thinking about getting a mandarin
 

i have been thinking about getting a mandarin...i just wanted some input...i have a 100 gallon tank with 110 pounds of live rock and a 55 gal refg. I have bought some pods and seeded it about 6 months ago...i have had my tank as a reef tank for over a year now..and see lots of pods on my rockwork and i also have over 100pounds of live sand..I just want to make sure i can support this guy in my tank before i buy one.

From what I have read, you are ready to go.

The mandarin will be my next fish.

Do you prefer the Target or Psychedelic?

This might be a dumb question but what are pods?

wrasseguy, it sounds like you've done everything to a 'T'. I would absolutely give one a shot if I were you. Good luck with it. Congrats on your responsibility.

I have a psychedelic for over two years. My preference.

printed, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copepod]copepods[/URL] are TINY crustaceans that live in LR and are the main diet of a mandarin.

swimmer

I hate to suggest that you push the limits, but your set-up would be fine for a [I]pair[/I] of mandarins. Easy to sex, and more than twice the fun.

and keep on seeding the tank every 6 months or so. it cant hurt.

thanks for the info...i just got my mandarin...i got the spotted or target mandarin..i like those better..got a little one so we will see how he does.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8713888#post8713888 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wrasseguy2 [/i]
[B]thanks for the info...i just got my mandarin...i got the spotted or target mandarin..i like those better..got a little one so we will see how he does. [/B][/QUOTE]

Awesome. Good luck. But there's a problem, I don't see any pix :rolleyes:

:D
swimmer

i got mine on my previous 55 about a month after it was set up and moved everything to my current 120 about 2 months ago. i have the target too. i add a bottle of tiger pods every month to the main tank. have a lot swimming in the sump.

i will post a pic soon..my roomate has the digital right now...i also added a bottle of pods today too...but i got tons inthe main and in the fuge...i will post a pic on monday

My psychedelic is nice and fat. He's about 2.5 yrs in my tank and I've never ever added any pods. I have about 130 lbs of LR between my 75 and 15 fuge. I also keep a Jann's pipefish in the same tank as my mandarin. I mention this because he is exclusively a pod eater as well.

I've never seen either of them looking skinny. They are always picking at the rocks.

I have heard of people keeping mandarins for years in 30G tanks

well here is a pic of the new guy
 

here is a pic like i promised...this guy is so sweet...very cool fish he is out on the front of the rocks alot and is just a kick @@# fish.

[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/542/131149mandarin.jpg [/IMG]

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8713888#post8713888 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wrasseguy2 [/i]
[B]thanks for the info...i just got my mandarin...i got the spotted or target mandarin..i like those better..got a little one so we will see how he does. [/B][/QUOTE]

I just picked up a spotted mandarin for my tank this weekend. Great little fish!

man i had to go way back to dig this one up...i have had my mandarin for 8 months now and just got him to start eating frozen mysis...it took a lot of time patience and work but i got it done....this guy goes crazy when it hits the water...have even seen him come out of the rocks and into the water column after some...he has always been nice and fat as i have plenty of pods but knowing that he does eat other foods is so good...wish i could find a female that did the same but i am not up to that job again!!

to keep the pod population up you will have to dose something like DT's Phyto or reef nutrition. I just bought a mandarin. he is in my qt tank so i can get him acclimated to me and so that he isn't being bothered by my other fish. After 4 day he was eating mysis. I have tons of chaeto in my QT tank with pods so I knew he would be ok in there. I find that QT'ing fish no matter what kind they are always helps them get used to you and helps them eat pretty much any food you feed because they have no competitors. Once you get them eating the food you have it is time to put them in the display.

that is an interesting theory, i might try it out next time i buy a fish.

took this great shot of my mandarin today...he has never posed for the camera as much as he did this afternoon..i must have took 40 pics of him while he was eating
[IMG]http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee90/detguy212/mandarin11.jpg[/IMG]
an older pic
[IMG]http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee90/detguy212/mandarin7.jpg[/IMG]

I think he is a she.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8713245#post8713245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by finsurgeon [/i]
[B]I hate to suggest that you push the limits, but your set-up would be fine for a [I]pair[/I] of mandarins. Easy to sex, and more than twice the fun. [/B][/QUOTE]

How do you sex them ?

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11105953#post11105953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BangkokMatt [/i]
[B]How do you sex them ? [/B][/QUOTE]

The fin in front of the dorsal fin is the indicator. One is pointy the other is squared off. I forgot which is which, but I think the pointy is the male.

swimmer

it is a male it has a longer dorsal fin..on the green mandarins it is alot easier to tell theirs are alot longer but yes the females are more squared off

My experience has been that they will last for a year or two in a good system and then vanish...best bets IMO is to establish a above tank fuge to raise pods that would overflow into your system without passing through a pump.

[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/542/101063image010.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/542/101063image008.jpg[/IMG]

Actually Mandarins can thrive long term if their food supply is adequate. They will NOT survive only on prepared food such as mysis in the absence of sufficient copepods. These fish are grazers. But if you have a pair that was introduced at the same time and you have lights which dim or a room that will simulate twilight, magical things can happen.

I've had one 3+ years and have never seen it take prepared food. Always picking though. My tank's sump has 500 lbs + of Rock to support a pod pop though.