Feeding a Mandarin Dragonet in a Nano Reef

[jacrispy516]

I threw around this idea way back before I setup my reef. I have a 16-gallon reef 11 months old loaded with coral. I set up some copepod breeding jars to dose the aquarium. I feed the copepods live phyto there are a lot of tutorials online on setting up copepod cultures. I really want a Green Mandarin Dragonet and fully understand a 16 gallon is too small to sustain a copepod population hence why I setup the breeding jars. If I were to add a Dragonet to the aquarium how often would I need to dose the copepods to keep it fat and happy? Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[PizzaIan339]

I am not sure but if it is an AIO aquarium try setting up a refugium in a back chamber that may provide some space for them to bread. I imagine that you would have to add copepods often or get one the eats frozen as well. Hope I helped!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I'm sure some might have success, but in my case, sadly, it was a fail. It takes about 3 weeks to harvest pods from smaller containers, its just not fast enough to keep up with its appetite. (I used 3 x 1 gallon cntrs)

I failed with a year old 32 gallon tank, it took about 4-5 months for it to finally starve, it was such a stressful effort to have such an unhappy ending. It was miserable for me and the fish, I'll never try it again.

 

[jacrispy516]

I'm sure some might have success, but in my case, sadly, it was a fail. It takes about 3 weeks to harvest pods from smaller containers, its just not fast enough to keep up with its appetite. (I used 3 x 1 gallon cntrs)

I failed with a year old 32 gallon tank, it took about 4-5 months for it to finally starve, it was such a stressful effort to have such an unhappy ending. It was miserable for me and the fish, I'll never try it again.

Oh no sorry to hear that. I think that's enough info for me to realize I would not be giving that fish a good life especially since my aquarium is half the size yours was.

 

[christwendt]

I can’t answer that particular question but I would recommend a baby brine feeder. Their yolk sacs are very nutritious and all you need is a baby brine hatchery to hatch thousands every couple days. You inject them into a tube into this and they stay in there. The mandarin then sucks them through the screen. Google Paul B baby brine feeder. Here is one already made and being sold.

 

[duckman]

I cant speak for a full size mandarin but with a small captive bred biota mandarin, its possible. It does require work and special feeding. I have a pod hotel in it and feed it reefnutrition liquid pods (arcti and pacpods). two to three times a day. Check out my build thread for the eshop deskmate

AIO Build - Eshopps Deskmate Mandarin Build

Just thought i would share my experiment with the spare deskmate i had lying around. Originally i had plan to get some true nano fish for the build… but i was at my lfs and saw my favorite fish in the hobby - the green mandarin. Except this was a biota captive bred one and it was tiny (like...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[PizzaIan339]

Oh no sorry to hear that. I think that's enough info for me to realize I would not be giving that fish a good life especially since my aquarium is half the size yours was.

Yes I would say returning or selling or giving away would be best.

 

[Paul B]

Sorry, but no. A mandarin will not live in there for any length of time. Tank to small and to new.

 

[jacrispy516]

Yes I would say returning or selling or giving away would be best.

Don't worry I didn't buy a Mandarin yet and won't be maybe I'll look into a possum wrasse instead

 

[Uncle99]

Don't worry I didn't buy a Mandarin yet and won't be maybe I'll look into a possum wrasse instead

Luck @duckman, My captive bred Mandy eats frozen, came that way.
He pecks pods as well.
Real small though.
About 18 months old or so now.

 

[Paul B]

Don't worry I didn't buy a Mandarin yet and won't be maybe I'll look into a possum wrasse instead

Good choice.

 

[jacrispy516]

Good choice.

So cool! I haven't seen them in any LFS I've been to. I heard they can be a bit picky too when it comes to eating

 

[Paul B]

They are not picky, just secretive and prefer to stay in the shadows. One of mine is maybe 8 or 10 years old so far.