Mandarin goby

Woodchip

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 29, 2020
Messages
298
Reaction score
141
Location
tumwater washington
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I really want a mandarin in my tank but I got kind of scared off because I read somewhere that they were hard to keep. Is that because of what they eat? I’m Audi getting a pink streaked wrasse so will I have to buy a lot of copopods/ amphipods? Anything else I should know about the mandarin goby? What do you like about them if you have had one? Thank you guys!
 

Murica

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
2,996
Reaction score
10,665
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I really want a mandarin in my tank but I got kind of scared off because I read somewhere that they were hard to keep. Is that because of what they eat? I’m Audi getting a pink streaked wrasse so will I have to buy a lot of copopods/ amphipods? Anything else I should know about the mandarin goby? What do you like about them if you have had one? Thank you guys!


What size is your tank, sump, how much live rock do you have, and do you have any other pod eating Fish? How old is your tank?
 

Bepis

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Messages
1,354
Reaction score
3,504
Location
LA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What size is your tank, sump, how much live rock do you have, and do you have any other pod eating Fish? How old is your tank?
+1 and do you run a refugium
 
OP
OP
Woodchip

Woodchip

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 29, 2020
Messages
298
Reaction score
141
Location
tumwater washington
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What size is your tank, sump, how much live rock do you have, and do you have any other pod eating Fish? How old is your tank?
30 gallon tank 7 gallon sump one live rock 40 pounds of live sand and my tank is cycling but I am thinking of getting a pink streaked wrasse which eats pods.
 

Krully

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 29, 2019
Messages
284
Reaction score
308
Location
France
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
First lesson of reefing : patience. Especially with a small tank like that I'd wait a year with a stable reef and refugium before adding a mandarin. There are plenty of amazing fish that do not have such a strict diet, start with those and plan for the mandarin 6 months to a year down the road.
 

Murica

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
2,996
Reaction score
10,665
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would not get one at this point, due to lack of a food source. This is unless you constantly buy pods to re populate, which can get pricey and become a pain.

I hear ya though... beautiful fish.
 
OP
OP
Woodchip

Woodchip

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 29, 2020
Messages
298
Reaction score
141
Location
tumwater washington
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
First lesson of reefing : patience. Especially with a small tank like that I'd wait a year with a stable reef and refugium before adding a mandarin. There are plenty of amazing fish that do not have such a strict diet, start with those and plan for the mandarin 6 months to a year down the road.
I will wait out just get an easier fish to keep until I can get another tank thank you guys and gals
 

Uncle99

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Messages
8,731
Reaction score
12,861
Location
Province of Ontario
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Your pushing it a bit in a 30g.
They thrive without feeding or adding any PODS at all but must be the only exclusive POD eater in the tank of mature, 1 year old rock. Adding PODS gets real expensive.

This one is 4 years old, eats only PODs
Easiest fish in the right tank.
6D9941ED-FB8F-4315-ABD8-7166E94FC291.jpeg
 

DHill6

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
2,433
Reaction score
1,578
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have one in a 34g, Biota fish, he eats pellets and pods. I don’t have a problem.
 

MohrReefs

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 29, 2020
Messages
1,136
Reaction score
869
Location
Mt Juliet
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a Mandarin in my 44 gallon, she was so underfed when I got her. My only saving grace was getting her to eat frozen. I then had to culture my own phytoplankton and copepods to dose my tank with on top of that, they literally need food all day constantly. I will say that it is definitely possible for you to own a Mandarin, it will just take a lot of work. Even if you let your sized tank mature idk if you would really have enough pods naturally without adding some and they're really expensive so growing them is the solution. They aren't difficult, theyre just demanding in their needs unless you have the right conditions (big tank+ lots of rocks = lots of pods, even better with refugium).
 

MohrReefs

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 29, 2020
Messages
1,136
Reaction score
869
Location
Mt Juliet
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here's what I would do if I were you and really wanted this fish.

I would buy or build a phytoplankton and copepod culture system. Poseidon Reef Systems sells one, its what I use and it works fine, I'd probably build it next time though. And start dosing pods regularly as well as figuring out how to culture because you will have crashes in the cultures. Once you can do that regularly, get one. Then try to teach it to eat frozen. I had success with blood worms and fish eggs. Now she eats anything.

 

Lilnoelle80

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 19, 2020
Messages
91
Reaction score
49
Location
Oskaloosa
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m also curious. I have a 210g that has been running since September (put in prior owners live rock when it was moved to my house). I have a refugium that I’ve mostly forgotten about since adding pods, phytoplankton, sea lettuce and red gracilis a month ago. It’s got a kessil blue refugium light that I run overnight.
Do I need to add more pods? Do they maintain themselves?
I currently have 3 tangs, a niger triggerfish, spotted hawkfish, 2 clowns, 2 royal grammas, and a six line wrasse in the tank.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 71 53.0%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 68 50.7%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 34 25.4%
  • None.

    Votes: 30 22.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.7%
Back
Top