Mandarin dragonet

[sheeb]

Has anyone ever successfully kept a mandarin in something like a 20-30 gallon tank? Is it possible?

 

[Mflores888]

Buy a captive bred one, you'll have the best possible results

 

[AydenLincoln]

Yes but you need to supplement bottles and bottles of pods/raise your own! Because they can eat hundreds a day and it’s all they eat.

 

[sheeb]

Buy a captive bred one, you'll have the best possible results

for sure. not buying one yet unless I know I can keep it. I was just looking at my tank and the amount of copepods I have looks crazy! little things are crawling everywhere on the rocks, I just never looked close enough.

 

[sheeb]

Yes but you need to supplement bottles and bottles of pods/raise your own! Because they can eat hundreds a day and it’s all they eat.

I've poured bottles in like 4 or so months ago and it looks like I have a very well established pod population but I'd be worried the fish would eat all of them in just a few weeks

 

[QuantumFoam]

Years ago, I went through two mandarins in a 20 gallon. I did have a refugium and kept it stocked with copepods. Both starved to death, and though they are one of my favorite fish, I haven't bought one since. If I were to do it again, I'd probably go with a captive-bred mandarin, or be better prepared by culturing my own pods.

 

[AydenLincoln]

I've poured bottles in like 4 or so months ago and it looks like I have a very well established pod population but I'd be worried the fish would eat all of them in just a few weeks

Yes so you should keep adding them regularly/like every few days or so would work and have a refugium to breed them.

 

[Microcosm Reefer]

I wouldn't attempt it with wild caught... even captive raised can be a challenge. I grow pods in 5 gallon buckets to supplement the TDO pellets and BBS. I say it is doable but not advisable unless you are looking for a next level type challenge.

 

[sheeb]

I wouldn't attempt it with wild caught... even captive raised can be a challenge. I grow pods in 5 gallon buckets to supplement the TDO pellets and BBS. I say it is doable but not advisable unless you are looking for a next level type challenge.

ah dang. not my cup of tea then. I love them but I don't think its worth the risk and I like doing minimal work to my tank (cleaning, wc, checking params) and that's it, everything else is automated. maybe down the road when I have more time on my hands but for now, I don't think I will

 

[sheeb]

whats a good, active fish other than clowns and blennies? for a 25 gallon shallow long and wide tank. I recently bought a Midas blenn and loved it but my engineer goby for some reason was very aggressive towards it and it went south overnight. had to get rid of both at my Lfs.

 

[AydenLincoln]

whats a good, active fish other than clowns and blennies? for a 25 gallon shallow long and wide tank. I recently bought a Midas blenn and loved it but my engineer goby for some reason was very aggressive towards it and it went south overnight. had to get rid of both at my Lfs.

A blue damsel or purple dottyback but are both known to be more aggressive but actively swim during the day. I also love my diamond sand sifting goby who comes out periodically throughout the day and cleans the sand bed just make sure they get enough to eat.

 

[Habachi_Grill]

If looking to rehome a Mandarin into a nano tank, you have to be prepared to set up the tank around that mandarin. I currently own 2 wild Mandarin dragonets along with a Tanaka Pygmy Wrasse. Yes, that is definitely pushing it but preparation is key. I have a copepod culture that I harvest weekly. My Mandarins have been trained on frozen + Live Brine along with Home Cultured White worms. In addition, I culture baby brine shrimp every couple of days.

Captive bred is definitely best but due to budget, I decided to rehome a wild specimen!

 

[Tiki_Reef]

whats a good, active fish other than clowns and blennies? for a 25 gallon shallow long and wide tank. I recently bought a Midas blenn and loved it but my engineer goby for some reason was very aggressive towards it and it went south overnight. had to get rid of both at my Lfs.

Possum Wrasse, mine eats frozen baby mysis and picks pods off the rock.

 

[James5214]

+1 for possum wrasse. I have a six line that is active all he does is swim all day around my rock work looking for pest but I never had seen a possum wrasse until I went to a new lfs and definitely would of got him instead they are awesome looking and stay relatively small. They are considered pygmy wrasse

 

[blaxsun]

Has anyone ever successfully kept a mandarin in something like a 20-30 gallon tank? Is it possible?

Yes. I had a pair of wild-caught mandarins in a 25-gallon. I managed to train them to eat frozen (the male was even eating pellets) - otherwise they would've decimated the copepod population.