Mandarin Goby/Dragonet living off the reef.

[Slapp]

I know, that sounds really bad.

I don’t have one yet, don’t worry.

In my ten gallon, I have my precious little Yellow Clown Goby, Bubs.

Getting him to eat processed food was going to be very hard as well as dangerous because he’s small even for a clown goby. (Around 3/4 of an inch.)

So I was alright with buying live copepods for the rest of time. He is my favorite fish out of all I’ve ever kept.

So I basically spoon-fed him, and of course some copepods got away. I’ve fed I think 4 species, but the main ones in the tank are a Tisbe and Apocylops.

After only a few days they had seemed to colonize the tank. And then an explosion of munnid isopods followed. Now the populations of both are rather steady, and I rarely see a speck of detritus or algae anywhere except for the coralline of course.

Bubs frenzies as soon as the lights go out, and I haven’t fed him directly in over a month now and he’s as plump and happy as ever.

I add some live phytoplankton from a little culture tube, and seachem zooplankton every now and then as a treat to the corals which I bet really benefits the copepods. As well as my 15~20 lbs of live rock.

What was I talking about?

Right, Dragonets.

I know they are notoriously hard to feed, because of the live only situation, but would it be able to scale up my tank right now?

Rough, very rough, math being that my little 1 inch fish can’t even put a dent in the micro fauna populations in his ten gallon. So a 55 gallon with this sort of micro fauna can support a mandarin?

It’s probably childish and Naive, but I’ve always wanted a mandarin, they are beautiful fish, and it would really help if they could live off the rocks.

He’d be alone too, super busy tanks just stress me out. Save for some CUC cause emerald crabs are my favorite.

This is a long term plan, nothing is set yet. Just want someone who has seen their appetite to give me their thoughts.

Thanks.

PS this is my little guy bubs.

 

[GHOSTLY]

I have a Mandarin in my 13.5 evo. It’s fine but the difference is mine eats pellets, frozen, and live. I plan to return it later once it’s grown up. Get one already trained as you wiuld need a huge fuge

 

[Dark_Knightt]

The only reason most people don't keep mandarins in small tanks is because their food needs lots of space to hide. If you were able to train one to eat prepared foods, or better yet buy one already weened onto prepared foods, you could definitely do it.
Personally I would suggest going for a ruby red dragonet, since they are smaller but look almost exactly the same, just red and yellow. Should be easier since they eat less.
Best of luck though

 

[Jekyl]

That tank is too small for a mandarin IMO

 

[Slapp]

Y’all. I’m not asking if I can put a mandarin in a 10 gallon.

I’m asking if a 55 Gallon would be enough for a mandarin to live off of native populations of copepods

“Rough, very rough, math being that my little 1 inch fish can’t even put a dent in the micro fauna populations in his ten gallon. So a 55 gallon with this sort of micro fauna can support a mandarin?”

I just saw how many copepods and isopods can live on the reef if given space. So if scaled to fish a mandarin, IE 55 gallons, would that be enough space for the food populations to sustain without the mandarin eating them.

 

[NashobaTek]

I have 3 mandrins in a 125 and they're all fat and healthy. They have pods out pacing their eating. So if you start with a heavy pod population, I would say yes as long as you don't have other pod eaters in the tank.

 

[mehaffydr]

The 55 would be more than adequate as long as you have a good population of pods. Based on your post it sounds like you have a good understanding of the fishes needs and I think you would be successful and love your Manderin

 

[aurora.k]

get a captive bred mandarin and then they eat whatever. Mine are little tubs. I dose pods fairly regularly because why not, but they eat frozen, pellets, whatever as well. I would not risk just letting wild-caught mandarins "live off the land", as it were, because they eat a lot.

 

[aurora.k]

Another source - Biota.

 

[Tamberav]

Y’all. I’m not asking if I can put a mandarin in a 10 gallon.

I’m asking if a 55 Gallon would be enough for a mandarin to live off of native populations of copepods

“Rough, very rough, math being that my little 1 inch fish can’t even put a dent in the micro fauna populations in his ten gallon. So a 55 gallon with this sort of micro fauna can support a mandarin?”

