Ready For A Mandarin?

[fishyguy43]

I was just wondering if u guys think my tank could support a Mandarin? Its been set up for about a year and a half now, but about 6-7 months ago almost all of the live stock crashed and died Since then i have added more live rock and restocked my tank with a few fish. i have about 40 pounds of live rock in my 55 gallon display tank and about another 8 pounds in my refugium. I have a deep sand bed in the refugium with assorted calurpa growing, and crushed coral in the display tank (wish i woulda used sand!) Latley ive been having an increased number of copepods in the main tank. Just wondering what all u guys thought before buying one.

Thxs

 

[fishyguy43]

anyone?

 

[Jordon]

wouldnt compete with the larger fish and the Hippo Tang for the topand Bicolor Blennie for the bottom of the tank. even tough there dont go to the top. lol

 

[Eversurf]

I would try to add more live rock, that would help with the health of the tank and give more places for the fish to hide.

Did you check the fish compatibility chart they have online? That would be a good indication if your fish is compatible with other fish.

As far as competing you can always spot feed him 3 times a week.

My 2 cents

 

[sothoth]

I would introduce a mandarin with extreme caution and count on adding pods to your refugium regularly to make sure enough get into the main tank to keep him happy. In my experience they eventually starve to death no matter what you do unless you have a huge tank and only one pod eater in there (the goby), and breed or buy pods to introduce weekly.

That's just MHO.

 

[k.o.d]

mandarins are beautiful fish but need a good supply of 'pods, ours is the only pod eater in our tank and has done pretty well but I think we have been lucky.
If you think you have enough grazing food for it, then go for it, they have to be one of the best looking fish available

Steve

 

[Ranger]

while the topic is here, is a refugium necessary for a Mandarin? Cuz they are beautiful and I would like to have one in future tanks. Also I think im a bit confused on what a refugium is. I get a refugium and a sump confused (initially I thought they were the same), now I just don't know what the Refugium is...

 

[k.o.d]

A refugium is a type of sump

The refugium has deep sand bed and algea for nitrate/phosphate removal, it is a very natural way of filtering a reef and because it is separate from the main tank allows for a large number of copepod and other crustaceans to grow without being 'harvested' by hungry fish, these in turn return to your main tank via the sump return pump

 

[rhysiboy]

i absoloutly love mandarins but they are very hard fish to get to survive long term because thikn these fish would live for a long time in the wild so do you really want to cut its life short?

 

[enjoiskater158]

is it possible to get them to eat brine or mysis?

 

[SkiFletch]

is it possible to get them to eat brine or mysis?

Possible yes. Likely? No

 

[richard t]

I was just wondering if u guys think my tank could support a Mandarin? Its been set up for about a year and a half now, but about 6-7 months ago almost all of the live stock crashed and died Since then i have added more live rock and restocked my tank with a few fish. i have about 40 pounds of live rock in my 55 gallon display tank and about another 8 pounds in my refugium. I have a deep sand bed in the refugium with assorted calurpa growing, and crushed coral in the display tank (wish i woulda used sand!) Latley ive been having an increased number of copepods in the main tank. Just wondering what all u guys thought before buying one.

Thxs

Forget the idea and move on.
75kg of LR in a mature tank minimum IMO
There are many ways to try and keep one alive. But all of these are hard work and not guaranteed to be successful.
Two or three meals a day are no good. They graze 24/7 so a self sustaining population of pods has to be the only way, if you want long term success