So I bought a mandarin...

lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Time to play nice everybody.
It is very difficult to understand nuances in text and often people take things the wrong way.
Now that we have that taken care of, I'll give my take on mandarins.
I have had several die on me even when kept in the "ideal" situations. Paul has an extremely unusual tank where he brings in live food from the wild and I am sure this has a lot to do with his success.
A sand sifting star is not really competition for the mandarin since they eat the microfauna in the substrate and are not really pod eaters. They also are difficult to keep in a newish tank, but in all honesty I have done it. Not sure how I got away with it, but I didn't know any better at the time.
The last mandarin I had (or will have) was for my 90g tank that had been left empty of fish for 9 months and the sand was literally moving with all of the pods as well as a cheato filled fuge and occasionally adding bottled pods. He would come up and eat the mysis shrimp I was target feeding to the bluespots that were added at that point. Then my husband added a yellow corris wrasse. Very quickly the mandarin started losing weight and soon passed on.
Bottom line, I would return the fish. If you do not or can not do that, then it is very important to add bottled pods to the tank frequently as well as be careful to not buy any wrasses or other fish that will be major pod competitors.
Yes the mods do have the ability to ban but we do not do this often and only in extreme cases. We are the Sanctuary and want all to feel welcome to ask and offer advice.
 
B

BobBursek

Active Member
WakeskaterO2,
Thank you, but now being on the forums, and I read things that I may not need at the moment, but I am an info junkie put it in the head for future use. So, the money shredder has been on hold do to all learned on the forums, as far as where to buy online and how to maintain a reef tank. Other then salt, test kits, and only need them at most once a week, know the tank and dosing, DI resin, prefilters, carbon, GFO, food, and the basic 3 chems, Alk, Ca, and Mg in bulk and Randy's recipes, it is really not that expensive of a hobby, less a month then a round of golf!!!!!!!!!
 
fivel

fivel

Member
Lynn is just one of those people that everyone likes because of her calm, knowledgeable and classy demeanor. Very well stated Lynn and I hope that everyone who has added to this thread still feels welcome and enjoys the time they spend on RS.

I don't remember if you ever said Tusc but what kind of mandarin did you get... the red mandorin?
 
B

BobBursek

Active Member
fival.
I can not agree more with your statement abou Lynn, I have been here for years and she is so honest, knowledgeable, and ALWAYS just a level head. I think that comes from rocket science!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!
 
J

jski711

Member
Just an FYI the bottled tigger pods won't reproduce in our tanks and mandarins usually won't eat them. Since training my female S. Splendidus she is healthy as can be in a 15 display fuge. She eats rods food, mysis and formula 1 small pellets. I'm sure she eats pods in the tank but i've had great success by training them and keeping them in a smaller mandarin only tank. I had a spawning pair until he decided to carpet surf. These fish do require extra care but IMO it's well worth it.
 
D3monic

D3monic

Member
+1 im working on getting my 75gal set up with a divider and doing a mangrove/Macro Mandarin breeding tank. Probably be a few months before it sees fish though =(
 
Tuscaquatics

Tuscaquatics

Member
Nobody even bothered to ask how old my tank was. So I don't know why people are assuming things. I didn't get him just because I liked him, I got him because I felt my tank was ready for him. I have researched him. And from what I've read, they're basically impossible to keep alive in the home. Same for sand-sifting stars. By that theory, nobody should keep them. Like I said, according to forums, my star should be dead by now, and I should be completely without pods.

As for the attitude, you can't tell me I don't have a point. How come at least 7 other people managed to make intelligent posts on here that were actually helpful and answered my questions? I understand that people don't wanna see that crap, and you're probably right, while perhaps I was wrong to overreact.

But thanks for the help anyway.

P.S. I'm using a turf scrubber with NO sponges, pads or screens.
 
