Experienced Mandarin questions please

[Neptune 555]

Madarin advice, please!

I have had mandarins in the past and I LOVE them. I currently have a 180 gallon reef tank. I want to add one (possibly a mated pair) of mandarins to my reef. Does anyone have experience with the captive bred mandarins vs the wild. If they actually eat frozen food that could supplement the pods I will supply. Also any experience on the green spotted mandarins hardiness versus the blue or red mandarins hardiness? I had a mandarin for years in my 50 gallon reef and when I upgraded to a 180 he didn't make it. I fear the other fish outcompeted him for food. Trying in my 180 again and want to ensure success! I will target feed also... but that has been hard b/c my blue tang is such a pig.

thanks!!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

IMHO you should have no problem having enough pods in 180 gallon system with adequate light rock, to keep a Mandarin from starving even if it's not eating frozen yet. Dose phytoplankton often to feed the pods.

 

[homer1475]

I've had both in the past and prefer the wild caught.

Here's why.....

First off the bred mandy's are tiny when received. While this isn't necessarily a problem, it would also depend on your current stock on whether it would have a hard time finding food(in a 180 probably not an issue, but something to consider). Second I have found over time, either will eat anything, but you must have a pod population for them to thrive(again in a 180 that shouldn't be an issue).

As far as whos hardier, I can't comment as I have only ever owned the blue or red, never owned a spotted as I don't like the looks of them.

I currently have a blue mandy with several wrasses(all fat and happy), and have plenty of pods for all in my 80 cube. But I dose live phyto daily wich feeds the pods and keeps them breeding.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have never had a captive bred mandarin but I agree with above that in a mature 180g tank having a pair shouldn't be an issue. I have heard that the captive bred are suppose to eat frozen foods but again no experience with them.
I've kept blue mandarins in the past and I currently have a spotted mandarin, as far as hardiness and care requirements I honestly don't see a difference.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

I second that @homer1475 ... I preferred wild aswell when I kept them in the past

@Neptune 555 you can put them in your sump to start out and once they start accepting food you can move them to dt, as stated above a 180 should have enough microfauna to keep them alive and healthy

The trick to is offering small foods such as zooplankton and pods live foods are always better for animals with smaller mouths you can try daphnia,blackworms,live pods live mysis shrimp or brine

Cyclopeze soaked in reef chili or roids are also a good way to get them on frozen

Then see if you can get them on mysis soaked in selcon

You can also try roe and spirulina

I've even seen other people on here put them in a basket or fish breeder when its feeding time and offer live food in a container area of the tank... I have no experience with this personally but it sounds like it may stress the fish out and cause additional unnecessary shock

Hope this helps

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I support captive bred fish anytime there’s an option. Why steal from the reef if there’s no need?

 

[NoahLikesFish]

@Paul B

 

[blaxsun]

Madarin advice, please!

I have had mandarins in the past and I LOVE them. I currently have a 180 gallon reef tank. I want to add one (possibly a mated pair) of mandarins to my reef. Does anyone have experience with the captive bred mandarins vs the wild. If they actually eat frozen food that could supplement the pods I will supply. Also any experience on the green spotted mandarins hardiness versus the blue or red mandarins hardiness?

Yes, I've had a pair of green/blue mandarins. Both from the wild (not captive bred). The larger male was eating brine already when I brought him home, and when I added a smaller female she eventually followed suit (observing the male probably didn't hurt, either). They both ate calanus, brine, blood worms and mysis. I had both in a 160-gallon tank but sadly lost them to an outbreak of velvet a few months ago, but prior to that they did fine with all manner of fish in the tank (apparently they don't taste very good and stink as well). The male was green/blue and the female green/red, and hardiness was about the same. They loved tigger pods as a treat! Hope this helps.

 

[Neptune 555]

OK - I am gonna try this! I see some articles on keeping and feeding copepods so will read those and get my tank well stocked before I bring them home. I looked at my sump and shined a light on it when it was dark and honestly I don't see any pods running around?? I even bought the pod hotel ( a square box with many boxes in it ) to ensure they were breeding in my sump. I started my tank with 20+ year old rock and put in pods several time at the start... once the mandarin died in the new tank 3 - 6 months in the new tank I stopped adding pods BUT wouldn't they still just be all over my tank? I do have cheato in my sump also?

Dumn question - wouldn't the pods die when they go through the return pump back into the tank? I also use filter socks? wouldn't that stop them from moving between the tank and the sump?

thanks!
neptune!

 

[MichaelReefer]

Hit up Penny at AquaCoral's Reef!

She sells Mandarins that are already trained to eat Mysis. I have had mine for two years and hes still healthy and kicking.

