Mandarin Fin Nipped! And Other Q's

[connorsbala]

Hi
I went to feed my new mandarin a mix of frozen lobster eggs, mysis, rotifers, a bit of flake and garlic. He started to eat it very well but then my female clown came over to get some.
The mandarin obviously got in her way, and the clown went for it. As a result, the clown took a chunk outta my poor mandarins fin.
It seems alright, but its more quiet now. Its still hovering around the bottom but it must be a little shaken.
Anyway, im just asking whether anyone knows if they can regenerate their limbs etc quickly. Its only a little chunk out if its pevlic fin, but it bothers me and i want to be reassured that she (i think its a she) is alright. Maybe the slim coat may help ???
Many thanks

 

[Lynden]

Mandarins are reputed to possess toxic mucous, so keep an eye on the clown.

Mandarins, despite their appearance, are typical ray-finned fish. The wound should heal quickly. If it doesn't, use 'Melafix'.

 

[connorsbala]

The clowns fine
BNut, thias morning i found a further nip on another fin
So i have moved the mandarin to my seahorse tank, where he seems alot happier
I think hes been eating the frozen mixture that ive directed toward him. Anyway, i might try putting some mysis or something in a jar on the sand and see if he goes in there and eats. Does anyone know whether they are more active at night?

 

[Bubblenester]

The clowns fine
BNut, thias morning i found a further nip on another fin
So i have moved the mandarin to my seahorse tank, where he seems alot happier
I think hes been eating the frozen mixture that ive directed toward him. Anyway, i might try putting some mysis or something in a jar on the sand and see if he goes in there and eats. Does anyone know whether they are more active at night?

Good move, mandarins and seahorses get along great. Is that a reidi in your avatar?? I have a pair of them with a mandarin. I don't know about them being active at night- in the morning my mandarin is always so still and pale that I think he's dead!

Oh, I just read your tank stats- reidi it is. And a bluestripe! And a black percula! May I steal your tank, or at least borrow it for a while? You've got all my favorites in it!

 

[connorsbala]

Hehe lol, yep they are Reidis
If you were in Essex, you could have the blue stripe! Im phoning LFS's to see hwat sorta money back i can get. The reason why im selling it is that he's eating all the poor mandarins pods etc
Yep, same as my boy, all pale and still at night. He's healing up great now And he's starting to take frozen foods properly
Im getting a HOB refugium, the aquaclear 500 HOB filter to be precise. Ive got two cultures of copepods outside the tank too.
Hows your mandarin doing? Taking frozen or anything?

 

[Bubblenester]

Hehe lol, yep they are Reidis
If you were in Essex, you could have the blue stripe! Im phoning LFS's to see hwat sorta money back i can get. The reason why im selling it is that he's eating all the poor mandarins pods etc
Yep, same as my boy, all pale and still at night. He's healing up great now And he's starting to take frozen foods properly
Im getting a HOB refugium, the aquaclear 500 HOB filter to be precise. Ive got two cultures of copepods outside the tank too.
Hows your mandarin doing? Taking frozen or anything?

Yes, I was warned that although pipes and mandarins get along well, you need a ton of pods to keep them both happy.

No, mine has never taken frozen... lucky you! How did you do it? I have a pod culture going right now, and I really need to start a second one.

 

[connorsbala]

Yep, my copepod cultures really boomed recently
Well, i made a mix of frozen food.
I used frozen lobster eggs, frozen rotifers, live brine shrimp, frozen brine shrimp with spirulina, frozen cyclops, frozen mysis, abit of flake and garlic (seachem's Gralic Guard)
I put all the frozen cubes in a jar, then added the garlic. About 10 mins later i added the water, and let the cubes defrost properly. I then scooped the mix up, and directed it infront of the mandarin...he wasnt too keen on the cloud of food being projected to his face. So i sprayed a bit to him, then sparyed the mix over rocks he liked to rest on, crevices he liked looking in etc. I also trained him to feed from in a jar in the tank.
I also bought some Ocean Nutrition Formula 1 and 2 pellets. I was going to put these i a jar in the tank and see if he took these.
My friend came round the other day and saw my mandarin and how plump he was...he had to have him! I showed him how he was eating etc and he offered me £40 for a fish i got for £20! Bargain!
So i no longer have the mandarin. But, there are postived to this
1. I know what to feed them and how to get them eating
2. There isnt too many pods left in teh tank know, since i had the mandarin and pipe...so i can give the tank time to boost up the population of copepods
3. I can know get my copepod cultures stable and ready
4. I can get a HOB refugium going too

So, when i see a nice plump mandarin in the stores that is taking frozen eagerly, i have my tank ready for him with lots of pods in access!

i also got rid of my pipefish before i got rid of the mandarin, as he was taking all the mandarins pods!

Ill give it a few months before i get another one...ill post on here how i go about feeding it etc, i may try a spotted one instead of the classic 'splendens' one (Green Mandarin)

I fed him this mix twice aday...always used garlic in there too!
Get some frozen lobster eggs and rotifers...he really like these