Can a mandarin dragonet survive off of a pair of breeding cleaner shrimp

[shoshowhy]

Can a mandarin dragonet survive off of a pair of breeding cleaner shrimp continuously spawning? They spawn back and forth so it’s close to once a week between the both of them.

I already have a mandarin who is doing well in my tank. My cleaners just started reproducing and it got me wondering if mandarin’s eat cleaner larvae? And if they do, would the pair produce enough to sustain a mandarin.

Just curious about this cause I have not been able to find any info on it.

Thanks!

 

[Miami Reef]

Not sure.

Have you considered getting your tank seeded with copepods and feeding phytoplankton for them?

 

[vlangel]

I have also wondered about breeding ghost shrimp? I have kept ghosties in my sump and would love to get a Mandy.

 

[JayFish4004]

Can a mandarin dragonet survive off of a pair of breeding cleaner shrimp continuously spawning? They spawn back and forth so it’s close to once a week between the both of them.

I already have a mandarin who is doing well in my tank. My cleaners just started reproducing and it got me wondering if mandarin’s eat cleaner larvae? And if they do, would the pair produce enough to sustain a mandarin.

Just curious about this cause I have not been able to find any info on it.

Thanks!

No they would not - you need to seed the tank monthly with pods and get a Biota so they will easily adapt to frozen and pellet offerings. IMO dont even consider a mandarin unless you do this

 

[i cant think]

No they would not - you need to seed the tank monthly with pods and get a Biota so they will easily adapt to frozen and pellet offerings. IMO dont even consider a mandarin unless you do this

Honestly, CB mandarins aren’t all much better. I have found almost all mandarins eventually return back to feeding strictly on pods/Microfauna.
The breeding shrimp could almost definitely provide a more varied diet for the mandarin however I do agree that the OP should dose with pods. I wouldn’t say a monthly dosing of pods is enough, I personally do it weekly as I have a pod only eater (Discordipinna griessingeri) and I find this is much less risky.

Weekly dosing of pods will also reduce the chance of the mandarins suffering if there was ever a chance of pods going out of stock.

 

[Kmst80]

Honestly, CB mandarins aren’t all much better. I have found almost all mandarins eventually return back to feeding strictly on pods/Microfauna.
The breeding shrimp could almost definitely provide a more varied diet for the mandarin however I do agree that the OP should dose with pods. I wouldn’t say a monthly dosing of pods is enough, I personally do it weekly as I have a pod only eater (Discordipinna griessingeri) and I find this is much less risky.

Weekly dosing of pods will also reduce the chance of the mandarins suffering if there was ever a chance of pods going out of stock.

How big is your tank? I got my mandarin(wild caught) in a 100 gal with 50 kg of live rock, after 2 days of not cleaning the glass i can see pods all over it. I never dose pods, only feed 3 times a week baby brine and the mandarin loves to snack on them.

 

[i cant think]

How big is your tank? I got my mandarin(wild caught) in a 100 gal with 50 kg of live rock, after 2 days of not cleaning the glass i can see pods all over it. I never dose pods, only feed 3 times a week baby brine and the mandarin loves to snack on them.

My tank with the D. griessingeri is a RS Max Nano, and I have pods all over the tank. There is also a juvenile leopard wrasse temporarily in there.
In my 4’x2’x2’ however, there is almost no signs of copepods other than amphipods scavenging every night. This tank has a Halichoeres iridis, Halichoeres chloropterus and Chelmon rostratum in it as the main microfauna eaters.

I still dose weekly in both tanks as I have had to deal with a pod shortage in my area for several months during the winter.