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

carri10 · Sep 4, 2025

Only buy a tank bred one.

Redbird5 · Sep 4, 2025

carri10 said:
Only buy a tank bred one.

Are they worth the extra expense?

W31Olds · Sep 4, 2025

I think the Tank bred ones are a good option and I considered getting one of those vs. a wild caught for my Tank. The only reason I didn't was the on-line store I buy from doesn't carry them and the captive bred are very tiny so I felt it would take a while to grow him out. If you have a smaller Tank, be mindful that other types of fish will eat PODs also and could compete with the Mandarin. Also consider QT which is necessary for the WC ones.

Kasrift · Sep 4, 2025

Redbird5 said:
Are they worth the extra expense?

In retrospect yes. I bought a wild one from a LFS near me that didn't look good, so I thought I could nurse it back to health. I was able to, but buying in the future I think tank raised would be the way to go. I want to get a male to pair with the female mandarin I do have and will probably buy from Biota.

Redbird5 · Sep 4, 2025

Kasrift said:
In retrospect yes. I bought a wild one from a LFS near me that didn't look good, so I thought I could nurse it back to health. I was able to, but buying in the future I think tank raised would be the way to go. I want to get a male to pair with the female mandarin I do have and will probably buy from Biota.

I'm on the fence about the captive bred because of the price and size. My plan is to be pod hotel(s) and stick them in my pico aquarium once I set it up.

Kasrift · Sep 4, 2025

Redbird5 said:
I'm on the fence about the captive bred because of the price and size. My plan is to be pod hotel(s) and stick them in my pico aquarium once I set it up.

Stick pods in the pico, not a mandarin, right? I read somewhere that mandarins can eat between 2000 to 5000 pods a day. They spend all day hunting and pecking.

Redbird5 · Sep 4, 2025

Kasrift said:
Stick pods in the pico, not a mandarin, right? I read somewhere that mandarins can eat between 2000 to 5000 pods a day. They spend all day hunting and pecking.

For their size and weight that's a lot of food!

Freenow54 · Sep 4, 2025

Redbird5 said:
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?

I am starting a new tank and they are way cool and small perfect for me responding

so when its time I can decide so keep researching problem is Disney has not made a movie about them so my grandchildren will be fascinated

Julie'sreef · Sep 8, 2025

Redbird5 said:
Are they worth the extra expense?

For sure!

INVESTING
IS ALWAYS WORTH IT

. It helps you grow and learn

. All the more so because the price difference between a wild mandarin dragonet and a captive-bred one isn't insurmountable for someone who has decided to get a saltwater aquarium. What I mean is that we incur MUCH greater expenses

for equipment, water

, salt

, electricity

, and corals

, and we live with that.
Money can be earned

.

A captive-bred mandarin is an absolute recommendation for everyone. Calculate an extra few dozen (30-40) dollars or euros against your time, effort, and potential health issues, hunger, or even the death of a beautiful fish caught from the sea into captivity for our whim.

Redbird5 · Sep 8, 2025

I'd much rather have a captive bred fish than a wild caught because I don't feel as bad losing it as I would losing one from the ocean. Plus it's more environmentally friendly. It'll kill my fish budget for a few months outside of water though.

gcarcher59 · Sep 8, 2025

exnisstech said:
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.

I agree. I have a four year old 160 gallon mixed reef with a large mandarin that has been happy for two years. I don't add anything outside of feeding the fish. I have a large coral population and a lot of live rock. He munches on frozen as well.

xradikalx · Sep 8, 2025

I have always seeded my refugium with pods. They reproduce there and are safe without predators in the refugium. A certain percentage leave the fuge and reproduce, allowing enough to sustain a mandarin in the display! Make sure not to have significant filtration between your refugium and return pump.

BeanAnimal · Sep 8, 2025

Purchase captive bred from @Biota_Marine or don’t purchase at all.

NeedAReef · Sep 8, 2025

Captive bred. Pod hotels in your sump/refugium/other tank. You can also grow out baby brine shrimp but they are more of a whole tank snack.
Keep wrasses to a min as many will hunt pods too. Suplement with a monthly or bi weekly reef stew or similar

vittpsu21 · Sep 8, 2025

Jay Hemdal said:
Buy tank raised only.....

is this for the same reason others are suggesting for prepared foods? or some other?

Carv120222 · Sep 8, 2025

Redbird5 said:
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?

I've had my two females for nearly three years and i don't do too much special for them, i had a male in there too for a couple of years but he wasn't very friendly with the others! I feed only frozen food and nori , and give Super Eggs as a "treat". I add some pods a couple times each year. Keep a good clean, but not too clean, of a tank and they will flourish. Both are nice and fat and forage all day and night. I assume they are eating some pods but i can't be sure of that. I used to grow pods and stock the tank on a regular basis but slowly stopped that when i realized they were doing just fine without all of the hassle. Keeping a happy, as close to natural of a tank that you can is key (lots of rock and hiding places). My current tank is 120gals, about 7 years old. I have a 300 on order, taking forever to come in! Can't wait to see them enjoy the new feeding grounds. In my opinion stay away from pellets and keep it as natural as you can.

NavyDiver73 · Sep 8, 2025

Redbird5 said:
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?

Yes I put copapods in my tank once a month, but he eats brine shrimp just fine. I’ve had mine for over two years and he’s perfectly healthy. Put your pods in your sump and let them breed and take care of your tank from below.

MC Blowfish · Sep 8, 2025

BeanAnimal said:
Purchase captive bred from @Biota_Marine or don’t purchase at all.

I've heard nothing but positive things about them. They would be the way to go.

Joey G · Sep 8, 2025

Redbird5 said:
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?

I've owned a few Mandarinfish over the years, and never had good luck with them. I suspect most were wild-caught, which creates a challenging situation since they can decimate copepods in short order, and some just never adjust to captivity. I HIGHLY recommend captive-bred Mandarinfish. I purchased a pair from Biota earlier this year, and they are doing great. They're both in a 40 gallon breeder tank. They were around half an inch when I got them, and they're double that now. I raise Tisbe and Apocyclops pods in 1.5 gallon jars with rigid tubing and light airflow. I raise amphipods in a small spare tank. I also culture 4 types of phyto (Tet, Nanno, T-iso, and R. Salina) that I feed to the copepod cultures and display tanks. I harvest phyto once a week, and pods every two weeks using sieves. I supplemented feeding the fish (when new) with Reef Nutrition TDO Chroma Boost B1, and now use RN/TDO/CB X-small pellets. They're fat, happy, and very healthy. They're considered an "Expert" fish, difficult to raise, but not impossible. The key to success is having plenty of live food available at all times, because they graze constantly, supplemented with nutritional prepared food.

W31Olds · Sep 8, 2025

Mandarins are tough little Fish. My WC Shipment was delayed by a day and she was floating upside down in the bag and already getting thin. I thought she was a goner but after a day perked up and luckily was able to eat the PODS in my QT Tank until I managed to get her on Pellets and Frozen Brine. Spent 40 Days in QT on that food and never had to add any PODS. She will still eat Pellets in my DT probably because it's an easy meal and is nicely filled out and growing,