Mandarin Dragonet
- Thread starter Mreef24
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Thalasstronaut
Active Member
In addition to time not being the only consideration, “time” is usually measured from the time you’ve started seeding copepods, not just from when the tank was up and running.
System size, refugium, food source, etc are all important.
Some dragonets can take prepared food but there is always a chance of regressing or stopping and if that happens you’d be chasing a community of live food and possibly struggling to keep up with the demands of the dragonet’s appetite.
System size, refugium, food source, etc are all important.
Some dragonets can take prepared food but there is always a chance of regressing or stopping and if that happens you’d be chasing a community of live food and possibly struggling to keep up with the demands of the dragonet’s appetite.
Stock up on copepods! They eat thousands of them. I do not have one YET, But I really want one. I have copepods delivered auto on a monthly basis.
Subsea
7500 Club Member
Unless you want to continually buy copepods, the system should be established with pods before introducing fish as consumers. Your 6 line wrasse will outcompete the mandarin.
@Mreef24
PS: I see this is your first post. Welcome to r2r. Consider starting a tank journal on members tank forum.
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Reef Breeder 2013
Active Member
I had a Mandarin in 10g for a while, until it ended up jumping. He was healthy and fat. IMO, it might be possible if you have had the tank for at least 6 months and if there are no other copepod eaters. Yes, they will call me crazy, but it is possible. Regarding aggression, Mandarins will completely ignore other fish (unless they are 2 male Mandarins) and others will do the same, due to Mandarins being poisonous. I have kept some really aggressive fish with my Mandarins and the others act like I just don't exist, although this is an exception with my CBS...
Reef Breeder 2013
Active Member
In case you're wondering why he jumped, there was a very bright light during the early morning while all the fish were asleep. He got scared and to calm down he went for a walk on my carpet. :(
Was going for that fresh air!
*As noted above, too small of a tank to sustain naturally.
Beyond the aggressive additional fish, you will have to add daily supplements of Pods, like a 16oz daily as a minimum.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Two females together is a bad idea too.
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
As others have said, the six-line will outcompete a mandarin for pods... if you had a much larger tank that could, over time, grow a large copepod population, you could probably sustain both.
Remember that while captive bred mandarins *might* eat prepared foods, they are used to grazing all day long so just feeding pellets once or twice a day won't sustain them.
Paul B
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A tank needs to be tank larger, not to clean and older to keep a mandarin for any length of time. Mandarins are one of the easiest, least maintenance fish there is and one of the easiest to spawn and live to about 10 years, but you need the correct tank with the correct age.
You will not be successful by trying to feed that fish pellets or baby brine shrimp 20 times a day as that will get old very fast.
Success with a mandarin is not 4 or 5 years.
They need pods "naturally" growing in your system and they want to eat one every few seconds. They don't have a stomach like most fish and can't store food sort of like a seahorse.
You will not be successful by trying to feed that fish pellets or baby brine shrimp 20 times a day as that will get old very fast.
Success with a mandarin is not 4 or 5 years.
They need pods "naturally" growing in your system and they want to eat one every few seconds. They don't have a stomach like most fish and can't store food sort of like a seahorse.
spamvicious
Well-Known Member
I have a spotted mandarin in a Fluval evo and he’s thriving but that’s because a) he’s the only fish in the tank so no competition for food and b) he happily eats frozen food.
My tank is 7 months old and he’s been in the tank two months. He’s fat and healthy off the frozen food but I also top up the copepod population every two weeks.
If you can get one that happily eats frozen food which a lot of them are trained to do then you should be ok as long as you can dose copepods alongside the frozen food AND have somewhere to rehome should he stop eating.
My tank is 7 months old and he’s been in the tank two months. He’s fat and healthy off the frozen food but I also top up the copepod population every two weeks.
If you can get one that happily eats frozen food which a lot of them are trained to do then you should be ok as long as you can dose copepods alongside the frozen food AND have somewhere to rehome should he stop eating.
Reef Breeder 2013
Active Member
Yes, a few weeks ago I realized that if it is difficult for me to fatten up just one Mandarin, two probably won't survive. Oh, by the way, is there any food you can recommend to help my female Mandarin gain weight? She arrived too skinny and is still skinny now, but not as skinny as when she first arrived.A tank needs to be tank larger, not to clean and older to keep a mandarin for any length of time. Mandarins are one of the easiest, least maintenance fish there is and one of the easiest to spawn and live to about 10 years, but you need the correct tank with the correct age.
You will not be successful by trying to feed that fish pellets or baby brine shrimp 20 times a day as that will get old very fast.
Success with a mandarin is not 4 or 5 years.
They need pods "naturally" growing in your system and they want to eat one every few seconds. They don't have a stomach like most fish and can't store food sort of like a seahorse.
bubbgee
Valuable Member
I broadcast feed a cube of frozen cyclops. The pods end up scattered in the tank and let the hermits and all other fishes an mandarin hunt them out on the rocks and sand. Works for me. My boy is fat. This is aside from the pods that grow in my fuge.
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