Manderin

[Freenow54]

I have heard so much about them , I really want to get one but want to do it right. I have a new Tank that will probably be ready for adding livestock in a few months because I am not wanting to go into debt more. I am going to make underwater gravel filters , and have what I need for that. I also am going to install , and plumb my overflow box, and have everything for that as well. Thinking of an external UV , have yet to buy a filter as some call them , but have the pipe to do that as well. So obviously busy. All I need is a main pump $ 600 , and Rock $ 1,000 . Sorry I am retired and have to budget . I need to learn how to properly care for one. I have seen them , and I have not been able to find any articles written here regarding the care . So would appreciate any and all input . Thanks

 

[Tahoe61]

@Paul B

 

[Paul B]

I will get back to this. Going for my pitch dark morning walk now.

 

[Piotrek]

I have heard so much about them , I really want to get one but want to do it right. I have a new Tank that will probably be ready for adding livestock in a few months because I am not wanting to go into debt more. I am going to make underwater gravel filters , and have what I need for that. I also am going to install , and plumb my overflow box, and have everything for that as well. Thinking of an external UV , have yet to buy a filter as some call them , but have the pipe to do that as well. So obviously busy. All I need is a main pump $ 600 , and Rock $ 1,000 . Sorry I am retired and have to budget . I need to learn how to properly care for one. I have seen them , and I have not been able to find any articles written here regarding the care . So would appreciate any and all input . Thanks

I owned a Ocellated dragonet for nearly a year. Never really had to much around it. It was ignored by most of the fish. Feeding some frozen food once a day of every other day seemed to be enough. It was later transferred to my much bigger tank and sadly disappeared after one of my holidays. I bought another one and placed it in my display refugium. It stays hidden most of the time and I see it every 3 days.

Mine used to hide a lot so it was a sport to my kids - find the mandarin :)

 

[Paul B]

All I need is a main pump $ 600 , and Rock $ 1,000 . Sorry I am retired and have to budget .

I am not sure why you want to spend $600.00 for a pump for a 2" long, $25.00 fish but that's up to you.

After saying that, I don't feel your tank will be mature enough for a mandarin for a year or better two. I have been keeping and spawning them since they were invented, and I feel they are one of the easiest, healthiest, least care, long lived fish there is.

But, your tank needs to be right for them. A very clean tank with white rocks will kill them no matter how many pods or frozen food you add. A mandarin is a type of fish sort of like a pipefish or seahorse and lacks a real stomach so it can't store much food and needs to eat a small amount constantly and it doesn't care if you can't provide that way of living.

They eat pods or any tiny creature, and they want to eat one about every ten seconds all day long.

I invented this feeder that would dispense new born brine shrimp all day, but I wouldn't rely on this solely.



Healthy mandarins will constantly spawn.


The fish needs to be in a tank where there is growth on the rocks. A lot of growth is best. Like this.





Two males will constantly fight until one is dead. They are easy to sex. The female is in the front with the rounded dorsal fin.

They also hide most of the time so need tunnels with caves and "natural" hiding places where you can't see them, not a big cave in the middle of the tank. Multiple passageways through the tank.

I have a pair now and sometimes I can't find them for a few days. They like to stay out of sight.

The first time I saw a Mandarin, I thought they were fake because that was the 70s when everything was "psychedelic" . (google it if you are under 60)

Good Luck

 

[Freenow54]

I am not sure why you want to spend $600.00 for a pump for a 2" long, $25.00 fish but that's up to you.

After saying that, I don't feel your tank will be mature enough for a mandarin for a year or better two. I have been keeping and spawning them since they were invented, and I feel they are one of the easiest, healthiest, least care, long lived fish there is.

But, your tank needs to be right for them. A very clean tank with white rocks will kill them no matter how many pods or frozen food you add. A mandarin is a type of fish sort of like a pipefish or seahorse and lacks a real stomach so it can't store much food and needs to eat a small amount constantly and it doesn't care if you can't provide that way of living.

They eat pods or any tiny creature, and they want to eat one about every ten seconds all day long.

I invented this feeder that would dispense new born brine shrimp all day, but I wouldn't rely on this solely.



Healthy mandarins will constantly spawn.


The fish needs to be in a tank where there is growth on the rocks. A lot of growth is best. Like this.





Two males will constantly fight until one is dead. They are easy to sex. The female is in the front with the rounded dorsal fin.

They also hide most of the time so need tunnels with caves and "natural" hiding places where you can't see them, not a big cave in the middle of the tank. Multiple passageways through the tank.

I have a pair now and sometimes I can't find them for a few days. They like to stay out of sight.

The first time I saw a Mandarin, I thought they were fake because that was the 70s when everything was "psychedelic" . (google it if you are under 60)

Good Luck

Thank You for your Time . The pump I am talking about is a Vortex DC that has controllable speed to set the proper flow rate for water Turnover. It or they wont be the only fish.