P

Phreek

Member
Um.. sorry wakeskater02 but I dont think they can ban me for what I said..if they can, then oh well I wouldn't want to be here anyways. I was polite in my responses, and clearly stated I intended no disrespect. I admit I get upset when someone makes unethical and uneducated choices, and then defends themselves like their being attacked. I in no way meant to attack him, just educate him on the fact that these fish are not a good choice for his aquarium. If thats the kind of stuff that gets you banned, then this place is pathetic. Everyone deserves the right to a good debate, to do things others consider wrong or unordinary. And everyone has a right to say what they please...the only "bad" thing i said was the word crap....you gunna ban me for sayin crap lynn?
 
Tuscaquatics

Tuscaquatics

Member
Hey, Phreek. Let's end this nonsense. If you say you were trying to help, then I take you at your word. Thanks. I overreacted, and I'm sorry. I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong.

I just want to do what's best for the mandarin. Like I said, I got him because I felt I was ready, not because he "looked cool and I just had to have him." I know they're difficult to maintain.

Here are my specs:
55-gallon with about 20 gallon sump
Been up for 4 months
0 ammonia
0 nitrite
0-3 nitrate
440 calcium
8.4 pH
11 dKh
Phosphates undetectable
60 lbs. live sand
Over 100 lbs. live rock

One mandarin goby
One powder brown tang
One lawnmower blenny
One striped damsel
One coral banded shrimp
One flame scallop
One sand-sifting starfish
Various snails
Buttloads or pods and bristle worms
Star polyps and a hitchhiker button polyp
Coralline algae taking off

Algal turf scrubber and a HOB canister with carbon
No pads, sponges or screens to catch pods

Let's try this again with the proper info. and some civility on my part.
 
P

Phreek

Member
Hey man no problem. I am sorry for the misunderstanding, and for being rude. Lets shake hands (so to speak lol) and call it even. I'm glad you posted a little more about the tank Tusca, it helps us get a feel and understanding of what the exact environment is like. It also will help us diagnose the possible causes of any problems that may arise. So I'm pretty sure you've read the replies and gotten the answer to your questions. But as a back up lets list these again.
You asked if they will stay hidden all the time?
Generally they are shy when first introduced to the tank, but become bolder over time. Also their tank mate will play a role in how much they are out and about.
You asked if you were crazy to keep a Sand Sifting Star and a Mandarin together?
I wouldn't call it crazy necessarily. Just a very deilcate duo, that generally need tanks with some old fashioned age under there belt.
 
yungreefer2410

yungreefer2410

Well-Known Member
didn't read all the post but here is my two cents. ok you got a manderin you don't seem real new to the hobby. manderins need lots of pods to survive, you have a sandsifting starfish that also eats pods so add live pods to your tank every month, that will keep the pod population up. you can also train him to eat other foods to help out the pods.
 
Tuscaquatics

Tuscaquatics

Member
yungreefer2410 said:
didn't read all the post but here is my two cents. ok you got a manderin you don't seem real new to the hobby. manderins need lots of pods to survive, you have a sandsifting starfish that also eats pods so add live pods to your tank every month, that will keep the pod population up. you can also train him to eat other foods to help out the pods.
Click to expand...

Now hold on. Lynn said further up that S.S. stars don't eat pods like the mandarin.

Also it should be noted that I'm using a turf scrubber with no skimmer. The scrubber MAKES pods. Skimmers KILL pods. I just cleaned the screen and had to kill off a ton of pods to keep them from eating the turf on it.

So which is it?
 
P

Phreek

Member
Well that all depends. Are we talking an actual Sand Sifting Star (Astropecten polycanthus)? They consume detritus, as well as micro fauna in the aquarium, they will also consume, shrimp, urchins, and other sea stars.
 
Tuscaquatics

Tuscaquatics

Member
J

jski711

Member
Hey don't take this the wrong way but how are you running an turf scrubber without a screen? what does the algae grow on? Also if you want some more info on "training" your mandarin please LMK.
 
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