Green Targe Mandarin Goby

[Zeezorm]

What is the best thing to feed Taget Mandarin Goby
(in a Nano Tank) or have you ever herard of this work for any one....

[jpslickorocks]

It has been said a million times before and it will be said a million times again. Any and all of the Dragonettes have to have a large well established tank with a lot of live rock and pods to flourish. Very very rarely will you get one that eats prepared food.

[newtanksmell]

I only recall one person on the boards that had a Mandarin that ate prepared foods. As I recall, he found out by accident, and that was after having the fish for a while.

I love Mandarins. I have wanted one since I fired up my little tank. Still, I refuse to jeapardize one's health without stacking the odds in the fishes favor with a well established pod population in my big tank and my bug tank.

I'm on my 5th or 6th round of dumping pods into my display and my refugium. While this is likely overkill for a permenent sustainable population, you can never have too many pods.

My 2 cents. Hope this helps.

[Zeezorm]

I know I've heard that, but I have tons of pods in my tank.... and there's that dude that seems like he made it work...

http://joshday.com/mandaringoby.htm

[newtanksmell]

I had a 29 with a zillion pods as well. Then a got a 6 line. He cleaned house. We was fat, dumb and happy for two weeks. After the bugs thinned out, he became far more interested in the feeding schedule.

DOn't get me wrong. Technically, you can successfully keep a Mandarin in the 29 IF you willing to make a serious commitment to provide a continously available food source. I can make a list right now of 20 people in this group who could pull it off.

I suspect you'd have to aquaculture or set up another 29 as a pod refuge. Maybe even a smaller tank than that.

The key here is that if you're that serious, you'd have to be prepared to work at it daily and without fail.

With as much time as I spend just on tinkering with the tank, I don't have an additional hour or two a day to pull it off.

Good luck.

[jpslickorocks]

How many do you think die before there is one success story? Morally to me it is a bad idea. Take it for what it's worth but there is no way a 29 gallon tank will sustain a pod population to keep it healthy long term.

[Zeezorm]

Good point im just taking it into consideration For the moment

[J4Life]

I completely disagree with most of these statements. However I will preface mine by saying that a mandarin of any kind should only be chosen by experienced reefers, but that being said we all have to start somewhere.

I have a target/spotted mandarin in my 75 gallon tank along with a sixline wrasse, both eat the frozen food, specifically Hikari brand. It seems to work the best. My mandarin chows down on blood worms and mysis shrimp. Plus he eats cyclop-eeze and daphnia along with the pods. I also have a good friend who has a mandarin spotted variety in his 29 gallon tall that is fat and happy.

You can have success with mandarins provided the right conditions in any tank. I have had several mandarins over the years and all of them with the exception of one ate frozen foods. Blood worms always worked in getting them to eat prepared foods for me, others have had similar success. This is becoming a more common occurrence for these fish.

The point I want to make clear is that rather than just discourage a fellow reefer why not provide them with a successful recipe and educate them so that they can have a better chance at success if they choose to do something that you necessarily in your own opinion don't agree with.

[sir_dudeguy]

know I've heard that, but I have tons of pods in my tank

Every new tank i've started (about 4 or 5 i think) has ALWAYS had tons of pods towards the beginning...around maybe 3 months or so there is always without fail a very large pod population boom. I think its more of just a phase, since it seems they always die back a bit after a while when the tank settles a bit more. And when you add something that eats them, you'd be very surprised at how fast they can go.

I'm pretty much with JP...generally a bad idea for such a small tank, and like he said, how many manderins do you think these people go through before they find one that takes prepared foods? If you're dead set on getting a dragonette, at least get a scooter blenny as they're usually easier to feed frozen foods. I've got a scooter in my 40 breeder thats been taking mysis every day for a few months now, in addition to the live pods that i add every once in a while. That was the first scooter that i've bought, so maybe it was a fluke that he takes mysis...but more people have luck with them than manderins.

And also if you're dead set on getting a dragonette, I highly recommend getting the Reef Stew stuff from About The Reef. I was buying it once a week for a while (havent got if for a couple weeks now tho) and it really was helping my pod population. And it was less than 4 bucks to buy enough for like 75g worth, which is overkill in a 40 like mine i'm sure, but it works.

[aztbs]

Originally posted by J4Life
I have had several mandarins over the years

I would be more inclined to take your advice if you had ONE mandarin over the years. Why so many if they were eating so well?

With the availability of cultured pods, it could be possible to sustain a mandarin in your tank. Or so you would believe from what we have all been told. They do well in tanks with lots of live rock. Just keep reading up on them and be prepared for what you are getting in to. Open your mind up to different fish that may be hardier/easier/healthier because in the long run, if your fish are healthy, it will be a more enjoyable hobby.

We are a helpful friendly bunch, I swear - welcome to FRAG!

[dgin]

I've had a green target mandarin that ate mysis but he was also in an established 125g so he had his choice of food. I believe it can be done in a small tank provided 1) they take prepared foods AND 2) you frequently add a lot of pods to the tank (I'm thinking like every week). Its easy to do #1 but most folks are unlikely to keep up with #2. As most folks have already advised, they are best kept in larger established tanks.

