Hi everyone, can you guys please list some reasons why Mandarins are not fit for nano tanks and the begginer aquarists? The reason why I am doing this is because my friend wants me to add a mandarin inside of my 25 gallon reef tank, and I can not seem to convince him that they are hard to take care of, and that they are not good for beginning aquarists. He claims that when he does move into the sw hobby, he is going to add a mandarin goby into his 55 gallon. While this may sound more reasonable, he only changes the water in his freshwater tank twice a year, and I also hear that even if mandarins are in larger tanks, they will still starve to death. I just think that these fishes are best left out in the ocean, or with the very experienced hobbyist.
Mandarins for nanos
- Thread starter fish guru
- Start date
Catpicklesdog
Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
The majority of manadrin dragonets need live food to survive. They mainly feed on copepods which you can see climbing in and out of your rocks especially at night. To support a Mandarin you basically need hundreds and hundreds of copepods due to the mandarins constant foraging. A small tank is not going to be able to accomodate the amount of rock needed to support a copepod colony.
To get an established copepod colony the tank also needs to be at least 6 months old, preferably 12 months.
To get an established copepod colony the tank also needs to be at least 6 months old, preferably 12 months.
I know I'm probably going to be attacked for this but...
I have been keeping a Mandarin Dragonet/Goby in my 12 Gallon Nano tank and it is healthy as can be.
I started my tank because of a starfish I picked up to show my girlfriend in the keys. With the starfish in one tupperware container and sand from near where we found him in another I started the tank. I went to the local aquarium store to get some live rock )about 10 pounds) and my girlfriend pruchased this cute little fish (the mandarin goby) to "keep the starfish company". I even created a small refugium in the back. The goby went into the week old tank the same day as the live rock. After some research on the fish I realized I had a project on my hands. I added a pajama pants Cardinal so that it would see another fish eating baby brine shrimp. I still have a healthy copepod population and honestly if the Mandarin Goby is eating the shrimp I've never seen him.
I did have to constantly check the water for the first month to make sure everyone made it. It wasn't that difficult though.
I have been keeping a Mandarin Dragonet/Goby in my 12 Gallon Nano tank and it is healthy as can be.
I started my tank because of a starfish I picked up to show my girlfriend in the keys. With the starfish in one tupperware container and sand from near where we found him in another I started the tank. I went to the local aquarium store to get some live rock )about 10 pounds) and my girlfriend pruchased this cute little fish (the mandarin goby) to "keep the starfish company". I even created a small refugium in the back. The goby went into the week old tank the same day as the live rock. After some research on the fish I realized I had a project on my hands. I added a pajama pants Cardinal so that it would see another fish eating baby brine shrimp. I still have a healthy copepod population and honestly if the Mandarin Goby is eating the shrimp I've never seen him.
I did have to constantly check the water for the first month to make sure everyone made it. It wasn't that difficult though.
how long have you had him?
i have a red scooter which is similar and he eats frozen but i consider myself the exception. ive had mine for a few months. i do not however, see any pods in my tank. i am trying to introduce large amphipods into my tank, the rationale being they are too large for him to eat but his babies wont be.
i had a half dead amphipod resulting from a freshwater dip that my scooter or antenna goby couldnt eat, this thing was huge, like bigger than a pencil eraser.
amphipods i think are the answer here.
that being said, it is not a good idea, even if your tank were very mature, he could decimate the pod population, and unless you are willing to try to train him onto frozen food, it will be a rough journey
Well as with SaltwaterTim, I'm probably going to get in trouble with the manderin police. I have kept a green spotted Manderin (Synchiropu picturatus) in a 2 foot tank now for almost a year quite happily. The tank I have is kept as a frag tank and has no other fish other than a pair of seahorses. I know once again not the ideal tank for sea horses, but they must be reasonably happy as they are breeding. the tank has a few bits of dead coral and algae in. Initially the manderin did take a while to get onto frozen food, but I started with live brine then frozen brine and now that's all I feed the tank (oh and occasionally some rozen mysis for some of the corals and seahorses).
I think it may depend how lucky you are with the fish. The younger the fish the better I would say (given what I have read) and tank bred will always give you the best chance. I think the green spotted is supposed to be the easiest of the manderins to keep. I don't change the water that often, but certainly more than twice a year! I wouldn't class myself as an experience hobbyist, but have been keeping marine tanks for about 18months now. So I guess it was a little over 6 months when I got the manderine. I do remember panicking when I got it though :0)
This is definitely not to say it's easy and I wouldn't recomend it unless you are really willing to try to do your best to train onto frozen food or if that fails culture live food for it. After all you are responsible for a living creature here.
I think it may depend how lucky you are with the fish. The younger the fish the better I would say (given what I have read) and tank bred will always give you the best chance. I think the green spotted is supposed to be the easiest of the manderins to keep. I don't change the water that often, but certainly more than twice a year! I wouldn't class myself as an experience hobbyist, but have been keeping marine tanks for about 18months now. So I guess it was a little over 6 months when I got the manderine. I do remember panicking when I got it though :0)
This is definitely not to say it's easy and I wouldn't recomend it unless you are really willing to try to do your best to train onto frozen food or if that fails culture live food for it. After all you are responsible for a living creature here.
Last edited:
I have a lot of other little things swimming and crawling around in my tank. The ammount of hitchhikers that I got and are still alive in my tank is very surprising including a few baby jellyfish from the water the starfish came in. It may be that The Mandarin has taken to eating something else that came in the sand and reproduces much faster or something. I personally believe having the refugium (even though it is small) plus having live rock with tons of holes and crevices he can't get in is the main reason hes doing so well.
It was and still is a small mandarin though. That may have been good for the tank transfers and adjusting its eating habits.
It was and still is a small mandarin though. That may have been good for the tank transfers and adjusting its eating habits.
agree on the refugium & live rock. Chaeto algae also great for hiding pods. hope you didn't think I was having a go Saltwatertim
nope not at all.
I totally expect people to say things about me having this fish. After all the research that I have done I am frankly surprised at how much luck I've had with this fish.
I still don't think I'd recommend doing it. And am in fact starting a 55 gallon tank that I will be able to transfer it into now that I know. I will put a few smaller peices of live rock and sand from my nano into it and buy the remaining of the live rock from the same store since I have had such luck.
If I ever do figure out why I've been able to keep it in there and exactly what it's supplementing it's diet with i will post it.
I totally expect people to say things about me having this fish. After all the research that I have done I am frankly surprised at how much luck I've had with this fish.
I still don't think I'd recommend doing it. And am in fact starting a 55 gallon tank that I will be able to transfer it into now that I know. I will put a few smaller peices of live rock and sand from my nano into it and buy the remaining of the live rock from the same store since I have had such luck.
If I ever do figure out why I've been able to keep it in there and exactly what it's supplementing it's diet with i will post it.
another thing id mention is that even if they eat prepared food, they still starve since it doesnt give them exactly what they need to live
and this thread is over a year old, its always best to start a new one if you have questions
and this thread is over a year old, its always best to start a new one if you have questions