Correct.
The answer is YES.
If you're going to take the advice of 1 single source, why post a thread here and disregard several posts which state otherwise?
Mandarin Fish : NEED ADVICE
- Thread starter kenske
- Start date
Correct.
The answer is YES.
If you're going to take the advice of 1 single source, why post a thread here and disregard several posts which state otherwise?
Kenske - Please return the Mandarins to your LFS. They definitely blew the call on selling these to you. Your tank is too small for one, never mind 2 Mandarins. Unless you upgrade in the future they will forever have to be on your wishlist of fish you'd really like to have but never will..because you are a responsible aquarist.
They do not slowly starve to death..they do it rather quickly. Once they cannot find a source of food, they may never resume eating even though there is a sudden food supply.
Please do not take this chance with these wonderful fish and don't wait to return them either..their lives depend on you!
Come on MR - let's throw out a few suggestions for Kenske of other terrific fish that will thrive in his 24 g!
_______
Thirty5 - your 180 may be large enough to house a pair of Mandarins..in another year or so.
It takes about a year for a tank to be stable enough to provide a suitable environment for growing a sufficient amount of pods to allow a Mandarin to thrive. For a pair, you should wait a little longer.
They do not slowly starve to death..they do it rather quickly. Once they cannot find a source of food, they may never resume eating even though there is a sudden food supply.
Please do not take this chance with these wonderful fish and don't wait to return them either..their lives depend on you!
Come on MR - let's throw out a few suggestions for Kenske of other terrific fish that will thrive in his 24 g!
_______
Thirty5 - your 180 may be large enough to house a pair of Mandarins..in another year or so.
It takes about a year for a tank to be stable enough to provide a suitable environment for growing a sufficient amount of pods to allow a Mandarin to thrive. For a pair, you should wait a little longer.
I really do appreciate everyone offering their opinion in this thread. I am still undecided regarding returning them to the LFS. Who's to say that the next person buying the mandarins can care for them better than I can? OR
have a bigger tank than I have? It could just as well be sold to another owner even less suitable than me when it comes to caring for these fish.
In the past, "experts" have said that it is impossible to keep reef tanks in sizes that we are keeping them in today. If everyone just accepted that it's "impossible" and not ask questions or experiment, then the term nano reef would not exist today. Most people without a fortune to spend on huge tanks and equipment wouldn't have the knowledge and resources we have today to be a part of the hobby. I thought part of the hobby is trying new things, finding solutions to problems.
Up to this point, everyone says I can't keep the mandarins in my tank because it "will starve to death". I have purchased some live baby brine from the LFS after work, and they are definately going after it. I have hatched brine shrimp daily, a couple of years ago, for my betta frys. It really is no big deal. Especially with decapsulated brine eggs.
Deanos: In my last post, I mentioned that
I read that someone was successful in keeping and feeding a Mandarin fish in a 10 gallon tank. (just providing background info)
NOT
I am definately taking his advice over everyone else's in this forum.
have a bigger tank than I have? It could just as well be sold to another owner even less suitable than me when it comes to caring for these fish.
In the past, "experts" have said that it is impossible to keep reef tanks in sizes that we are keeping them in today. If everyone just accepted that it's "impossible" and not ask questions or experiment, then the term nano reef would not exist today. Most people without a fortune to spend on huge tanks and equipment wouldn't have the knowledge and resources we have today to be a part of the hobby. I thought part of the hobby is trying new things, finding solutions to problems.
Up to this point, everyone says I can't keep the mandarins in my tank because it "will starve to death". I have purchased some live baby brine from the LFS after work, and they are definately going after it. I have hatched brine shrimp daily, a couple of years ago, for my betta frys. It really is no big deal. Especially with decapsulated brine eggs.
Deanos: In my last post, I mentioned that
I read that someone was successful in keeping and feeding a Mandarin fish in a 10 gallon tank. (just providing background info)
NOT
I am definately taking his advice over everyone else's in this forum.
on the website and in his article, he mentions that he is culturing pods and dosing them into his tank to re-populate the tank :eat:
One is hard two even harder. Keep in mind the feeding, if you're folowing the advice from this article remember you have two. Good luck if you decide to keep them, it sounds like a lot of work but a labor of love.
Everyone here is just concerned about the animals well being. Did the LFS inform you about the feeding or is this from your own personal reserch? I could see someone comming into a shop buying a mandring without the store clecks saying anything but buying two would have to set off some alarms. If it was me I'd hope the clerks would ask me a lot of questions.
