Mandarin Plunge

RyanFlorida · 08/22/2006, 04:18 PM

So I saw this guy trapped in a small cubicle like 3" x 3". I just hand to get him. I had the guy feed him and he gobbled up some live brine. So him and five hermits are now the inhabitants of my tank. I try and get a good pic of him up. For now I'm just gonna let him relax and adjust to his huge new enviroment. Any help and advice on keeping would be greatly appreciated.

ACBlinky · 08/22/2006, 04:27 PM

It's great he's taking prepared foods, that's step #1. I'd look into buying some bottled pods to keep him fat and happy, IMO frozen isn't enough, these guys need to pick at pods all day long. ReefCrew is one company that sells bottled pods, your LFS should be able to order them for you. Good luck, they're gorgeous fish

GlobaLPimP · 08/22/2006, 05:07 PM

yes - pods, pods, pods!!! Enjoy him!

davocean · 08/22/2006, 05:16 PM

The hardest part to keeping a mandarin is having enough pods.
If your 125 has been running for a while and you have enough live rock you may be OK.
I reccommend having a fuge with LR pod piles, chaeto, and dose with phyto.
Check your tank at night, about an hour or more after lights have been out.
Use a flashlight, and look for little flea size(maybe a little smaller) critters running around.
They're tough to see at first.
If you don't have em, get em!
You can buy them online.

Desert Aquarium · 08/22/2006, 05:26 PM

When they are bought, would you recommend introducing them to the sump, or the main tank?

Can they travel from the sump to the main tank, or would they get chopped up in the Mag? lol That'd be an expensive margarita for my fishies!

davocean · 08/22/2006, 06:02 PM

I put mine in at night so fish would'nt eat them.
Turn off pumps, put some in fuge, and some in tank.
I also made little LR pod piles in the tank earlier that day.
They will make it through the sump/fuge.
Main thing is to have an area where they can reproduce with no predation.

Peedub20 · 08/22/2006, 06:23 PM

It's great he is eating prepared food. I hear they are hard to come by. Mine would not touch prepared food, had to keep getting more pods.

davocean · 08/22/2006, 06:40 PM

Is LIVE brine considered a prepared food?

RyanFlorida · 08/22/2006, 06:43 PM

They said he eats the live brine but also likes Cyclops alot so I boughtsome I'm just goning to feed a little thawed out in tank water in a awhile. Let you guys know later. In the store it was live brne.

atvdave · 08/22/2006, 07:35 PM

I also just got a Mandarin today.

Who makes the best bottled pods? I have read some post of people who where mad that the bottle they got didn't have much of anything in it.

Right now I have 1000's of pods, but I also don't have a fuge yet (I'm about 3 months away) so I may have to add a few bottled pods to keep him happy.

Dave

davocean · 08/22/2006, 08:17 PM

Last time I got pods from COPEPOD.COM
I know there's a sponsor on here also, but can't remember name.
It never looks like there's that many in the bottle, but they swear there's 500 or more.(they are small)
If you have pods already, just dose phytoplex or phytofeast to feed them.
You can also make pod piles in tank w/ LR rubble.
Also, check MELEEVSREEF.COM
Look for mandarin diner, trick to fatten them up.

sarduci · 08/22/2006, 08:38 PM

Indo-Pacific Sea Farm (?) is suspose to sell stuff like that.

RyanFlorida · 08/23/2006, 07:47 PM

Update: So he's figured out the best hiding spot in the tank and hides when anyone approaches. Otherwise he sits in the middle of the tank in front of the biggest rock in the tank. Not sure if he is eating but I have been feeding the cyclops to him, but he goes and hides, so I'm trying to pour the food over where he is.

turretdr · 08/23/2006, 09:37 PM

Live brine is not nutritious food for them and if that is all it is eating, it will die. It is like popcorn for people, useless calories. I'm not trying to bust your bubble, they are great fish but 99% will only eat live copepods. If you are lucky enough to have one that eats prepared foods, congratulations. You will see it eating, if it is. Good luck as they are a very difficult fish to keep unless you have an endless supply of copepods.

lt34 · 08/23/2006, 09:45 PM

How much area with the lr rubble is needed. Would a 5x5 inch area be good?

