Biota Mandarin Vs Wild

[eqbal9947]

Do Biota mandarins have a more yellow/mustard hue to them compared to wild caught or is that just lighting of pictures
Biota

Wild

 

[i cant think]

Do Biota mandarins have a more yellow/mustard hue to them compared to wild caught or is that just lighting of pictures
Biota

Wild

It’s more than likely to be the juvenile vs adult phases.

 

[Tamberav]

Do Biota mandarins have a more yellow/mustard hue to them compared to wild caught or is that just lighting of pictures
Biota

Wild

There is some variance in color among mandarins but they are all pretty similar as adults. My LFS gets them in and they look like pretty standard mandarins, just tiny. Honestly that photo you posted has a bunch of yellow flecks in the sand too.

I find the best way to see what they look like is to look at videos...

 

[Tonycass12]

Mine has gained color with size. I would say this is definitely a species people should be opting to buy captive bread. They are significantly easier to care for.

 

[Zionas]

The more important thing is: Do the CB ones eat pellets and flakes and frozen? Or do they just go back to eating pods once there’s enough of them?

Also are Mandarins suitable at all for a BB setup?

 

[Crustaceon]

The more important thing is: Do the CB ones eat pellets and flakes and frozen? Or do they just go back to eating pods once there’s enough of them?

Also are Mandarins suitable at all for a BB setup?

They'll eat pods no matter what as a preferred food and i've never had a mandarin eat pellets or flakes. They're visual hunters and unless you get lucky and have one associate your pipet or whatever you feed with as a food source, odds are the only non-pod food the mandarin will accept will be something like frozen brine or mysis shrimp. And you can have them with a bare bottom tank but keep in mind, you probably want to have enough rock work or a refugium to provide some degree of safe habitat for pods to breed. Also, keep in mind mandarins are not strong swimmers and will get blown all over the place in a high flow bare bottom tank.

 

[Zionas]

That sucks because was hoping the CB ones eagerly take all kinds of food but looks like that’s not the case. I’ll have to skip then.

 

[eqbal9947]

There is some variance in color among mandarins but they are all pretty similar as adults. My LFS gets them in and they look like pretty standard mandarins, just tiny. Honestly that photo you posted has a bunch of yellow flecks in the sand too.

I find the best way to see what they look like is to look at videos...

awesome, thanks!

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

That sucks because was hoping the CB ones eagerly take all kinds of food but looks like that’s not the case. I’ll have to skip then.

Atoll Farms can train them to eat pellets...I spoke to them yesterday....

 

[Tonycass12]

That sucks because was hoping the CB ones eagerly take all kinds of food but looks like that’s not the case. I’ll have to skip then.

The ones bread by biota like mine will eat pellets they are raised on reef nutrition TDO pellets and they will readily take them if they don't have pods around. You will have to target feed them if going that route because the size pellets they can eat are very very small. Best part about that they are easy to put through quarantine before going into your main tank without starving them to death.

 

[Tamberav]

That sucks because was hoping the CB ones eagerly take all kinds of food but looks like that’s not the case. I’ll have to skip then.

All my wild ones eventually took frozen and one ate pellets.

That being said, eating prepared foods does not change the biology of the fish. They still have a short digestive tract and need to be fed often if no pods are present. So you would have to dedicate yourself to target feeding them a few times a day for 10 years or whatever they live. Not vacation friendly or anything.

Also other fish and shrimp will gladly steal the food from the slow moving mandarin.

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

@Zionas they're just ~$15 each as well!

 

[Zionas]

Nice!!!

 

[hart24601]

The more important thing is: Do the CB ones eat pellets and flakes and frozen? Or do they just go back to eating pods once there’s enough of them?

Also are Mandarins suitable at all for a BB setup?

I have raised 2 CB ones in bare bottom tank on pellets without issue. I’m sure they eat pods as they eat anything now they are adults including frozen and pellets. It’s one fish I wouldn’t consider a wild even if it was free honestly.

Eheim autofeeder and small pellets makes feeding a non-issue.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

The juveniles have a different hue to them. Biota actually has some WYSIWYG adults in their online store now, and they have the full colors.

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

Depending on how others report their CB pellet eating mandarins fare from the breeder here I might just get one myself...I honestly can't believe the price they sell them for here!

 

[i cant think]

Do Biota mandarins have a more yellow/mustard hue to them compared to wild caught or is that just lighting of pictures
Biota

Wild

Another thing people don’t really say about mandarins is how just the regular mandarins actually have two different colour variants.
Red and Blue. Now, before you all come at me saying these don’t exist… just look at these photos below (None are mine).
Blue form/variant;

Red form/variant;

 

[Zionas]

What is their lifespan? 10+ years common?