Mandarin dragonet tank size....

Could you post a picture of your tank? I am building a 46 gallon bow front http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-of...7s-46-gallon-bow-front-reef-build-124994.html and would love to get a mandarin after my tank has matured. I have been interested in the idea of pod piles, but have yet to see pictures of a tank with them and it is great to hear of success with mandarins in "smaller" tanks. The last thing I want to do is kill any fish.

 

Mandarin's are imo like nems, they are an experience based tank occupant. You've been around a while & I've seen plenty of threads with you building and sharing your experience. I think part of it is the hobby generated myth of you must have a 'x size tank up for x months'. Another part of it is the people that walk out the LFS with a fish tank under one arm and a bag with a mandarin in the other hand. While I havent kept one I dont see them being hard to keep, just experience is needed.

 

I don't think "hard" to keep is the right word. If you have a setup for it, and have done research to find its needs, then they can be like most other fish. They can be more expensive to keep if the proper steps are not taken before purchase (i.e. pods, LR). I personally keep a Spotted Mandarin Dragonet (ORA) in my 40 Breeder. I have no LR in my display, nor have I "dosed" my tank with pods. I am lucky to have a Dragonet that eats pellets like like a child would eat candy. I agree with the above that most that fail do so on their own accord by not doing the leg work before purchase. Good luck to you, and continued success!

 

Check out my tank build in the show off section.. It has all my pictures from the day I started up till now. Send me a msg if you have any questions, or need help with anything!

 

I couldn't agree with you more khowst, and I couldn't have said it better myself. I never liked seeing threads where people categorize which fish belongs in what size tank.. Yes, they're are some guidelines you should follow.. I wouldn't put a tang in a nano tank, but I agree there's no rules that are set in stone. I think thats the main source of mandarin deaths.. People see the fish they can have in a salt tank, and what's the first fish they buy? The most colorful, crazy looking one.. A mandarin. I was talking with an LFS owner by me about mandarins the other day. She told me generally when someone is asking to buy a mandarin, she can usually tell whether she should sell it to them or not just by talking to them for a few minutes. If you don't know anything about the fish, other than it looks cool, you probably shouldn't buy it lol.

 

Thanks man, I appreciate it. Those ORA mandarins are prettyy sweet.

 

its good that yours has done well and i have heard of other success stories too but for most its unsuccessful...i personally know a guy that has multiple green and target mandarin in tanks as small as nanos and picos! I do not recommend this but he has been doing something right since all the mandarin he has, he has had for multiple years. He said that he prefers having them in smaller tanks because it is easier to sit there and train them onto frozen foods and currently has about 5 i think. He has had more at one time or another but has gotten rid of a few because they showed aggression toward one another...all his mandarin are currently eating frozen, pellets and even flake

 

Mandarin

I remember that you have a pink streaked wrasse in your aquarium and i am surprised he does not eat all your copepods. Mine cleared my tank in days

 

Is a 46 gallon big enough without a refugium to sustain the pods?

 

how long has the tank been running, how much sand, how much rock, and what else is stocked in their