08/22/2006, 04:27 PM	#2
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	It's great he's taking prepared foods, that's step #1. I'd look into buying some bottled pods to keep him fat and happy, IMO frozen isn't enough, these guys need to pick at pods all day long. ReefCrew is one company that sells bottled pods, your LFS should be able to order them for you. Good luck, they're gorgeous fish __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

08/22/2006, 05:07 PM	#3
GlobaLPimP Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Palm Harbor, Florida Posts: 911	yes - pods, pods, pods!!! Enjoy him! __________________ This hobby is educational; it teaches you how to spend a lot of money in a hurry! Current Tank Info: 75gl, SPS, LPS, IceCap/T5/SLR, 2 modded Tunze 6045's, PCI 350 skimmer w/ Gen-X 2400, 95lbs LR, GEN-X 4100 return

08/22/2006, 05:16 PM	#4
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	The hardest part to keeping a mandarin is having enough pods. If your 125 has been running for a while and you have enough live rock you may be OK. I reccommend having a fuge with LR pod piles, chaeto, and dose with phyto. Check your tank at night, about an hour or more after lights have been out. Use a flashlight, and look for little flea size(maybe a little smaller) critters running around. They're tough to see at first. If you don't have em, get em! You can buy them online. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

08/22/2006, 06:02 PM	#6
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	I put mine in at night so fish would'nt eat them. Turn off pumps, put some in fuge, and some in tank. I also made little LR pod piles in the tank earlier that day. They will make it through the sump/fuge. Main thing is to have an area where they can reproduce with no predation. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

08/22/2006, 06:40 PM	#8
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Is LIVE brine considered a prepared food? __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

08/22/2006, 04:18 PM	#1
RyanFlorida Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Surf City, USA Posts: 23	Mandarin Plunge So I saw this guy trapped in a small cubicle like 3" x 3". I just hand to get him. I had the guy feed him and he gobbled up some live brine. So him and five hermits are now the inhabitants of my tank. I try and get a good pic of him up. For now I'm just gonna let him relax and adjust to his huge new enviroment. Any help and advice on keeping would be greatly appreciated.

08/22/2006, 05:26 PM	#5
Desert Aquarium Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Edwards AFB, CA Posts: 183	When they are bought, would you recommend introducing them to the sump, or the main tank? Can they travel from the sump to the main tank, or would they get chopped up in the Mag? lol That'd be an expensive margarita for my fishies!

08/22/2006, 06:23 PM	#7
Peedub20 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 154	It's great he is eating prepared food. I hear they are hard to come by. Mine would not touch prepared food, had to keep getting more pods.

08/22/2006, 06:43 PM	#9
RyanFlorida Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Surf City, USA Posts: 23	They said he eats the live brine but also likes Cyclops alot so I boughtsome I'm just goning to feed a little thawed out in tank water in a awhile. Let you guys know later. In the store it was live brne.

08/22/2006, 07:35 PM	#10
atvdave Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Newburgh, IN Posts: 1,763	I also just got a Mandarin today. Who makes the best bottled pods? I have read some post of people who where mad that the bottle they got didn't have much of anything in it. Right now I have 1000's of pods, but I also don't have a fuge yet (I'm about 3 months away) so I may have to add a few bottled pods to keep him happy. Dave

08/22/2006, 08:17 PM	#11
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Last time I got pods from COPEPOD.COM I know there's a sponsor on here also, but can't remember name. It never looks like there's that many in the bottle, but they swear there's 500 or more.(they are small) If you have pods already, just dose phytoplex or phytofeast to feed them. You can also make pod piles in tank w/ LR rubble. Also, check MELEEVSREEF.COM Look for mandarin diner, trick to fatten them up. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

08/22/2006, 08:38 PM	#12
sarduci Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Wausau, Wisconsin Posts: 1,278	Indo-Pacific Sea Farm (?) is suspose to sell stuff like that.

08/23/2006, 07:47 PM	#13
RyanFlorida Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Surf City, USA Posts: 23	Update: So he's figured out the best hiding spot in the tank and hides when anyone approaches. Otherwise he sits in the middle of the tank in front of the biggest rock in the tank. Not sure if he is eating but I have been feeding the cyclops to him, but he goes and hides, so I'm trying to pour the food over where he is.

08/23/2006, 09:37 PM	#14
turretdr I want to play a game Join Date: May 2006 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 296	Live brine is not nutritious food for them and if that is all it is eating, it will die. It is like popcorn for people, useless calories. I'm not trying to bust your bubble, they are great fish but 99% will only eat live copepods. If you are lucky enough to have one that eats prepared foods, congratulations. You will see it eating, if it is. Good luck as they are a very difficult fish to keep unless you have an endless supply of copepods. __________________ NO REGRETS.Every decision we make is based on current knowledge. NO REGRETS.

08/23/2006, 09:45 PM	#15
lt34 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Port, Florida Posts: 217	How much area with the lr rubble is needed. Would a 5x5 inch area be good? __________________ Barry Never Forget 9/11, Support our Troops. "FDNY 343" "I promise to mow the lawn if I can get that Coral". Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon Reef, 2-150watt HQI MH, 260 watt PC Atinics, 9.5mag in sump, Seio 1100 ph, 110lbs lr, 100lbs ls, Coralife superskimmer 125