Soft Corals For Sale: Tank Raised Aquacultured Soft Corals, Hard Corals, Inverts and Saltwater Reef Fish For Home Aquariums

Welcome to AquaCorals! The largest Tank Raised Soft Coral Aquaculture facility in the US! Over 100 Soft Coral species are grown on "Real Rock" here

www.aquacorals.com

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Hit up Penny at AquaCoral's Reef!

She sells Mandarins that are already trained to eat Mysis. I have had mine for two years and hes still healthy and kicking.

Soft Corals For Sale: Tank Raised Aquacultured Soft Corals, Hard Corals, Inverts and Saltwater Reef Fish For Home Aquariums

Welcome to AquaCorals! The largest Tank Raised Soft Coral Aquaculture facility in the US! Over 100 Soft Coral species are grown on "Real Rock" here

www.aquacorals.com

That’s pretty cool!

 

[Neptune 555]

I second that @homer1475 ... I preferred wild aswell when I kept them in the past

@Neptune 555 you can put them in your sump to start out and once they start accepting food you can move them to dt, as stated above a 180 should have enough microfauna to keep them alive and healthy

The trick to is offering small foods such as zooplankton and pods live foods are always better for animals with smaller mouths you can try daphnia,blackworms,live pods live mysis shrimp or brine

Cyclopeze soaked in reef chili or roids are also a good way to get them on frozen

Then see if you can get them on mysis soaked in selcon

You can also try roe and spirulina

I've even seen other people on here put them in a basket or fish breeder when its feeding time and offer live food in a container area of the tank... I have no experience with this personally but it sounds like it may stress the fish out and cause additional unnecessary shock

Hope this helps

I don't get it - How do the pods move between the tank and the sump? wouldn't the filter socks and return pump stop the pods from moving between the DT and sump?

 

[Paul B]

I don't think you should have feeding problems in that size of a tank unless you clean it to much. I also think buying pods is silly as they will eat the entire order in a day.

If you are worried you could build one of these feeders I designed. They are almost free to make and very simple.
My mandarins constantly spawn but I seem to be able to keep the blue ones longer than the spotted ones. Maybe it's just me but the blues seem to live about 10 years but I never kept a spotted one that long. Maybe it's just me.

I have a lot of pod eaters.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

worked for me in my podless 60g cube. Got the idea from puals mandarin white worm feeder

 

[Neptune 555]

I don't think you should have feeding problems in that size of a tank unless you clean it to much. I also think buying pods is silly as they will eat the entire order in a day.

If you are worried you could build one of these feeders I designed. They are almost free to make and very simple.
My mandarins constantly spawn but I seem to be able to keep the blue ones longer than the spotted ones. Maybe it's just me but the blues seem to live about 10 years but I never kept a spotted one that long. Maybe it's just me.

I have a lot of pod eaters.

Hi Paul, Yes I created one of your Baby Brine shrimp feeders previously... It's odd I don't see any pods in my 180 sump and previously I did? Does the CBB also eat pods? I am assuming CBB does eat BBS? I was going to seed my 180 reef now w/ pods in the sump and also keep a supply growing to supplement. I do plan to also feed BBS again to my mandarins. I think with feeding blood worms, BBS, and implementing with pods I can have success with mandarin and CBB. With my new fish coming I * think* I need to locate one of your articles on HOW to keep the black worms alive? It is hit or miss to get them from my LFS and I need to be ready with a supply... Can you point me in the right direction of how to do that? thanks paul! Also didn't you feed your CBB food your found/sourced at the beach?

 

[Paul B]

Neptune, pods will do little for a copperband unless it is very young. Adults will not even hardly see them as copperbands are large eaters.

Whiteworms are better because you can raise them by the millions as I do. Blackworms you will have to buy constantly.

Order from Amazon a whiteworm culture and keep them in a plastic shoe box cooler than about 75 degrees. Cooler is better. Feed them whole wheat bread with yogurt of some forms of dry cat food works as well. You can google their care or look it up on these forums.

The stuff I find on a beach was amphipods. Since I moved here 3 years ago, I can't find any but I wish I could. They are much larger than copepods.

 

[Ernst Haeckel]

I would go with a captive bred if you can afford it. When I got my green spotted, the lfs employee didn't know what it was, I'm assuming it is wild caught because she was $25. My mandarin loves frozen mysis, but it can be tough to feed her sometimes. I usually feed all my other fish first, then put a bunch of mysis close to her. She's toughest to feed when she comes to the top to eat with the other fish because she is not fast enough to grab the food so I have to lure her onto a rock haha. From what I can tell, spotted mandarins will more readily eat frozen whether wild or tank raised, but the other types of mandarins are much pickier if wild caught.

But in a tank that size your pods might be able to sustain the mandarin depending on how old the tank is.