New Dragonet is Too Small

[najer]

Don't be tempted to clean the glass to often, pods love the film algae and adding live phyto if you can get it will feed the pods.
She is very cute, I rescued a little green spotted girl a few months ago and I thought she was small!
Good luck and keep us posted.
England here, I wish we had access to @AlgaeBarn over here, great service. :)

 

[Katrina71]

She's adorable! So glad to see awesome customer service and her eating!

 

[Ksparadeo]

Update: So squirt is doing fine and has grown some. I’m debating on moving her over to the display but I’m not sure if she’s still to small. I had an issue last week where my male clown fish jumped out of the tank and died when I wasn’t home. I have a lid on top of the tank but there is a small area in the back open near the filter. The female clown was looking all over for him frantically. I ended up going to my local fish store and buying a smaller known male. She took to him instantly and none of my other fish were even interested in him. All my fish are pretty peaceful so if I add the little dragonet they may not even bother with her. I’m still not sure if it’s too risky. It’s something to think about and maybe I’ll wait a few more weeks. In any case I had to cover up that little area with plastic wrap

 

[DHill6]

First, I’m glad to see she arrived live. They eat TDO small pellets, Biota raised.

 

[Eva Rose]

My little fish kept getting in my overflow. It is a big pain to get them out. So I made little guards where they can’t jump into the overflow any more. I used this pliable plastic mesh that is very fine gauge mesh. It is in the embroidery section in craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels etc. It is very easy to cut. I made the guard to block the opening & mounted them with zip ties.
I don’t know if that might help you, but it is a nice product for DIY tank stuff.

I will say since you are dosing pods in the small tank & if she is looking plump...I would be tempted to keep in the small tank till she got a little bigger. The flow in a display might be a little strong for her till she gets a certain size.

Glad she is doing well. You have done a great job with her!

 

[Ksparadeo]

My little fish kept getting in my overflow. It is a big pain to get them out. So I made little guards where they can’t jump into the overflow any more. I used this pliable plastic mesh that is very fine gauge mesh. It is in the embroidery section in craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels etc. It is very easy to cut. I made the guard to block the opening & mounted them with zip ties.
I don’t know if that might help you, but it is a nice product for DIY tank stuff.

I will say since you are dosing pods in the small tank & if she is looking plump...I would be tempted to keep in the small tank till she got a little bigger. The flow in a display might be a little strong for her till she gets a certain size.

Glad she is doing well. You have done a great job with her!

Thanks!! She is eating a lot! She LOVES baby brine! I always see her eating so I know that’s a good sign. I’ll wait until she gets a little bigger. Here’s some photos of her now. She likes to sit on the filter to try and catch the baby brine. I’ve also noticed she there’s copepods that crawl on it and she grabs those too. She’s very observant.

 

[Eva Rose]

Adorable!
Keep up the good work dosing those pods etc. You worked hard to get her set up for success.
If you do a search here on R2R you can find a link on how do do a mandarin feeder designed by Paul B.
It helps feed them baby brine shrimp.
Awesome you can watch her hunting for pods! Following her progress.

 

[AlgaeBarn Verified Sponsor]

Don't be tempted to clean the glass to often, pods love the film algae and adding live phyto if you can get it will feed the pods.
She is very cute, I rescued a little green spotted girl a few months ago and I thought she was small!
Good luck and keep us posted.
England here, I wish we had access to @AlgaeBarn over here, great service. :)

We do ship to England! I know the shipping cost can be a bit much, but we are always here to help in any way that we can!

 

[AlgaeBarn Verified Sponsor]

Update: So squirt is doing fine and has grown some. I’m debating on moving her over to the display but I’m not sure if she’s still to small. I had an issue last week where my male clown fish jumped out of the tank and died when I wasn’t home. I have a lid on top of the tank but there is a small area in the back open near the filter. The female clown was looking all over for him frantically. I ended up going to my local fish store and buying a smaller known male. She took to him instantly and none of my other fish were even interested in him. All my fish are pretty peaceful so if I add the little dragonet they may not even bother with her. I’m still not sure if it’s too risky. It’s something to think about and maybe I’ll wait a few more weeks. In any case I had to cover up that little area with plastic wrap

So glad to hear that your little fish is doing so well! Like others have said it is okay to leave her in the small tank you have her in unless you feel like she would be okay in you main display tank. I would also be sure to make sure that your pod population is fairly healthy in the display before transferring her over. We are always here to help, so please be sure to reach out if you need anything!!

 

[Bam327]

Rubble would be great (ideally from your display tank) and it will help with any ammonia formation. Since the mandarin is in a small tank, you have to be sure you have enough biomedia in the tank to convert the ammonia away.

We are going to overnight a care package for you, it should help keep the little guy well fed.

Dragon Roe - Awesome Roe that is perfectly sized for the captive bred mandarins.
https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/aquarium-supplies/foods/frozen/dragon-roe/
Can o Cyclops - Preserved copepods.
https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/aquarium-supplies/foods/canned/can-o-cyclops/
Simple Brine - Decapsulated hatching brine shrimp cysts
https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/live-foods/brine-shrimp/algaebarn-decapsulated-brine-shrimp-eggs/
EcoPods - Our 4 species blend of copepods :-D
https://www.algaebarn.com/shop/live-foods/copepods/ecopods/

I’ve only been in the hobby a few months and haven’t ordered from you yet. Seeing the way you handled this removes any doubt about using you in the future. Bravo!

 

[AlgaeBarn Verified Sponsor]

I have 2 in a 25 gallon frag tank they are eating brine shrimp but look up zoo med can of cyclops they will eat those and it’s easy to dose so they don’t starve. Amazon product ASIN B00YB5GN0G

We actually sell this as well! :) Shaun K.

 

[Michael Gray]

Curious old thread. I want a mandarin to put in 100g display established tank but scared my tangs or angel will get it if they come that small. How fast do they grow. How long would I need to put him in a 10g tank??? And feed him

 

[homer1475]

Threw my tiny biota mandy right in my display. Didn't have a single issue, and now is the size of a normal mandy, fat and happy.

Yes they are tiny, but fish know not to touch them. They have a rather poor tasting thick slime coat, and is one of the reasons 99% of the reefers that own mandy's do not QT them. Between specialized feeding habits, and the fact their slime coat is so thick they pretty immune to most fish diseases, is why most do not QT them.

 

[Michael Gray]

Threw my tiny biota mandy right in my display. Didn't have a single issue, and now is the size of a normal mandy, fat and happy.

Yes they are tiny, but fish know not to touch them. They have a rather poor tasting thick slime coat, and is one of the reasons 99% of the reefers that own mandy's do not QT them. Between specialized feeding habits, and the fact their slime coat is so thick they pretty immune to most fish diseases, is why most do not QT them.

Dam that's tempting. A tiny guy 1/2? Will be fine just to toss in display lol?

 

[homer1475]

Didn't have an issue with mine, and he was tiny. I was very surprised at just how small he actually was when he came in the mail. Heck my bumblebee goby was twice his size lol.

 

[Michael Gray]

Didn't have an issue with mine, and he was tiny. I was very surprised at just how small he actually was when he came in the mail. Heck my bumblebee goby was twice his size lol.

I guess I can try and hope for best. But gotta get a tisbe culture going for the 100g just in case