I have a 30g nano that I started several months ago but wouldn't venture adding a mandarin (even though I have some previous experience) into it cause I know wouldn't be able to keep it well fed.

[30reef]

Just get a dog, they eat lots of things.

I hope nobody takes that the wrong way. There are too many fish collected that just don't do well in an aquarium. But as long as there are thoses that buy them, you will continue to see them for sale.

Happy reefing!

[J4Life]

Well IMO scooter blennies are actually harder to keep than mandarin's. Secondly making comments off of ones post with out knowing the actual events regarding a particular statement is really IMO away to pick an argument. But since you asked I lost one to an unknown disease and the other was an attempt to rescue one that was unhealthy from the LFS. The others lived until they died of natural causes. They ate themselves to death.. aka they were fat and happy all the days of their lives.

With that being said there are several factors that allow for success of this species. Making statements that it cannot be done doesn't offer any helpful advice. That is just a personal opinion. Let's look at some facts that we do know about them. First Mandarins eat live copepods, amphipods, brine, mysis, and other micro fauna that I am sure we are not able to see easily. The spotted mandarin has also been known to feed on flat worms but not all will.

Secondly tank size could be a factor however if one adds a refugium you can easily maintain a pod population to sustain a single mandarin. Also how often one feeds their tank along with additional food supplements as phytoplankton, golden pearls (specifically the 5-50 micron size) makes a difference. Having plenty of live rock and a dsb can also make a difference. There are a lot of variables to consider. Like I stated earlier with careful consideration, planning, and experience anyone can keep healthy long living mandarins. Also in regards to mandarins dying because of poor decision making. How many corals die because of the same thing. I mean if you're going to complain about fish you have to complain about everything else. I don't think there is a single person in this hobby that can say they have never made a bad decision and the result was the loss of some form of life.

Heck for that sake we should say that the most responsible thing we all should be doing is leaving all of the life in the ocean. But then what would we have to complain about....

[sir_dudeguy]

Secondly making comments off of ones post with out knowing the actual events regarding a particular statement is really IMO away to pick an argument

dude, a simple question was asked, and nothing else.

and i'm just curious here, and am in NO WAY saying you're wrong...but how are scooters harder to keep than manderins? Everything you see on here about them states the opposite, and that scooters are much more likely to take frozen foods and whatnot.

[kirstenk]

Because you have a smaller tank you should also consider what is going to happen to your water quality when you train a Mandarin to eat prepared food. You need to shut down all pumps and flood the tank with food. Most will not eat out of the water column at first, if ever, and the food will settle so they can pick it off as they please. Daily water changes will probably need to be preformed to keep your water decent.



I have had my Mandarin since 2001. She has gone thru spells when she was very thin. I trained her to eat prepared foods but she does not prefer them and does not eat them daily. Only when my pod population takes a hit, like after interceptor.

The work to maintain a healthy mandarin in a 29g will be a lot. You will need to feed 3 times a day while training to eat and maintain water quality so you will prolly need to do daily WC's.

Many reefers start out with a sun coral and later give it away because of the daily feeding they require. Times that work by 5 and that is what you will be looking at in my opinion.

RC Mandarin FAQ

http://reefcentral.com/modules.php?s...showpage&pid=3

[GOLDMAROON]

Originally posted by J4Life
The others lived until they died of natural causes.

Isn't starving to death a natural casue by definition?


I don't think anyone here is trying to discourage the op from getting a mandarin, i think we are all trying to relate our experiences in trying to keep a difficult fish.

It doesnt matter if your new to the hobby or an experienced reefer. Keeping any kind of dragonette is a difficult task and requires a steadfast commitment to the fish itself.

Can you keep a Mandarin in a small tank sure.......but then again you could keep an elephant in your garage doesn't mean that its going to be happy or live a fruitfull life.

To the OP do a ton of research and even if you think you have a ton of pods a mandarin will wipe them out in less than a week unless you have a sustaianable population growing in a fuge.

If you think you can get them to eat frozen foods and what not then so be it and give it a try....jsut realize that the chances for a loss are greater than most.

oh and those little white things crawling on your glass are the larval stages of pods and not what a mandarin will eat. (at least that is what my sresearch has told me.

my 2 cents.

[Smo]

For my $0.02 worth:
This is rare, but I have been keeping a blue female mandarin in my 29 for 5-6 years now. She loves fresh blood worms, happily eats frozen mysis and bloodworms, also chows down on sinking pellets mostly. I went through 4 kinds of pellet food until I found one she really liked.
You must feed them daily. Mandarins are the hummingbird of the ocean (and our tanks) they use so much energy in their quest for food that they must eat small portions daily. I feed her every day.
Not all mandarins like the same food, I just got lucky.

If you can't find a way for your mandarin to eat, please give it to someone with a larger established tank screaming with pods.

GL

[DjScibbity]

Why dont you have the LFS try to feed them Mysis or blood worms. If one readiluy eats them...bada boom bada bing...you have a Mandarin that accepts frozen food. If none eat the prepared food at the LFS, wait and try on the next shipment? Seems like a good approach.

