the quite controversial MANDARIN GOBY

[rDr4g0n]

Originally Posted by Dragon Wrasse

From one Dragon to Another....set up a 24 gal. Refugium and then get one...

lol one dragon to another!

wanna hear whats sad? when at my LFS i was looking at tanks. I saw some 30g long and i was thinking "Thatd be a perfect fuge/sump!" my wife didnt like that look in my eye...

[sasquatch]

Cougra is quite right on the eating issue, I also wonder how long they sit when caught, before shipping, and Im sure they dont get the best of care there either.I wouldnt call this a war issue, the lfs is kinda creating problems, this is something he should do at home not in public,gives people a very mistaken idea of what can be done.Steve

[aquaman3680]

I have also heard that they will eat New Life Spectrum: Finicky Eater foods as well... I have seen this one on many occasions!

Matt

[rDr4g0n]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

Cougra is quite right on the eating issue, I also wonder how long they sit when caught, before shipping, and Im sure they dont get the best of care there either.I wouldnt call this a war issue, the lfs is kinda creating problems, this is something he should do at home not in public,gives people a very mistaken idea of what can be done.Steve

the guy from the LFS has this in his home system, not on display at the store. he doesnt recommend any do this either, its just an observation hes made.

[Jorgens]

I mad e the mistake of gettin a scooter blenny as a "starter" fish to cycle my tank. I also brought home a used filter pad with tons of pods from a LFS.

4 months he's still fat and happy and he ate frozen foods off the bat. I have no purchased a mandarian and we'll see how he's doin. I have those almost microscopic pods all over the place. And the larger ones that look like shrimp in the sump. They can move unrestricted from sump to display without a problem. I hope that keeps it up.

My mandarian also east frozen food. He likes the mush I made.

[rDr4g0n]

i have a filter sock on my sump pump so i dont think the pods can get up to the display... awww...

[flyforfood99]

I'd sooo love a mandarin but it's going to have to wait until my future tank (much bigger one) and that may be a few years down the road. Until then...

[rDr4g0n]

Originally Posted by flyforfood99

I'd sooo love a mandarin but it's going to have to wait until my future tank (much bigger one) and that may be a few years down the road. Until then...

then add another year for the tank to mature lol

[prow]

if the mandrine is taking prepared foods thats good but even so it will not be enough nutrition for him. he will starve with in the year.

[Jorgens]

Originally Posted by prow

if the mandrine is taking prepared foods thats good but even so it will not be enough nutrition for him. he will starve with in the year.

even with the addition of garlic and vitamins?

[lcstorc]

Yes. A fish cannot survive on garlic and vitamins. Their natural diet is pods and lots of them.
I too got a scooter blenney as a starter not knowing better. I too was happy because mine ate frozen food. I too added a mandarin when the tank was slightly under a year old. I too saw the mandarin (a rescue from certain death in a new tank) eat frozen food. I then watched my scooter blenney eventually succumb to starvation because the mandarin was eating all of the pods. I tried adding pods, moving him to my fuge and anything else I could think of. This is in a system with a total water volume of 180g.
Please learn from my mistake.

[Dentoid]

Originally Posted by lcstorc

...Why do they have to be so gorgeous that everybody has to try one (or more) and fail before they believe. (Including me at the beginning. Well really I listened to bad LFS advice and didn't know any better but should have researched on my own.)

Not only are they gorgeous, but relatively inexpensive for their beauty. My LFS sells them for $20.00. Just about anyone can afford that. Combine their affordability with their beauty and you have a recipe for death. The ones I see at my LFS don't ever really look that good. Although they have one in their display tanks that is out of this world beautiful, they call him Goliath. He is by far the biggest Mandarin I've ever seen.

[MarbleShark]

Mine looked like it was doing ok.. it would occasionaly be seen eating the frozen food and I would see it moving around the tank all the time..

then one day I saw him not moving.

he was on his side and his stomach (which I hardly ever got to see) was shrunken..

he died a few moments later.

I would not recommend it unless you have a way to continuously supply pods.. like if you have a flourishing refugium or definitely know it will take frozen for long term.

watching the fish die was very sad.

[aquaman3680]

I have decided that I will be purchasing one tomorrow! A target mandarin, not because of just looks but because I need it to eat my flat worms! I have heard many people say that they eat their flat worms! So i am pretty excited to see if it does eat prepared as well as flat worms!

Matt

[Craig Lambert]

I tried a Mandarin in a 9 month old lightly stocked 75G w/100 lbs LR. The tank was setup with fully cured LR, and I added a derivoire kit from Inland Aquatics. I then added additional pods from copepod.com. The fish lasted about 3 1/2 months. This is the only fish I have ever lost....never again.