be trained to eat frozen but basically if/when you have a thriving pod population is the best. You probably want a refugium for the pods to reproduce in if you really want to be successful with them though...That said there is a chance that even with all that they will eat all the pods and you will be buying them to replenish or have a starving mandarin...

Ph0ton · 11/26/2009, 11:15 AM

I put my mandarin in after the tank (w/ fuge) was up for a year. He's been fine for over a year now and even eats some frozen food from time to time.

floridazooguy · 11/26/2009, 01:48 PM

I added one after six months but I had a big fuge with live rock in it.

MR HONDA · 11/26/2009, 03:46 PM

What size tank do you have?

getfooled · 11/26/2009, 03:54 PM

read up on those guys, i have 115 with tons of rock and cheto in the sump. I had pods out the a$$ and could visually see them but over time talking 8 months he evuntally went down hill. Unless you can get tehm to eat frozen.

loosecannon · 11/26/2009, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kermit_criminal

how do you know when your tank is ready to support a mandarin or other fish who live on various tiny critters in the tank? until the creaters populate every square inch of the tank bottom + rocks?

What size tank? How much live rock? Will the manndy have competition? Do you have a refugium, or a place were the pod`s can hide, and repopulate. What kind of manndy?

BeachBumm · 11/26/2009, 06:48 PM

I bought a mandarin around 8 mos. after my system was up and going (200 gal.).I have a refugium and seeded it with pods ,worked great .I also found after buying some nutramar that the mandarin would eat that also and seemed to love it .

dudley moray · 11/26/2009, 09:35 PM

i had a mandarin once my tomato fed it to her nem !!!

Shard · 11/26/2009, 09:41 PM

You need to tell us what size your tank is, and if you have a fuge or not. One way to check for pods is to use a flashlight at night, shine it into the tank, and look on the glass. If you see little white spots moving around you have copepods. They run from the light, so you can use a red lens filter to get a better look, as they won't run away from red light. Amphipods you can see running around on the live rock.

peasofme · 12/02/2009, 05:11 AM

mandarins are best left in the ocean

11/26/2009, 10:53 AM	#1
kermit_criminal Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Streamwood, IL Posts: 149	how do you know when your ready for a mandarin? how do you know when your tank is ready to support a mandarin or other fish who live on various tiny critters in the tank? until the creaters populate every square inch of the tank bottom + rocks?

11/26/2009, 11:00 AM	#2
spleify Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 9,579	IME a larger system that has been set up for a while, maybe a year or so, that has a refugium is likely your best bet. Very few mandarins will eat prepared foods. So its important to make sure your system is mature. HTH Good luck BTW how old is your tank and what size is it? Do you have a refugium? __________________ Make it a Great Day!!!! Current Tank Info: 60 gal SPS cube, with 25 gal refugium, 400W MH, DIY Lumenarc III, DIY skimmer, DIY stand and canopy. 40 breeder LPS with 40 gallon sump, DIY stand, 250W MH

11/26/2009, 09:35 PM	#10
dudley moray sisternofuselessknowledge Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: orillia ontario Posts: 795	i had a mandarin once my tomato fed it to her nem !!! __________________ We urge hobbyists to develop a good 'BS' detector that will allow you to question information presented to you without any experimental evidence to support it. chris Current Tank Info: 90 gal south pacific biotope 40 gal sump/fuge ,65 gal rebuilding

11/26/2009, 09:41 PM	#11
Shard Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Valdosta, GA Posts: 624	You need to tell us what size your tank is, and if you have a fuge or not. One way to check for pods is to use a flashlight at night, shine it into the tank, and look on the glass. If you see little white spots moving around you have copepods. They run from the light, so you can use a red lens filter to get a better look, as they won't run away from red light. Amphipods you can see running around on the live rock. __________________ University: Biology M.S. - 2012, M.D. 2015 Tanks: (2) 28g Nanocube 150w MH HQI - 18w Actinic CF 29g Blue Spotted Jawfish Tank

11/26/2009, 11:03 AM	#3
Rangereefer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Virginia, Minnesota Posts: 55	Some Mandarins you can be trained to eat frozen but basically if/when you have a thriving pod population is the best. You probably want a refugium for the pods to reproduce in if you really want to be successful with them though...That said there is a chance that even with all that they will eat all the pods and you will be buying them to replenish or have a starving mandarin...

11/26/2009, 11:15 AM	#4
Ph0ton Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: State College, PA Posts: 64	I put my mandarin in after the tank (w/ fuge) was up for a year. He's been fine for over a year now and even eats some frozen food from time to time.

11/26/2009, 01:48 PM	#5
floridazooguy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 118	I added one after six months but I had a big fuge with live rock in it.

11/26/2009, 03:46 PM	#6
MR HONDA Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 130	What size tank do you have?

11/26/2009, 03:54 PM	#7
getfooled Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Gulf Coast TX Posts: 46	read up on those guys, i have 115 with tons of rock and cheto in the sump. I had pods out the a$$ and could visually see them but over time talking 8 months he evuntally went down hill. Unless you can get tehm to eat frozen.

11/26/2009, 06:48 PM	#9
BeachBumm Registered Bumm Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 176	I bought a mandarin around 8 mos. after my system was up and going (200 gal.).I have a refugium and seeded it with pods ,worked great .I also found after buying some nutramar that the mandarin would eat that also and seemed to love it .

12/02/2009, 05:11 AM	#12
peasofme Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: usa Posts: 1,405	mandarins are best left in the ocean