Adding a Mandarin

Ulm_nano_diybudgetreef · Jun 22, 2020

From what I've researched, adding a mandarin should be after a tank is well established with a healthy population of pods. This means that the mandarin is typically the last fish to be added.

Considering that mandarins are peaceful fish, and that in general, fish should be added in order of aggression. How does it affect the success of adding a mandarin after all the aggressors have already gone in?

najer · Jun 22, 2020

IME nobody bothers a mandarin except other mandarins.

Ulm_nano_diybudgetreef · Jun 22, 2020

Perfect, you've just answered a big puzzle for me.

Many thanks

... · Jun 29, 2020

I'd wait 6 to 1 year before adding a mandarin, and that's dosing pods, if you already have pods, maybe shorten it ,but unless you does everyday, you will need some chaeto so they can reproduce. Still possible to keep one though, mandarins are awesome but I am talking about the mandarin dragonette...
Happy Reefing

firepig36 · Aug 20, 2020

나는have heard of the news that six lined wrasse bothered mandarin and killed it

Clownfish_Boy · Aug 21, 2020

You definitely want to take a few months and build up a copepod population before adding a wild-caught Mandarin; they consume lot of pods and won't eat anything else...... The ORA Mandarins, however, are tank-raised and conditioned to eat frozen and pellet foods, you could add one of those immediately and keep it fed til you get the pod population up (then it will revert to eating pods).

FastandCurious · Aug 21, 2020

I have a friend and fellow reefer that conditioned it's Mandarin to eat the frozen food. It takes a few months but he did it and now he's huge. If u have patience it can be done!

Starkrost · Aug 21, 2020

Mine starved to death in a 3 month old tank. Wouldn’t eat anything I fed. Learn from my mistake!

I’ma tempermental coral · Aug 21, 2020

I’ma tempermental coral said:
A couple months ago I got a little spotted girl for ORA through @OceanDevotionLA. When I say this little girl was tiny! I mean itsybitsy! Pinky nail sized! While Adam QTed and condition her, he got her to take pellets and brine! Now pellets in my tank are a bit on the useless side due to black sand and higher flow but good regardless. In the time I’ve had her she’s probably tripled in size! I’ve waited years to have a tank that sustains an extreme pod population to finally be able to have my spotted mandarin! I know she will go after brine during feeding time but she absolutely prefers the pods! We haven’t needed to add any pods yet since even with her eating upwards of 30 pods a minute she hasn’t yet dented our in tank population if she eventually does we will pod hotel transfer from the oversized refugium to the tank for sure. We’d also eventually like to have a radiant in there too. So when that time comes we may have to start adding pods. Main takeaway I want people to see is the 30+ pods a minute at times this little girl chomps down! Like I said we have an absolute monstrous amount to begin with so she’s safe for now but monitoring this is crucial! The best way I can make this easy to understand is think of them as the hummingbirds of the sea. Those fins almost never stop! That burns a lot of calories! I believe for a good long healthy life these little ones absolutely need to be able to snack between regular feedings.

Just wrote that out in another mandarin thread thought I’d share here as well!

Clownfish_Boy · Aug 21, 2020

Starkrost said:
Mine starved to death in a 3 month old tank. Wouldn’t eat anything I fed. Learn from my mistake!

My first Mandarin also starved to death (in a FOWLR tank). This was back in 1991, before internet and easy access to information. I did not know the fish wouldn't take food, and the guy who waited on me at the aquarium shop neglected to advise me of it.

laverda · Aug 21, 2020

I’ma tempermental coral said:
Just wrote that out in another mandarin thread thought I’d share here as well!

Thank you for posting that. People do not realize how many pods they eat. I will also mention you need a decent size tank preferably with a refugium to meet their needs

Starkrost · Aug 21, 2020

Clownfish_Boy said:
My first Mandarin also starved to death (in a FOWLR tank). This was back in 1991, before internet and easy access to information. I did not know the fish wouldn't take food, and the guy who waited on me at the aquarium shop neglected to advise me of it.

The guy at the shop told me that all gobies are the same...