Where is the best info on keeping mandrins?

[Kitteness]

I just bought a mandrin and he is gigantic and I am worried about him getting enough to eat so I wanna do some digging into finding out more about keeping him.

 

[diablo]

IMO you need a fuge to breed pods. they will breed fast, alot of live rock, and a very established tank. they are difficult to keep. the key is when you buy them try to ask the sales clerk if he could toss in some frozen brine to see if the mandrin will eat some frozen preperations. If he does then you have a better chance of survival.

fuge
pods
rock
established!!

IMO hope that helps alittle

I love mandrin's tryin to get a mate for my female is being difficult she is the devil attack attack aarrrgggghhh. sorry alittle rant

 

[The Apprentice]

RE:bought a mandrin and he is gigantic

Hi Kitteness Welcome to Reef Frontiers I am happy to announce I have been able to keep my Mandarin alive and happy for almost 2 years now.
First question is what size is your tank and how long has it been up and running. Do you have a Refugium in use on this tank? Do you have a active supply of Copepods and Ampiopods.. these are the first steps Mandarins are live food eaters and quite hard to get to eat prepared foods I have only been able to get mine to eat a little Mysis IF IT IS MOVING in the current. Good luck in your quest HTH's and get back with us on your tank specifics

I just bought a mandrin and he is gigantic and I am worried about him getting enough to eat so I wanna do some digging into finding out more about keeping him.

 

[steve-s]

One other important aspect to avoid, competing fish species. There are many casual and overt zooplankton consumers from wrasses, blennioids, goboids.. etc. It is very important that the manadarin be main (only) food consumer of the natural resources in the tank.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Elmo18]

One other important aspect to avoid, competing fish species. There are many casual and overt zooplankton consumers from wrasses, blennioids, goboids.. etc. It is very important that the manadarin be main (only) food consumer of the natural resources in the tank.

Cheers
Steve

Steve is right. And this seems easy to do, but not always. Even clowns will pick off food that mandarins eat.

Steve, are those your pink skunks with the magnifica?

Best,
Ilham

 

[steve-s]

Steve, are those your pink skunks with the magnifica?

Yes, they've been with me just about as long as the anemone.

Cheers
Steve

 

[NaH2O]

Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!! How big is your system?

Here's some reading for you....

Feeding Mandarins Part 1
Feeding Mandarins Part 2

The Synchiropus splendidus Series, Part One
The Synchiropus splendidus Series, Part Two
The Synchiropus splendidus Series, Part Three
The Synchiropus splendidus Series, Part Four

 

[sx230]

hi kittenss i have been able to keep mine for about 3yrs now i always see it picking on my live rock,and sand bed for food when i feed frozen brine shrimp also eats that.very cool looking fish as he hovers slowly around tank good luck

 

[morgan]

ive had my mandrin form about december and he/she is going well ive always wanted one wasnt planing on getting one untill i found one for half the prices everyone chagres had to have it maybe not the best way to decided about fish but ow well, i havent noticed it eating any prepared food but is alwasy floating around rock nipping away got some lr only small piecie straight from the ocean and obviously it had something of intrest on it and loved it he's been doing great so far and hoping it will keep that way lots of luck to u with ur dragonet they are exceptional fish

 

[Kitteness]

I have had my 55g for about 2 years or so and have tons of live rock and a 35g or so refugium for the whole time. I have been raising live brine shrimp for him and I pretty sure he is eating it. The buggers are so small though it is hard to tell for sure. I am trying to figure out how to get the brine shrimp to get bigger and plumper andy suggestions?

He is just now starting to explore the tank more from his little corner. He is very shy still and we are still having the stare down contests. He will not pick at anything if he sees me so I keep trying to find new angles to look at him where I am invisable. I will try to take a picture if i can he is absolutely huge and gorgeous. He is at least 3 inches long. Pretty sure its a male his spike is very long.

I am having a bit of trouble with competition over food though. I have a oinker foxface and henichoius(not sure how to spell that). He is the only one of the little bug eaters though. I have a pair of maroon gold stripe clowns but they only interested in food i put in and their coral territory that is. the other fish only eat the prepped food. I noticed a place that delivers live food to your doorstep. Anyone have any experience with this? Can I grow other live food myslef also? like mysis?

Well looks like I got lots of reading to do that is great thanks for the links! Any more info is so very helpful I am trying to treat him like a king. I am making sure to feed him at least twice a day also.

 

[NaH2O]

Kitteness - You can purchase oceanpods and culture them to help feed your mandarin. I don't think your fish will be getting much nutrition from the brine, unless it is gut loaded brine. Keeping a healthy refugium with a nice pod population will be a big help until you can get the mandarin to eat prepared foods. Here is a link to the OceanPods FAQ.

Hope this helps!