Mandarin Dragonet Question

[littlefoxx]

Hello I am curious about mandarins and their care/diet. Ive done a lot of research and asked questions at my LFS and most say not to get them because of their diet of copods. The other day I was on Bluezoo ordering some hermits for my tank and came across a supplemental food supply of copods and it specifically talked about mandarins loving it. So I was wondering if anyone had advice or experience with it?? I just really adore these fish since I saw one in the store and really really want one but not if I cant care for it properly in my tank.

tank is a 70 gallon Red Sea max.
current fish:
2 juv clowns
2 juv banggani cardinals
Coral beauty angel
Juv half black mimic tang (he is under an inch and I plan to upgrade this tank to bigger before he outgrows it)
Midas blenny

plans to add:
Firefish
Scissortail dartfish
Engineer goby
Yellow watchmen
Yellow coris wrasse
Lubbock or clown fairy wrasse (un decided between the two)

I also have a 32 biocube with 2 frostbite clowns that I will most likely add one of the little ones to as far as firefish or dartfish.

 

[Jekyl]

You shouldn't have an issue keeping a mandarin. I wouldn't add the wrasse also as they will compete for food.

 

[Slocke]

Hello I am curious about mandarins and their care/diet. Ive done a lot of research and asked questions at my LFS and most say not to get them because of their diet of copods. The other day I was on Bluezoo ordering some hermits for my tank and came across a supplemental food supply of copods and it specifically talked about mandarins loving it. So I was wondering if anyone had advice or experience with it?? I just really adore these fish since I saw one in the store and really really want one but not if I cant care for it properly in my tank.

tank is a 70 gallon Red Sea max.
current fish:
2 juv clowns
2 juv banggani cardinals
Coral beauty angel
Juv half black mimic tang (he is under an inch and I plan to upgrade this tank to bigger before he outgrows it)
Midas blenny

plans to add:
Firefish
Scissortail dartfish
Engineer goby
Yellow watchmen
Yellow coris wrasse
Lubbock or clown fairy wrasse (un decided between the two)

I also have a 32 biocube with 2 frostbite clowns that I will most likely add one of the little ones to as far as firefish or dartfish.

Have you looked into captive bred? They are a lot easier.
Dosing copepods will help but I agree with above that adding the halichoeres wrasse (yellow coris) is maybe not a good idea as the halichoeres might eat most of the copepods.
I keep a pair of captive bred in a 110 gallon tank with an army of wrasse.

 

[littlefoxx]

Have you looked into captive bred? They are a lot easier.
Dosing copepods will help but I agree with above that adding the halichoeres wrasse (yellow coris) is maybe not a good idea as the halichoeres might eat most of the copepods.
I keep a pair of captive bred in a 110 gallon tank with an army of wrasse.

Ah okay I did not know that about wrasse. Is it just the yellow coris or the other two wrasse as well? And if its all wrasse would blue reef chromis be an issue with the copods?

 

[littlefoxx]

Ah okay I did not know that about wrasse. Is it just the yellow coris or the other two wrasse as well? And if its all wrasse would blue reef chromis be an issue with the copods?

And yes I 100% would get captive bred

 

[PotatoPig]

Copepods are pretty easy to culture (grow your own) - there’s a bunch of threads on here about differing ways of doing this.

I wouldn’t plan on continuing to buy pods as food - this will get monumentally expensive. If you plan to feed pods seed the tank and then culture a supply if your tank doesn’t have enough live rock to sustain enough pods.

captive bred tend to be better at eating pellet/manufactured foods, but can sometimes lapse and go to only eating pods.

 

[zen]

I wouldn't get a wrasse of any type if you want a mandarin. The good news is the mandarin will eat flatworms and other pests too. Provide places for copepods to hide and breed, like a pile of rock rubble or a copepod hotel, and you'll have plenty of live food. My mandarin is in a 29 gallon and he is so fat!

