Spotted Mandarin Pair in 29 gallon Log. Before and After Pictures.

[phasezero]

I meant to start this log when I first got this pair back in April. I bought this pair from Barrier Reef Aquariums in Renton. There was another Mandarin pair that were pretty hefty looking but I decided not to go with them because I know from experience that you have a much better chance with Mandarins who are actively searching for food rather than ones who sit in the same spot with a glazed look in their eyes. They both started pecking at OVA on the first day in the tank. They seem curious about brine and mysis but never tried them. I feed them at least once a day with the OVA and sometimes 2.

Male

 

[phasezero]

10/1/2013

 

[NanaReefer]

Oh wow!!!! How beautiful!! Quite the difference, brings joy to my heart!


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[aja19919]

Nice. Hoping to have a Mandarin and Sea Horse tank

 

[trido]

Those two are overweight!!!

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Wow they look awesome

 

[spieszak]

Don't know if it would help, or if you'd care to try, but my spotted will ONLY take brine or mysid if I'm lazy and float the cube in the tank. . I think (s)he sees it as easy prey when the whole chunk floats up there, rather than chasing the pieces when it gets caught in the flow...

 

[NanaReefer]

Don't know if it would help, or if you'd care to try, but my spotted will ONLY take brine or mysid if I'm lazy and float the cube in the tank. . I think (s)he sees it as easy prey when the whole chunk floats up there, rather than chasing the pieces when it gets caught in the flow...

Do you pre-soak you brine/mysis in anything like Selcon? If not they are getting very little nutritious benefits from those foods. I would seriously work at adding something other and better to their diet.


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[spieszak]

Do you pre-soak you brine/mysis in anything like Selcon? If not they are getting very little nutritious benefits from those foods. I would seriously work at adding something other and better to their diet.


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I don't, but I have a cheato and rubble rock "corner" in the tank and more pods than even the fish can count. (S)he doesn't get mysid or brine everyday because I usually thaw and mix different foods to feed the tank. 3 Years in and fat and happy living on pods, with whatever else (s)he picks up when i toss a cube in. its my "softie" 65 tank, and that allows me to keep the nutrients a little higher and "culture" pods in the tank. Only a breeding pair of two and a coral beauty in the tank, so not much by the way of competition either, as the damsels just ignore the mandarin, and the coral beauty is enough to make them think better of messing with it. i don't do anything to help the damsels as far as removing the eggs or whatever, and i think the spotted benefits from eggs or fresh fry too...

 

[NanaReefer]

Awesome!


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[spieszak]

you can see her foraging in her chaeto rubble pile in the (crappy cell phone) pic. I put thunder gravel filter plate in the tank knowing I was going to get a mandarin, and figured if I couldn't sustain the pod population,I could use it as a 'feeding' tube thing.. but she's been going strong without it..
having multiple tanks makes it a lot easier, becausI'm not trying to do much but sofites in that one... were iI trying to run picture perfect SPS tank, I'm not sure it would work.