Mandarin Goby

[Hondo]

I see little white flea like things all over my glass in the morning and there is a ton. I was wondering if a Mandarin eats this sort of stuff? My tank is just a 29 gallon, and I have a bi-color blenny, firefish, peppermint shrimp, red serpent star, some hermit crabs a few nassarius snails, and 25 pounds of live rock with about a 3.5 inch live sand bed. Can this sustain a quality life for a Mandarin? My fish store has a nice plump one right now that looks to be in perfect health.

[rshimek]

Hi Hondo,

My suspicion is that your tank's live rock and sand bed will not support a Mandarin over the long term. They eat a lot of the small bugs. It seems very difficult for hobbyists to keep them going in tanks much smaller than 50 gal.

I would advise against getting one.

[Hondo]

I will be moving to a 75 gallon tank next Summer, so I believe I'll just hold off a while. One thing that I pride myself in is my patience with this hobby. I have had the 29 set up for a year and I still have not added any corals. I need to get everything just right. I now have my lighting set up with two 55 watt pcs and a 250 halide. My last project is water movement. Any suggestions on that. One thing to keep in mind is everything I purchase will make its way to the 75. Thanks for any input.

[rshimek]

Hi Hondo,

Sounds good! I applaude your patience. :)