 

[Slocke]

Macropharyngodon (leopard wrasse), halichoeres wrasse, Wetmorella (possum wrasse), and the pseudocheilinus/pseudocheilinops wrasse are all likely to decimate copepods in the tank. Cirrhilabrus (fairy) and Paracheilinus (flasher) wrasse eat less. Get captive bred and the mandarin will do well!

 

[Slocke]

Macropharyngodon (leopard wrasse), halichoeres wrasse, Wetmorella (possum wrasse), and the pseudocheilinus/pseudocheilinops wrasse are all likely to decimate copepods in the tank. Cirrhilabrus (fairy) and Paracheilinus (flasher) wrasse eat less. Get captive bred and the mandarin will do well!

Saying this I keep my 2 mandarins with a leopard wrasse, halichoeres, 2 fairies, a captive bred cleaner wrasse, and a court jester goby. All of them eat copepods but yet they are all very fat.

 

[areefer01]

Was already suggested but captive bred would be a great place to start. Biota. They list the food they are already eating which you could buy ahead of time. Also know they will arrive small and will require multiple feedings per day. I do not own their Mandarin but I do have: Pink Square Anthias, Gold Line Rabbit, Sapphare Damsel, Starry Goby, Links Goby, Matted, and Radial filefish. All amazing.

Also competing foragers, wrasses, I would wait for a bit until the mandarins are established. While they will take prepared foods you want to let them get the lay of the land and your micro fauna adjust to their predatory nature with pod reproduction. Balance is key.

From Biota's page you can pre-order / stage food:
Biota Mandarins arrive to you already familiar with foods like Hikari frozen baby brine shrimp, Piscene Energetics frozen Calanus, Easy Reefs Masstick, and tiny pellets such as small Easy Reefs DKI pellets, TDO B2 pellet, and PE Hatchery pellet 400 μm

 

[dirty_south87]

Hello I am curious about mandarins and their care/diet. Ive done a lot of research and asked questions at my LFS and most say not to get them because of their diet of copods. The other day I was on Bluezoo ordering some hermits for my tank and came across a supplemental food supply of copods and it specifically talked about mandarins loving it. So I was wondering if anyone had advice or experience with it?? I just really adore these fish since I saw one in the store and really really want one but not if I cant care for it properly in my tank.

tank is a 70 gallon Red Sea max.
current fish:
2 juv clowns
2 juv banggani cardinals
Coral beauty angel
Juv half black mimic tang (he is under an inch and I plan to upgrade this tank to bigger before he outgrows it)
Midas blenny

plans to add:
Firefish
Scissortail dartfish
Engineer goby
Yellow watchmen
Yellow coris wrasse
Lubbock or clown fairy wrasse (un decided between the two)

I also have a 32 biocube with 2 frostbite clowns that I will most likely add one of the little ones to as far as firefish or dartfish.

I have 2 myself. As long as you keep a lot of copepods in your display for them to eat you should be good. Keep in mind other fishes will eat them as well so I would suggest to overstock or culture your own.

 

[i cant think]

Hello I am curious about mandarins and their care/diet. Ive done a lot of research and asked questions at my LFS and most say not to get them because of their diet of copods. The other day I was on Bluezoo ordering some hermits for my tank and came across a supplemental food supply of copods and it specifically talked about mandarins loving it. So I was wondering if anyone had advice or experience with it?? I just really adore these fish since I saw one in the store and really really want one but not if I cant care for it properly in my tank.

tank is a 70 gallon Red Sea max.
current fish:
2 juv clowns
2 juv banggani cardinals
Coral beauty angel
Juv half black mimic tang (he is under an inch and I plan to upgrade this tank to bigger before he outgrows it)
Midas blenny

plans to add:
Firefish
Scissortail dartfish
Engineer goby
Yellow watchmen
Yellow coris wrasse
Lubbock or clown fairy wrasse (un decided between the two)

I also have a 32 biocube with 2 frostbite clowns that I will most likely add one of the little ones to as far as firefish or dartfish.

