If you have a mandarin, anemone is out of the question, right ?

[oz]

Anyone has both anemone and mandarin ?

or how about lawnmower blenny (aka Jewelled Rockskipper or sailfin) and an anemone ?

How is it in the wild ?
Doesn't the mandarin or most fish know to stay away from the anemone ?

[teevee]

i know people with both, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. how would one measure success keeping a mandarin with an anemone: a mandarin that survives four weeks or four years? it's difficult to gauge.

i'd be more concerned about whether or not there will be enough food available for the mandarin.

[oz]

teevee, thanks. Four weeks definitely too short. Four years, I might call that a success at coexistence. If your friend has both at closer to four years, please let me know, I'd like to know more.

As for food for mandarin, its not a problem for me, I have two mandarin and they're fat and happy. I have pods up the yin yang.

[mikefish]

I dunno, but my mandarin lasted about 3 mos. before he (presumably) met the "green death" in the corner, and disappeared forever.

Your mileage may vary.
Mike

[Gary Majchrzak]

I had a pair of spawning Mandarinfish with a Long Tentacle Anemone in the same aqaurium for several years with no problems. Several days after introducing a Haddon's Carpet Anemone {a fish eater}, it caught the Mandarinfish.

[Scott Merrill]

2 down to the blue carpet monster. My long tenacle and BTA seem fine with them but my Carpet seems to enjoy eating them.

[India]

After watching mandarins and scooter blennies, it seems to me that their movement and constant foraging makes them easy targets for anemones. I do keep jawfish with two anemones because their habits make it less likely for them to be taken.

I had a blue gudgeon in the tank, who was dying for other reasons. I happened to see him stumble into my aster anemone, and after watching him get stung, immobilized and devouered, I have a healthy respect for how an anomone operates.

It happens in the wild all the time...It's your choice whether or not it's going to happen in your tank...

India

[john f]

I think it depends alot on tank size.

I have 2 anemones in my 1000 gallon along with a pair of spotted mandarins. No probelms. But the tank has soooooo much room for the fish to find food, there is no need for them to venture too close to the anemones.

Same two fish in a 75 gallon would be lots of trouble I fear.


John

[oz]

Originally posted by john f
I have 2 anemones in my 1000 gallon...


A 1000 gallon ? Wow. You didn't convert your swimming pool to an aquarium, did you ? hehe Just kiddin.

Yeah, in my 55 gallon, I guess it would be like playing russian roulette and just a matter of time. No anemone for me then :(

Well, I'm telling my family I want another tank, a 120 Gallon for
X'Mas or Birthday. :)

[pjr]

I had a Mandarin in a 50g with a targe torch coral... yep, the torch caught him...

[Jimbo]

I have a mandarin and an E. quad. No problems.
Jim

[samw]

Guess I'm lucky. My mandarin at one time has been with 5 bubbletip (3 colonies plus 2 clones) anemones and a Sebae Anemone with no problems so far. (Recently sold the Sebae because it outgrew my tank and also sold the 2 clone BTAs). I've had anemones and the mandarin for over a year. Currently, it resides with 3 bubbletips. Tank is a 38G.

[mikefish]

yeah, as is becoming clear in this thread, the type of anemone sure does matter. Don't get a haddoni if you really like your fish. The list of fish that mine has eaten is far larger than just 1 mandarin.
Mike

[oz]

Does everyone think my 2 mandarins might be safe with a bub anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) ?

I also have two perc. clown fish ?
Will they be happy and take resident with the bulb anemone ? Currently, the clownfish is stressing out my Goniopora by taking resident in it. Thanks.

[Gary Majchrzak]

I just remembered- there were actually several anemones in with my pair of spawning Mandarins: The aforementioned Long Tentacle and three Bubble Tip Anemones. Only my blue Haddon's Carpet Anemone ate any fish, though. By the way that my fish currently gaze at the carpet anemone, I suspect it might somehow be attractive to them.....but that is pure speculation as far as I know.
Percula may or may not adopt BTA's. I think they are more likely to adopt a LTA.

[JonK]

I have a mandarin in with 6 BTA's (started with 2 others are clones). All the BTA's have stayed on one large rock at the right side of the tank. The mandarin does go by the anemones but never real close. If the mandarin gets too close the female tomato clown comes out to keep an eye out. Especially when she has eggs, if the mandarin gets too close she pushes the mandarin out of the way. I'd say it has been almost a year with the two living together. The mandarin has been in my tank for over 2 years. It's a 90 gallon tank.

Jon

[Theo]

I have a Mandarin with a seabae in a 100, no problem. Dont know what to do with the seabae though its at 13 inches diameter.

[mojosreef]

I have a mandarin with a LTA. If it any fish gets too close, the big Purc runs them off. So far so good.

[OrionN]

I have a Mandarin pair and 6 anemones in my 450 g aquarium without any problem. They have being together for about 3.5 years. Three H. magnifica (one that split twice to three, two BTA and one yet un-ID anemone.
Minh Nguyen

[gcvt]

Originally posted by Theo
I have a Mandarin with a seabae in a 100, no problem. Dont know what to do with the seabae though its at 13 inches diameter.

Same here - a mandarin and a sebae in a 100g. Not sure what to do with my sebae either - it's about 18"-20" across. Other than that, no problems at all.

[rpisces]

I have 2 or 3 mandarins with a 1 foot BTA in a 130g tank. No problem. Mandarin will sleep on whereever it is when the light is out and wont move again under daylight. Other fishes might stumble into the BTA and got stung if you are to switch on the light of the aquarium or house again at night.

The non-compatible anemone is carpet anemone it would eat any fishes. Most of the fishes got eaten stumbled onto it either it being a new fish being chased or dazed by the sudden light at night. Bigger and more powerful fish would also succumb. I once got a 4-inch trigger having part of it's body skin ripped off by the carpet and soon died of infection of the skin.

[buggle]

mandarin and torch coral are incompatible? I never knew this. I love my mandarin and am willing to give up an anemone for it. But in it's replacement, was thinking of a torch or frogspawn. Will this be OK?

Buggle

[Theo]

I'm fairly certain the frog spawn is ok

[OrionN]

Originally posted by buggle
mandarin and torch coral are incompatible? I never knew this. I love my mandarin and am willing to give up an anemone for it. But in it's replacement, was thinking of a torch or frogspawn. Will this be OK?

Buggle
Fragspawn, Torch and other Euphylia corals are OK. Most anemone are also OK if you have a large tank. Fish eaters anemones are not safe for any fish, not just Mandarin.

[Gary Majchrzak]

Here are a few tips for keeping fish-eating anemones in an aquarium with fish:
*Keep a night light on at night near the aquarium- so fish don't blunder into the anemone while sleeping
*Get anemonefish into the fish eating anemone ASAP- they chase away any fish that comes too close to "their" anemone
*Don't "starve" your fish while directly feeding the anemone- the fish will be tempted to try and remove the food from the anemone and may become ensnared
*Don't put an anemone that eats fish into your reef aquarium. Even following the tips above, it's only a matter of time before a fish becomes sushi!

[pjr]

Originally posted by buggle
mandarin and torch coral are incompatible? I never knew this. I love my mandarin and am willing to give up an anemone for it. But in it's replacement, was thinking of a torch or frogspawn. Will this be OK?

Buggle

It was a big torch.... could have been an anemone in disguise. He ate at least 3 fish before I found him a new home...

[buggle]

cool. thanks for the answers.

Buggle