I just saw how many copepods and isopods can live on the reef if given space. So if scaled to fish a mandarin, IE 55 gallons, would that be enough space for the food populations to sustain without the mandarin eating them.

Yes.. infact is would be very easy in a dirtier macroalgae tank with some soft corals and a refugium. Pod population will depend on how much food is available for the pods and hiding/breeding places.

 

[Slapp]

Yes.. infact is would be very easy in a dirtier macroalgae tank with some soft corals and a refugium. Pod population will depend on how much food is available for the pods and hiding/breeding places.

Sounds wonderful. Thank you all. Dirtier is how I like it.

 

[dirtyxducks19]

I currently have fat happy hunting female mandarin goby in my 30 gallon... with other fish. I have a new upgrade tank for them to go into. I’ve kept my mandarin happy and fed without a fuge by having stand alone pod cultures. I have three half gallon jars in a ten gallon tank full of water(to control temp) I feed them about 3ml of phyto feast every three days. I harvest 1/2 of each jar every three weeks. I have this setup in a closet of a spare bedroom. Very easy to keep a culture of pods so you don’t have to spend tons of money buying live pods

research on this is easy if you google the right stuff. Here is one of the videos that helped me set this up. I plan on keeping my culture with the new 70gallon to supplement the new refuge

 

[elorablue]

Great opening post !!
It sounds like you absolutely know what you're doing and will be great at mandarin-keeping!

 

[najer]

Great opening post !!
It sounds like you absolutely know what you're doing and will be great at mandarin-keeping!

This and yes it will work scaling up what you are doing in the 10, I feed live phyto daily for the pods, they want to hunt and graze all day, built in design feature, if it will take offered foods all well and good, I did see mine eat some pellets once but I have no idea if she takes other added foods.
Also as above avoid things like wrasse that will be pod competitors.

 

[Slapp]

This and yes it will work scaling up what you are doing in the 10, I feed live phyto daily for the pods, they want to hunt and graze all day, built in design feature, if it will take offered foods all well and good, I did see mine eat some pellets once but I have no idea if she takes other added foods.
Also as above avoid things like wrasse that will be pod competitors.

Wonderful!

I don’t plan on keeping many if any other fish besides the mandarin.

But, what would be a good tank mate? IE, preferably smaller and passive to match the mandarin, as well as someone who won’t outcompete it?

I don’t know many saltwater fish off the top of my head, and research usually lands with conflicting accounts. Like certain clownfish being peaceful or super aggressive at the same time.

 

[elorablue]

Wonderful!

I don’t plan on keeping many if any other fish besides the mandarin.

But, what would be a good tank mate? IE, preferably smaller and passive to match the mandarin, as well as someone who won’t outcompete it?

I don’t know many saltwater fish off the top of my head, and research usually lands with conflicting accounts. Like certain clownfish being peaceful or super aggressive at the same time.

I would highly recommend a firefish. not particularly glamourous but a beautiful, interesting and peaceful fish that wouldn't compete with the mandarin in any way.

 

[NashobaTek]

Royal Gramma will leave the mandrin alone and are pretty peaceful and colorful

 

[Slapp]

I would highly recommend a firefish. not particularly glamourous but a beautiful, interesting and peaceful fish that wouldn't compete with the mandarin in any way.

Royal Gramma will leave the mandrin alone and are pretty peaceful and colorful

I think they’re both beautiful fishies. Thank you for the recommendations!

 

[najer]

Wonderful!

I don’t plan on keeping many if any other fish besides the mandarin.

But, what would be a good tank mate? IE, preferably smaller and passive to match the mandarin, as well as someone who won’t outcompete it?

I don’t know many saltwater fish off the top of my head, and research usually lands with conflicting accounts. Like certain clownfish being peaceful or super aggressive at the same time.

Tailspot blenny, great little algae grazer and mine spends a lot of time near my mandarin.

 

[Slapp]

Tailspot blenny, great little algae grazer and mine spends a lot of time near my mandarin.

I’ve heard of those guys. Lovely little fish.