Planning a new Mandarin Dragonet Paradise.

[anizato]

Hey everyone,

I'm planning an IM 25g Lagoon specifically to support a pair of mandarins. My main goal is to build the ideal copepod habitat, NOT just a reef with some pods, but a full-blown pod engine-farm-machine.

I’m already running phyto cultures (nanno and tetra) and copepod cultures (Tisbe and Apocyclops) for direct enrichment. But I want the display tank itself to be the core of long-term pod sustainability. I currently have a healthy female in a 10g that’s been thriving for 15 months, so I’m ready to move on to the next stage.

One idea I’m exploring is using crushed coral (like ReBorn reactor media) instead of sand for the substrate, aiming for a full 3-inch layer. The goal is to maximize surface area and create pod-friendly crevices and low-flow zones. I’ve seen LFS tanks using rubble like this with incredible pod populations. Now imagine the entire tank!

I also plan to fill most of the rear chambers with rubble and remove the black backing to expose that area. It would run a reverse light cycle with a 6500K bulb, essentially creating an in-tank refugium. I'll continue dosing phyto and occasionally adding live pods from my cultures.

What are your thoughts? Would crushed coral work long-term, or is it likely to become a detritus trap or cause other problems I am failing to see?

Any firsthand experience or insight would be appreciated, especially from those keeping mandarins in smaller systems.

Thanks.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

sounds interesting! do you have a particular color mandarin in mind?

 

[dansyr]

Seems feasible especially if you've been successful already in a smaller tank. I have a rescue spotted mandarin in my 20g long that is set up relatively similar in terms of more pod habitat than fish habitat.

Old photo, but see attached. The tank wasn't set up with the intention of mandarins, just as an overgrown macro + softie lagoon look, but the side effect of all the halimeda, codium, and gracillaria is loooots of spaces for copepods. The dragonet likes cruising around the surfaces and going slightly in, but it's too dense in some places to get fully in so the copepods are always pretty abundant.

No idea on the crushed coral, but I think it could work similarly well. 3" depth over floor on an IM25 is probably similar to the amount of macroalgae volume i've got here. Mine eats frozen too but is still constantly pecking pods.

 

[TheNative192]

Following along since I plan to do something very similar. I likely will go with a normal sand bed but I do plan to add in a lot of macro algae for pods to be able to survive & I will be getting the Mandarin from the Biota group since they are captive bred and eat frozen apparently. I do want it to primarily survive on copepods as well but it would be a nice just in case to have it eat frozen as well. I likely will go with just one Mandarin & maybe some other fish since I hear they are nearly impossible to breed without a lot of hands on effort. Excited to see your journey.

 

[anizato]

hello my friends. all is well on the mandarin front. i never even bothered to see if she ate frozen or not, i simply have a 20g long aquarium filled 3/4, same salinity, full of pods. I buy live phytoplankton from a local farmer, ZoGlow Labs, and that keeps the water green and they multiply like crazy, i harvest daily, been going 16 months, my mandarin is F A T in my 10g display, just getting ready for the bigger tank.
one thing i will say though, i tested the fish's nutrient output and it is close to zero undetectable (nitrates), i added a royal gramma and a goby and that helped (from undetectable to ~7ppm in 8.5gal water), but the mandarin alone is not dirty enough to rely on as a nutrient source, it is literally a display animal, a hiding slow-moving centerpiece LOL

 

[anizato]

sounds interesting! do you have a particular color mandarin in mind?

yes! i got a traditional blue, or psychedelic mandarin. it's definitely a she.

 

[TheNative192]

yes! i got a traditional blue, or psychedelic mandarin. it's definitely a she.

I’m curious how much phyto do you feed per day? Also do you turn off pumps and skimmer (if you have one) when you add phyto and if so how long. Whatever you do don’t add a 6-line wrasse or likely another wrasse because that dude I think destroys my pod population in my main display tank currently. I would really love a mandarin and possum wrasse though because they are so cute lol

 

[Gumbies R Us]

hello my friends. all is well on the mandarin front. i never even bothered to see if she ate frozen or not, i simply have a 20g long aquarium filled 3/4, same salinity, full of pods. I buy live phytoplankton from a local farmer, ZoGlow Labs, and that keeps the water green and they multiply like crazy, i harvest daily, been going 16 months, my mandarin is F A T in my 10g display, just getting ready for the bigger tank.
one thing i will say though, i tested the fish's nutrient output and it is close to zero undetectable (nitrates), i added a royal gramma and a goby and that helped (from undetectable to ~7ppm in 8.5gal water), but the mandarin alone is not dirty enough to rely on as a nutrient source, it is literally a display animal, a hiding slow-moving centerpiece LOL

Glad to hear your Mandarin is doing well!