-JP

[azhockeynut]

I've heard nano keepers with a fuge set up in the back chambers can keep a population of pods in there where the pod eaters can't get to then they find their way into the main tank thru the pumps or thru a turkey baster. ;-)

[kirstenk]

Originally posted by DjScibbity
Why dont you have the LFS try to feed them Mysis or blood worms. If one readiluy eats them...bada boom bada bing...you have a Mandarin that accepts frozen food. If none eat the prepared food at the LFS, wait and try on the next shipment? Seems like a good approach.

-JP

Some mandarins will take prepared foods at the LFS as nothing else is available to them. When they get into a tank with LR they revert back. It is not a good indication in my opinion. One must always assume that the madarins are gonna need enough pods to sustain them.

[Hifiguy]

Originally posted by azhockeynut
I've heard nano keepers with a fuge set up in the back chambers can keep a population of pods in there where the pod eaters can't get to then they find their way into the main tank thru the pumps or thru a turkey baster. ;-)

I can comment on this since I added a green target to my 6 gallon a LONG time ago. I had multiple people and stores tell me it was a really bad idea and the fish would die. I can happily say that my mandarin has made it through many tank moves and is very happy in my nano ocean the 225 gallon.

Let me say this. It is definitely possible to keep them alive. Mine didn't eat prepared foods for a long long time. she does now but she didn't when I got her. Again its possible but HARD and you will need a lot of time to devote to the fish and also a decent amount of money. I can say that I spent more money on keeping that mandarin alive than any other fish.

For me when I got her she wouldn't eat any of the foods. I did expect this and so I bought some tiger pods. I threw one bottle into the tank and one bottle into the 4 gal refuguium on the tank. I also bought a ton of reef stew (enough for a 20 gallon tank) and that went in the refuguium weekly.

I bought tiger pods about every other week.

I got lucky artic pods came out after the little tank had moved to a bigger 10 gallon tank (same refugium) I was lucky because my mandarin loved artic pods. before when I was spending a ton o money on different supplemental pods she never really got fat but never got skinny. When I tried artic pods she got fat quick and has been that way ever since. I should note that I do also still add reef stew on a weekly basis and I also add tiger or other pods every month just to make sure pod populations are high.

I know a lot of beginners want those fish. They are cool. But let me say it this way. Would you buy a dog if you might kill 5 of them until you learned to keep one alive?? These fish are for experts only and not for beginners at all. If you haven't been doing this for a year minimum then you really have no business buying one. I know beginners will never listen to me since when I was a beginner I didn't listen to others either. Just please if you get one be ready to drop more money o n live pod foods then you probably spent on the entire setup if you really want to keep the fish alive.


Long and short is assume they wont eat prepared foods. If your determined to have one make sure you can get love pods to feed them and understand the monetary commitment that will take before you get one. Never assume one will take prepared foods. This fish can be kept but unless you have done this for a year or more I would say don't do it.
Shaun

[kirstenk]

Good Post Hifiguy!

[Doglover_50]

Very good post by HiFi--I like the dog analogy, so I'll share this. My first 2 dogs were lab mix and shepherd mix--relatively easy dogs. After 11 years, THEN I decided I was ready to move up into the big leagues and try a tough-minded terrier. Though I've had my Welch Terrier 2 years (adoption--give up by prior owner who couldn't manage him), sometimes I look like that crazy parent in the grocery store screaming at their child for no reason--and most people who know me would consider me pretty darn good with dogs. These dogs come up for adoption regularly because you HAVE TO know discipline in a big way--not a beginner's dog. Similarly, as HiFi noted, mandarins are not hardy beginner fish, and a beginner in a nano and a mandarin?---well, you get my point---start with hardier fish, then when you get a big tank and have many many months of experience, THEN think about about a mandarin/terrier-fish.

[nov8tve]

Alright I have to post something on this...I never post anymore!

I have a pair of mandarins in a 29g reef, with other fish, that eat pellet food, OCEAN NUTRITION MARINE PELLET FORMULA 1...the small type! :P

The way I got it to work...

1) Read everything I could on Reef Central about mandarins.

2) Hunted down a perfect specimen...haha...alot more work than you think. Buy one that is FAT!

3) I found my all of my choices at "About the Reef", ask to see which ones eat frozen mysis...or I guess you could just skip to the pellets. I do think mysis would be better though. (Thanks Skip!)

4) After you get it home and have had it eat mysis for a while, ween it off with the pellets mentioned above.

WALLLA! You have all the info you need!

Do NOT...

1) Put it in a high flow tank.

2) Put it with agressive fishes. They are nervous eaters. haha



Oh and it is also a good idea to have a rubble pile in your tank so pods can breed freely. They still love the pods!


Once you get the first to eat, you can get a mate for it. The second will see the first eating pellet food and learn quickly.


I hope this helps!

=)

[SWSaltwater]

I have successfully done it well before the new easy to get Tigger pods came out, with this live food available at most LFS's it makes that 30 gallon a bit larger for a mandrin, prepared food or not..