Mandarin goby

[Allen shirk]

Not sure if this is right spot to post but I have a 32 gallon biocube with 2 clown fish a long with some coral and inverts and I recently purchased a mandarin last Wednesday along with a bag of copepods came home today to a hermit crab eating my goby... did he die from something else and the crab decided to eat or did the hermit crab kill him?

 

[Dsnakes]

Did you QT him at all? How are the clownfish doing? How long has the tank been up and running? He likely died before the hermit got him. But lots more info needed to help determine why.

 

[Allen shirk]

I did not QT him, clown fish are doing great tank has been up since June. I think I got the clown fish in like July or August.

 

[Saltine]

I have nothing but issues with sick Mandarins since they are kept in a non Copper tank. I highly recommend you QT them, mine had velvet twice.

Salt

 

[NB Reefer]

Mandarins can be a difficult fish to keep. I agree with @Dsnakes more than likely it died then the hermit ate it. Mandarins are picky eaters that mainly eat pods. Your tank may not have been established long enough to have an ample pod population to support the mandarin. I read somewhere they can eat one pod every ten seconds. Without an established population the mandarin probably blew through the bag you brought home in a day. Did you see the mandarin eat anything at the lfs?

 

[Allen shirk]

Mandarins can be a difficult fish to keep. I agree with @Dsnakes more than likely it died then the hermit ate it. Mandarins are picky eaters that mainly eat pods. Your tank may not have been established long enough to have an ample pod population to support the mandarin. I read somewhere they can eat one pod every ten seconds. Without an established population the mandarin probably blew through the bag you brought home in a day. Did you see the mandarin eat anything at the lfs?

I did not he had the fish ready for me when I got there but I still see tons of copepods in my tank.

 

[NanoCrazed]

Did you acclimate the Mandarin? I often find the salinity from stores to be very different than the home tank.

I keep my tank at 1.025 sg but one store I get fish from has their water at 1.019 sg while another is at 1.030+. Puts a lot of stress on livestock if they get dumped into water with such a huge differential

 

[Jeepguy242]

23g is way too small for a mandarin....

it will eat millions of pods in a week and then some more...

 

[Allen shirk]

Did you acclimate the Mandarin? I often find the salinity from stores to be very different than the home tank.

I keep my tank at 1.025 sg but one store I get fish from has their water at 1.019 sg while another is at 1.030+. Puts a lot of stress on livestock if they get dumped into water with such a huge differential

I did even tho he told me he keeps his at 1.024 and mine is at 1.025

 

[jd371]

This is a hard fish to QT because of their diet. That's why a lot of people forgo the QT with this fish. They do have a heavy slime coat that protects them from parasites better than other fish, but they can still get them. It's a chance you take with this fish. I added my Spotted Dragonet without QT'ing.
With a 32g biocube you'll need to add a sump or HOB refugium to increase your pod population to support a Mandarin and even that might not be enough and you'll need to supplement with bags of pods that could get costly. That's why they say it's best to have a big tank with plenty of rocks to support a healthy pod population for the Mandarin. It's possible to keep a Mandarin in a small tank but it needs to be design for the sole purpose of keeping a big pod population for the Mandarin.

 

[Devan Petersen]

Not sure if this is right spot to post but I have a 32 gallon biocube with 2 clown fish a long with some coral and inverts and I recently purchased a mandarin last Wednesday along with a bag of copepods came home today to a hermit crab eating my goby... did he die from something else and the crab decided to eat or did the hermit crab kill him?

Those Mandarins like to die, but i have never seen a hermit crab kill one. I would suggest that if you get another one you let your pod population have a few months to breed. it's pretty amazing how that tiny little fish can tear through a healthy pod population.

 

[CindyKz]

I had one that lived in my 75 gal, with refugium and cheato, for a few months. I added a bag of pods every few weeks and it took frozen Nutramar. It seemed to maintain a good weight. Then when I couldn't get Nutramar anymore I tried to let it live on just the pods. Within 6 weeks it died, while I was away on vacation. All other inhabitants were fine except a sand sifting star which died during the same timeframe. I assume they out competed each other and starved, even though I added a bag of pods the day I left. I had a seemingly healthy pod population but I guess it wasn't enough. I'd be pretty hesitant to try in a 32 gal, even with refugium. Just my experience.

 

[ZachR32]

Mandarins don't ship very well, and those that do make it thru shipping are usually close to starvation already. Hard to find a nice healthy one. Best to always QT them and ensure they are eating prepared foods especially in smaller tanks.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Imo. You need to monitor mandarins in a separate tank when you buy one. These fish go through a lot of stress and can be more skeptical then dart fish. they really are picky eaters but (ime) even more difficult they can be picky about how they eat. example- I have a mandarin that will eat prepared foods but won’t get excited or show any feeding response when food is being introduced. takes my pumps being off for 10-20 min till the mandarin decides to start eating. She likes to eat this way every time.

Since they have such thick slime coats they can harbor disease indefinitely. I think your mandarin died before it was eaten. Not from hunger tho. Unless it was starved when you bought it. Keeping your mandarin in a separate tank will give the mandarin a place to put on healthy wait with zero competition. Took mine 2 weeks to put the weight back on.
Very sorry for your loss Allen

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Mandarins do best in a 50g+ mature tank with plenty of rockwork and open sand bed for grazing as well as a readily available food supply such as a thriving pod population in the sump that will feed the display tank. You also need to take into account other tank inhabitants that hunt/feed on pods, such as many wrasses or blenny's. If you have any competition for pods in the tank you may have to consider supplemental dosing of live foods the mandarins will actively eat to ensure they get enough food. When selecting one ask the LFS if they can add some brine shrimp to the tank housing them and watch each fish closely. You want to select one that looks very healthy and is actively hunting the brine shrimp. This will help you when providing a variety of food sources for them other than just pods. You can also look into making a pod feeding station for your mandarins so you can feed them various pods and nano brine to ensure they are getting plenty to eat.

As for acclimation, Mandarins have probably one of the longer acclimation times I have come across. You want to start with temperature acclimation. Then move to a drip line acclimation over the span of 2-3 hours. Before you add them to the QT tank or to the display tank, test the water in both to make sure everything is perfectly matched. Even then these fish are extremely sensitive to sudden changes and can become stressed and can die from that, or stop eating all together.

If done right and you take your time, you can have keep a mandarin for years with little to no issues.

 

[NanoCrazed]

Based on my experience, I highly suggest putting in an in tank pod hotel with chaeto and light...in any tank.

I've successfully kept super fat mandarins in small tanks including a 5G and 13.5G this way along with ample live rocks (Not saying this is something everyone should do...just that it's possible). I haven't done any supplemental feedings once my pod hotel got fully established. In the beginning I loaded the hotel with tisbe once every few weeks. If anything, I worry that my mandarins will explode from eating so much...

In any case, even for big tanks, I think there's benefit...

 

[NanoCrazed]

One if my pigs decided to make an appearance... case in point.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Introduction and a body with indication of feeding, not malnourishment are important factors with these fish. Although QT is beneficial, acclimation and flow not high will be part of a good transition

 

[Zack K]

I think for the most part everything stated above is correct. Although 35 is on the small side, with a little extra work it is possible.
Here is my pair. Housed in a 54. Pods added monthly and have a fuge.

 

[Royce White]

My Mandarin was very small when I put it into my 75 gal with refuge, may have been a baby, he has doubled in size and is fat. I have added copepods twice but wouldn't bet that they are still there. I am envious of people that say that they see pods in their tanks. I added blood worms to my LRS food and I do see him gobble them up plus picking around on the rocks so I have quite worrying about him.