Minimum tank size for a Mandarin pair?

[Reef Breeder 2013]

I don't care what the internet says, I just want people who have had experience keeping a pair of Mandarin.

 

[TX_REEF]

I kept a single mandarin in a 29 with lots of live rock and other competing fish, if it's just the pair of mandarins I'd say about that size would suffice. Just need plenty of live rock and some rubble piles for plenty of pod habitat.

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

I kept a single mandarin in a 29 with lots of live rock and other competing fish, if it's just the pair of mandarins I'd say about that size would suffice. Just need plenty of live rock and some rubble piles for plenty of pod habitat.

Well, I have a 22 gallon with my little female Mottled Mandarin, who unfortunately arrived very skinny and I am in the process of fattening her. It has a rock with MANY holes where the fish cannot enter and I suppose that is where the copepods hide, because I don't think it simply feeds on the brine shrimp that I give it.

 

[littlefoxx]

I don't care what the internet says, I just want people who have had experience keeping a pair of Mandarin.

Issue with them isnt so much space as the small tank’s ability to sustain a very large pod population. I kept a pair in a 32 gallon but ended up moving them to my old 125 gallon because they kept decimating the pods and I always was adding them daily. If you can culture them and add them its doable in maybe a 20 gallon long just so you can have more rocks for the pods to hide in and populate

 

[littlefoxx]

Well, I have a 22 gallon with my little female Mottled Mandarin, who unfortunately arrived very skinny and I am in the process of fattening her. It has a rock with MANY holes where the fish cannot enter and I suppose that is where the copepods hide, because I don't think it simply feeds on the brine shrimp that I give it.

Mandarins only eat pods unless they are biota raised on prepared foods but even those tend to revert to pods when introduced to them. Just their nature

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

Issue with them isnt so much space as the small tank’s ability to sustain a very large pod population. I kept a pair in a 32 gallon but ended up moving them to my old 125 gallon because they kept decimating the pods and I always was adding them daily. If you can culture them and add them its doable in maybe a 20 gallon long just so you can have more rocks for the pods to hide in and populate

From what I understand, they eat microscopic animals rather than copepods, and those animals are not visible to the naked eye, but I think the fact that they are pecking at the rocks is a good thing.

 

[Tamberav]

I kept 6 in a 29g or maybe it was a 20g hex, my oldest was 5 years with me when I broke the tank down (moved).

I took inspiration from the biocube in coral magazine and then one upped it and had a 20g fuge on it and it was already a macro dominant display. Fed heavily that I had to put a bio pellet reactor and oversized skimmer on it even with all the macro, it had an absolutely incredible amount if pods due to the heavy feed and heavy export and macro. Also had a giant maxima clam in there.

Would like to do it again someday but it was time consuming making sure nutrients stayed good, constant trimming of macro and expensive to feed the amount of food for the pods and Mandy’s.

It wasn’t typical reef tank and was a species tank for sure.

 

[littlefoxx]

From what I understand, they eat microscopic animals rather than copepods, and those animals are not visible to the naked eye, but I think the fact that they are pecking at the rocks is a good thing.

Pods are microscopic animals lol. All different kinds of pods. And yeah, if she is pecking at your rocks shes probably eating. I added trigger pods and Arctic pods once a month as a treat for mine. But I was always adding pods to my small tank for them

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

I kept 6 in a 29g or maybe it was a 20g hex, my oldest was 5 years with me when I broke the tank down (moved).

I took inspiration from the biocube in coral magazine and then one upped it and had a 20g fuge on it and it was already a macro dominant display. Fed heavily that I had to put a bio pellet reactor and oversized skimmer on it even with all the macro, it had an absolutely incredible amount if pods due to the heavy feed and heavy export and macro. Also had a giant maxima clam in there.

Would like to do it again someday but it was time consuming making sure nutrients stayed good, constant trimming of macro and expensive to feed the amount of food for the pods and Mandy’s.

It wasn’t typical reef tank and was a species tank for sure.

Sorry if I misunderstood but, did you keep 6 Mandarins in a 29 gallon macroalgae dominant tank? I have a lot of free space behind my rocks where I can put a lot of macroalgae.
My question is, do you think I could keep 2 Mandarins in 22g if I add a lot of macroalgae behind my rocks?

 

[Tamberav]

Sorry if I misunderstood but, did you keep 6 Mandarins in a 29 gallon macroalgae dominant tank? I have a lot of free space behind my rocks where I can put a lot of macroalgae.
My question is, do you think I could keep 2 Mandarins in 22g if I add a lot of macroalgae behind my rocks?

I had two spotted, two blues, and two ruby reds.

My entire tank was macro plus 20g macro refugium off it. Then I had lots of filtration and fed the pods heavily so they would breed like crazy.

The tank itself was a massive copepod farm.

The only other fish in there was some tiny gobies.

What I am saying is I kept multiple in a single nano but it was a specific species tank dedicated to their care above all else.

 

[Tamberav]

Most of my pics got ate by photo bucket

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

I had two spotted, two blues, and two ruby reds.

My entire tank was macro plus 20g macro refugium off it. Then I had lots of filtration and fed the pods heavily so they would breed like crazy.

The tank itself was a massive copepod farm.

The only other fish in there was some tiny gobies.

What I am saying is I kept multiple in a single nano but it was a specific species tank dedicated to their care above all else.

Oh, it's a tank dedicated to them, huh?
Well, I guess I'll at least try, but I have to buy too much macroalgae.

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

Most of my pics got ate by photo bucket

Now I understand how 6 dragonets survived... I love it! :star-struck:

 

[Cheese Griller]

Oh, it's a tank dedicated to them, huh?
Well, I guess I'll at least try, but I have to buy too much macroalgae.

Not just the thank dedicated to them, they also had a 20 gallon macroalgea fuge connected to it. Without that you’ll need to dose pods.

 

[Reef Breeder 2013]

Not just the thank dedicated to them, they also had a 20 gallon macroalgea fuge connected to it. Without that you’ll need to dose pods.

Well, I guess I'll at least try it after I've gotten a lot of macroalgae and chaeto algae. If I see that it starts to lose weight, I will put it back.