Mandarin Diseases

[Kirblit]

I got my two mandarins tonight, one target and one green. They are in a QT separated with egg crate and gutter guard. They are doing great but I just wanted to know what to look for as far as diseases go while they are in QT before going to the display, and should they have a shorter QT because they are disease resistant and because of their food demands? They both like mysis shrimp and I will be working on training them to use a diner hopefully like Melev just in case.

[Woodstock]

I look for discoloration, rapid breathing, darting, scratching, or a lack of appetite when I QT fish. Hopefully yours will not show any of those signs.

Please do keep us posted to the success of teaching them to eat prepared foods. I have contemplated trying also. I would expect your green mandarin to accept it much quicker than the target mandarin... but that is just based on what I've read.
Good luck!

[rmlevasseur]

hmm, i wonder if a qt tank is actually the right place for mandarins due to their pod needs?

[BoomerD]

I'm one of the biggest advocates of quaranting EVERY fish that goes into a tank, BUT, mandarins, being almost exclusive pod eaters are a different situation. MOST starve in the 6 weeks of quarantine...Better to just do a freshwater dip if anything. As noted in the following article, mandarins tend to be "extra-slimy" and as such, tend to be less affected by external parasites than MOST fish, and are VERY sensitive to copper treatments.

Callionymids

[leebca]

No marine life should nor needs to bypass a quarantine process.

Please read this:
Pod Eaters -OR - Momma Don't Feed Me No Balogna

[Kirblit]

Originally Posted by Woodstock

I look for discoloration, rapid breathing, darting, scratching, or a lack of appetite when I QT fish. Hopefully yours will not show any of those signs.

Please do keep us posted to the success of teaching them to eat prepared foods. I have contemplated trying also. I would expect your green mandarin to accept it much quicker than the target mandarin... but that is just based on what I've read.
Good luck!

I only plan on QT them for a week or two to really get them to eat good with prepared foods. They both already eat Mysis (I watched them before I bought them as well) and I'm working on pellets. They look really healthy and I don't see any ouside signs of disease and I know that I can't QT them for that long but I just want to get them to use a diner like Melev uses with his. Both of them are already eating well with the Mysis so I'm currently trying to get them to eat out of the diner right now, wish me luck. They will also have perfect timing for intro into the DT because it's fishless and they won't have any compettition at all so they can get acustomed to eating more prepared.

The target was also the first one to accept the prepared food, and she loves Mysis and she even eats formula 1 frozen.

[Kirblit]

[Kirblit]

Well after 30 min. the target figured out the secret entrance to the jar of food

[Wolfgang8810]

how old is our tank? If it is fishless i dont think there are enough pods yet.

[Kirblit]

My actual reef tank is a 125g that has been set up for almost a year. It's fishless because my other fish got Ich and they are in QT right now (have been for several months to let the tank go fallow) being treated. My tank is overflowing with pods just waiting for the Mandarins to eat them . I just know the importance of another food source for them as well and that's why they are in QT.

[Dentoid]

Those are two beauties! Will they get along?

[Woodstock]

Beautiful fish! That is great that they both eat thawed mysis already! Congrats!

[Wolfgang8810]

indeed congrats! I want one now!!1

[wav0718]

I almost bought one of these but the LFS guy said it could wipe out my tank if it dies because they are deadly toxic. Are they really that poisonous? I also wanted a box fish but he said the same goes for those. I guess you have to becareful what you get in this hobby and maybe put up warning signs, lol. I can just see someone trying to swallow one of these after a few to many drinks.

[Kirblit]

Originally Posted by Dentoid

Those are two beauties! Will they get along?

I hope they will get along, they should. The green is a male and I believe the target is a female. They only fight with other males and usually only if they are the same species of male. I asked Melev if he thought it would be ok to put the two different species together and he said that it was his experience that it would be ok, and to let him know if I have the same experience. They can see each other through the barrier in the QT and I haven't seen anything aggressive or any posturing out of them at all, and they even sleep right next to each other by the barrier.