Green Mandrian

True Percula · #1 05/13/2006, 01:37 PM

Hi all,
I bought a green mandrian today and it look like a male it have the long dorsal point on its head. My tank is a 29gallon semi reef I had the 29gallon for a year on july..My question is will it survive...And yes i have Tons of pods in my tank...

Craig Lambert · #2 05/13/2006, 02:03 PM

It's very unlikely to survive. Your tank is too small. It can't hold the amount of rock needed to support the required pod population.

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

omni2226 · #3 05/13/2006, 02:10 PM

If you had a 50 gallon refugium with lots of rock and macro alga feeding pods to the 29 I would say maybe.
29 Gallon with no fuge? The mandarin will clen it out in a week or less and begin to get hungry.

hairymushroom · #4 05/13/2006, 02:21 PM

In future please research something before you buy it ( no, speaking to the guy at the LFS does not count) im not flaming you or anything but this is one of the major downsides of our hobby.

wrott · #5 05/13/2006, 03:51 PM

Turn off pumps, and see if he will eat brine shrimp. If so, you can mix in other prep. food w/ brine and he might take it all--it's worth a try--mine will eat frozen brine.

jimbo045 · #6 05/13/2006, 04:46 PM

Wondering if it is Spotted or Striped, both are greenish, one just striped and darker than the other? Spotted in a 29 seems safe, Striped not sure. JD

IPowderBlueTang · #7 05/13/2006, 05:13 PM

Mot likely it will eventually starve to death in your tank like the others say your tank is too small to sustain the Mandarin. It is recommended a tank of 100 gal or more and well established over a year with alot of copods and isopods.
The only thing is try to get it to eat frozen food.
Or if you see it starving sell or give it to someone else with a well establish tank that can support the Mandarin.

I was at the Lfs and ask the employee to feed their mandarins with brine shrimp and mysis shrimp and none would take any otherwise I would take the one that ate frozen and give it a try.

Goodluck in your venture.

ambaratur · #8 05/13/2006, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by True Percula
...My question is will it survive...

This would have been a great question to ask before you purchased the fish.

IPowderBlueTang · #9 05/13/2006, 05:50 PM

The Lfs I got to usually ask people the size of tank and how long it was set up, before they sell a mandarin to them. Some Lfs don't care ,just move the livestock out to make a buck.

edwar050 · #10 05/13/2006, 05:53 PM

Yes its possible but not probable. If you can get it to eat frozen foods that will help a ton and greatly increase the odds of the green mandarin making it. If not, I would trade it off or sell it to a reefer with a larger established tank.

zoltetov · #11 05/13/2006, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jimbo045
Wondering if it is Spotted or Striped, both are greenish, one just striped and darker than the other? Spotted in a 29 seems safe, Striped not sure. JD

Unless I'm missing something, this shouldn't make a difference. Both the spotted (target) and lined (psychadelic) are very difficult to keep in a small tank; spots, stripes, or otherwise.

Sk8r · #12 05/13/2006, 06:33 PM

All right: here's what will buy you (and him) time. Reef Nutrition, one of our sponsors, sells pods online. Don't wait for him to starve: start supplementing with those..
2) feed Phytofeast, which they also sell...this will feed the pods you have and encourage them to reproduce.
3) get an in-tank mini-fuge going: fill a strawberry basket (those old-fashioned plastic jobs with bars) with coral rubble and turn it upside down in a corner of your tank. This means pods can breed in there and the mandarin can't get in to totally wipe them out.
4) now that your mandarin is eating like a pig and fat, start adding just a smidge of cyclopeeze at a certain time close to tank twilight. If you're lucky, the mandarin will mistake the frozen zooplankton for the live ones and start eating those. Mine has.
It's going to be a tough haul, and this may be one of the more expensive fish you own in the long run, but it can be done if you're willing to go the extra mile supplying this fish what he needs.

True Percula · #13 05/13/2006, 07:49 PM

frozen food what do you all mean by that?

spoiledcats · #14 05/13/2006, 07:55 PM

Quote:

frozen food what do you all mean by that?

What do you feed your fish now? Don't you give them any frozen brine or mysis, cyclopeeze, etc... If not, you should be. Most LFS have a freezer with frozen food in it. Just ask them.

Cruella · #15 05/13/2006, 07:55 PM

I have had my green manderine for almost a year now. I have a 75 gallon with over 250 lbs of live rock. a 40gall sump with 40lbs of rock and that guy eats like there is no end. my pods grow crazy in my sump. that is the only way to keep one alive. mine is so fat that he has to lie down once in a while.

True Percula · #16 05/13/2006, 08:02 PM

I feed my fish flake food....I will try to get those frozen foods like in 2 weeks...do you have any pictures of what the frozen food pack look like?

jimbo045 · #17 05/13/2006, 08:14 PM

Pet shops have the F.F. in little cubes that you can just put some pressure, and it should pop out. JD

physicslord · #18 05/13/2006, 08:50 PM

Let me guess, the LFS dude was probably: "Oh yeah, they're real easy to take care of. No problemo."

True Percula · #19 05/13/2006, 08:55 PM

No the Girl was like ummm.what tank size you have?..I said 29gallon...she said how long have you had it...i said almost a year..she ask does it have alot of pods...I said yea i see them on the glass every morning..she said it might be okay but idk for sure..I said i will take him...That is the way it go...what type of frozen food should i geT?

physicslord · #20 05/13/2006, 09:08 PM

Well, that's better than most.

boviac · #21 05/13/2006, 09:14 PM

I had one in a 50 gal for almost 3 years. But due to a hair algae problem I replaced all my sand save one scoop. Although I have over 120lbs of liverock I think that sand switch killed him off. Fell very bad. On occasion I did see my mandarin nip at Formula one pellets and occasionally other prepared foods.

But I have to agree you'd have to acclimate him to other foods and feed religiously or this guy probably won't make it in a 29.

Chris

Sk8r · #22 05/13/2006, 09:34 PM

Get Cyclopeeze. This is the nearest thing to what the mandarin eats.

Craig Lambert · #23 05/13/2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cruella
I have had my green manderine for almost a year now. I have a 75 gallon with over 250 lbs of live rock. a 40gall sump with 40lbs of rock and that guy eats like there is no end. my pods grow crazy in my sump. that is the only way to keep one alive. mine is so fat that he has to lie down once in a while.

This is off topic, but I'm wondering how you could possibly have 250lbs of rock in a 75G. I have 100, and it's as full as I would ever want it..........

tmantaylor18 · #24 05/13/2006, 10:27 PM

well man, its deffenitly possible, i have mine in a 20 long and he eats brine shrimp every couple of days. hes been there for over a year.

austin552 · #25 05/13/2006, 10:43 PM

Had mine for two Months. He is active and looks fit.