What's your most important advice for getting a mandarin for a beginner

[Redbird5]

I have my heart set on getting a mandarin goby. I'm not going into this blind, as I know they have a special diet that they need. I've been seeding my aquarium with pods for a few months. I've added two bottles of pods over the last two months. I've added plankton to the aquarium.

My LFS said that I should be fine if I add another bottle of pods.

I'm thinking in November I'll get my mandarin. During that two months I want to research everything I can about mandarins.

Other than seeding my aquarium with pods what else can I do? What is something you wished you had known about mandarins before you got one? Should I spot feed them directly?
Since I lost my lawnmower blenny on Tuesday I've been spot feeding everyone in my aquarium, so I know everyone gets food.

I intend to set up a pico reef aquarium, can I add copepods to it so I don't have to constantly buy bottles of them for my big aquarium?

 

[fishface NJ]

Grow your pods in a small tank and add to your DT. The mandarin will eat what is in your tank very quickly. What you think is a lot of pods isn't to them

 

[Project1004]

Get one thats eats prepared food instead of the ones that only eats pods...

 

[BoredNuke]

Culture and dose phyto plankton to keep the pod population up. And work on transitioning them to frozen. And dont add other pod eaters. Those are the steps im following for next madarin build. (If i didnt travel so much I would also culture pods but my wife is tank tasked enough)

 

[Redbird5]

Grow your pods in a small tank and add to your DT. The mandarin will eat what is in your tank very quickly. What you think is a lot of pods isn't to them

What little I know about their anatomy, they have no stomach, just intestines. Whatever they eat goes right through them.

 

[Cathics88]

Grow your pods in a small tank and add to your DT. The mandarin will eat what is in your tank very quickly. What you think is a lot of pods isn't to them

When I kept a mandarin I used macro and pod condo's that I could shake in the DT periodically when needed. I second your opinion.

 

[exnisstech]

A mature tank large enough to grow and sustain pods naturally with out having to add them would be my choice. I can no longer keep a mandarin because I have too many other pod eating fish.
I kept a pair for a bit over a year and never added pods. Tank was a mature 150g.

 

[twentyleagues]

Dont expect a mandarin to only eat prepared foods even if they will eat them its not enough you'd need to feed many many times a day very small amounts. Even the ones raised to eat prepared food eat pods and lot of them. Enough rock in your tank to support a very healthy pod population and a fuge.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Buy tank raised only.....

 

[Redbird5]

Dont expect a mandarin to only eat prepared foods even if they will eat them its not enough you'd need to feed many many times a day very small amounts. Even the ones raised to eat prepared food eat pods and lot of them. Enough rock in your tank to support a very healthy pod population and a fuge.

What is a fuge?

 

[Redbird5]

When I kept a mandarin I used macro and pod condo's that I could shake in the DT periodically when needed. I second your opinion.

What are pods condos?

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

What is a fuge?

Refugium

 

[Redbird5]

Refugium

What is that exactly? I've heard of it, I'm not sure exactly what it is.

 

[twentyleagues]

What is a fuge?

Refugium. Its a safe place to grow macro algaes, pods and such. Honestly I would not even try a mandarin without one. Thats just me though.
Pod hotels are usually printed plastic areas for pods to grow, hide and breed.

 

[Redbird5]

Refugium. Its a safe place to grow macro algaes, pods and such. Honestly I would not even try a mandarin without one. Thats just me though.
Pod hotels are usually printed plastic areas for pods to grow, hide and breed.

In other words, my pico aquarium would be perfect for it.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

What are pods condos?

 

[Redbird5]

Could this reside in the back of my AIO filter?

 

[twentyleagues]

In other words, my pico aquarium would be perfect for it.

Possibly. It would be better if it were connected to your other tank. But using the pico as a fuge with pod hotels would allow you to remove a pod hotel and place it in your other tank to disperse pods. I would get two hotels. Other than that catching pods out will be difficult at best.

 

[twentyleagues]

Maybe depends on how much room you have and the hotels size. Some rock rubble back there would be about the same effect.

 

[Kasrift]

Just grow your own phyto. Dosing phyto will sustain a pod population. I've had a wild mandarin for 3 years in a 32 gallon AIO, but I've been growing my own phyto for that length of time as well. I've never had to spot feed my mandarin and it hasn't taken to prepared foods at all.