That CBA will likely indirectly affect your pod population. Pods enjoy breeding in algae the most (obviously they do breed in cracks and crevices of the rockwork and sandbed). Your CBA will be pecking the algae and that will remove a breeding ground for your pods.

I wouldn't get a wrasse of any type if you want a mandarin. The good news is the mandarin will eat flatworms and other pests too. Provide places for copepods to hide and breed, like a pile of rock rubble or a copepod hotel, and you'll have plenty of live food. My mandarin is in a 29 gallon and he is so fat!

Not all wrasses eat pods. Paracheilinus species (This genus isn’t recommended for tanks that are less than 4’ long) and Cirrhilabrus species are Planktonic feeders and don’t harm the pod population.

 

[littlefoxx]

That CBA will likely indirectly affect your pod population. Pods enjoy breeding in algae the most (obviously they do breed in cracks and crevices of the rockwork and sandbed). Your CBA will be pecking the algae and that will remove a breeding ground for your pods.

Not all wrasses eat pods. Paracheilinus species (This genus isn’t recommended for tanks that are less than 4’ long) and Cirrhilabrus species are Planktonic feeders and don’t harm the pod population.

Ah okay, will a refrigum help keep the pods around enough for the mandarin to not starve? My half black also picks at stuff all the time

 

[i cant think]

Ah okay, will a refrigum help keep the pods around enough for the mandarin to not starve? My half black also picks at stuff all the time

It should help but I would remain cautious either way :)

 

[MBruun]

Look like several of your fish eat copepods. In order to maintain a decent copepod population you could add phyto plankton daily. I will recommend live phyto, and if you dose close to lights out the pods will have a better chance to diet on the phyto

 

[littlefoxx]

Look like several of your fish eat copepods. In order to maintain a decent copepod population you could add phyto plankton daily. I will recommend live phyto, and if you dose close to lights out the pods will have a better chance to diet on the phyto

Ah okay that makes sense! Is there any particular brand/place to get them that you recommend?

 

[littlefoxx]

Thanks for all the help guys! I decided to get a refrigum for the tank and see how that goes and dose with live pods like MBruun suggested until lm sure there is a good supply. I think I might also get blue reef chromis instead of the wrasse! Thank you

 

[fishnchips17]

Thanks for all the help guys! I decided to get a refrigum for the tank and see how that goes and dose with live pods like MBruun suggested until lm sure there is a good supply. I think I might also get blue reef chromis instead of the wrasse! Thank you

Go for it, I did the same thing. I pulled my skimmer out of my sump so I could have room for a refugium. I then dose pods and cultured my own phyto to grow the pods in my refugium. I have a Ruby red in my tank for a year now and even though I stopped culturing and dosing phyto, my refugium is able to keep my Ruby red nice and fat.

I actually feel confident enough to add a green spotted Mandarin to my tank and so far things look good.

Btw my tank is only 50 gal with a 20 gal sump so you can do this too.

 

[littlefoxx]

Go for it, I did the same thing. I pulled my skimmer out of my sump so I could have room for a refugium. I then dose pods and cultured my own phyto to grow the pods in my refugium. I have a Ruby red in my tank for a year now and even though I stopped culturing and dosing phyto, my refugium is able to keep my Ruby red nice and fat.

I actually feel confident enough to add a green spotted Mandarin to my tank and so far things look good.

Btw my tank is only 50 gal with a 20 gal sump so you can do this too.

So the only issue I have with this is I dont have a sump. I tried to get a hang on the back refrigum but it does not fit ☹

 

[snakemau]

I got a pair of blue mandarins from Biota (over a year ago), they eat B2 pellets and Calanus, also mini myasis. I do offer copepods but I buy a bottle every few months and they are doing great!! They were tiny when I got them, but they have grown.