24 gallons is small for one... you have two
Everyone here is just concerned about the animals well being. Did the LFS inform you about the feeding or is this from your own personal reserch? I could see someone comming into a shop buying a mandring without the store clecks saying anything but buying two would have to set off some alarms. If it was me I'd hope the clerks would ask me a lot of questions.
24 gallons is small for one... you have two
:wow: In your initial post in this thread (a mere 12 hrs previous), they weren't eating baby brine shrimp at all. :cool3:
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
Last edited:
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. I shall wait if it is recommended!
- Location
- Great Neck
I would not take them back to the LFS, your right they can just sell them to the next person who may not be able to care for them. who knows if the LFS even has the proper food for them.
I got lucky with my mandarin, aside from pods he also eats small pellets.
He is also full grown, if he was smaller he would not be able to fit the smallest pellets in his mouth.
I also keep cheato in my sump to help culture pods, and I'll shake some cheato in the display to help boost the pod population. There are 2 mandarins in the display now, and they look for food constantly while the lights are on. I have a 120 with a 55 sump that is 1/3 fuge. Even with the fuge I feed the pellets once a day just to make sure the larger one is getting enough food. He is one fat mandarin!
I got lucky with my mandarin, aside from pods he also eats small pellets.
He is also full grown, if he was smaller he would not be able to fit the smallest pellets in his mouth.
I also keep cheato in my sump to help culture pods, and I'll shake some cheato in the display to help boost the pod population. There are 2 mandarins in the display now, and they look for food constantly while the lights are on. I have a 120 with a 55 sump that is 1/3 fuge. Even with the fuge I feed the pellets once a day just to make sure the larger one is getting enough food. He is one fat mandarin!
- Location
- Great Neck
Jonathan has the biggest mandarin i've ever seen. :fish:
:backtotop I agree about not taking the Mandarin back to the LFS, but he should see if a couple people here with a large enough tanks wants to buy them from him. Just sad to know that the chances of both surviving in a nano are slim.
Meet Sean he is one of the LFS guys who will tell you the truth.
Ken Keep in mind we don't blame you we blame the LFS for selling these to you. Either they have uneducated help or they only care about making money. My LFS is great. The guy who owns it now will tell you the honest truth even if you don't want to hear it. Sure if he sells you a fish and it dies you will come back and buy another of the same or a different one soon after but he would rather you be happy with the fish that lives for a few years than a few days/weeks/months.
Also please before you buy do research. Post a thread or do a search here and research here. Most places that sell fish have half of the story on their descriptions and here you will find the truth. Even from our vendors because they too are hobbyists as well as vendors.
Good luck.
Ken Keep in mind we don't blame you we blame the LFS for selling these to you. Either they have uneducated help or they only care about making money. My LFS is great. The guy who owns it now will tell you the honest truth even if you don't want to hear it. Sure if he sells you a fish and it dies you will come back and buy another of the same or a different one soon after but he would rather you be happy with the fish that lives for a few years than a few days/weeks/months.
Also please before you buy do research. Post a thread or do a search here and research here. Most places that sell fish have half of the story on their descriptions and here you will find the truth. Even from our vendors because they too are hobbyists as well as vendors.
Good luck.
- Location
- Rego Park, Queens
You say you are in Queens...which LFS sold you those mandarins? While I would expect Fishtown would sell them without hesitation, I know H2O and Aquatic Visons wouldn't sell them without at least warning you. This hobby has nothing written in stone. So, yes, I believe that sometimes mandarins can be kept in a 10 gal tank. Sometimes they will eat frozen food- I even witnessed a mandarin chomp down on Formula 2. But these are the exceptions. For the average aquarist, under average mandarin conditions, they will need large, old, mature reef setups. While 55 gal is the usual stated minimum, there is wiggle room there. Even under the best conditions, if the mandarin spent more than 5 days in the LFS, it is most likely too far gone to survive in a tank. I wouldn't recommend buying a mandarin that has spent more than 2 days in an LFS. I haven't even had luck with them recently...while they used to last many years, my last few haven't made it- and my 55 gal is crawling with pods, amphipods, and tiny sandworms. Take care, Eric
Thanks again to all that posted on this thread to help. I understand that everyone here ar MR is concerned for the well-being of these guys. Give me a few days, if the mandarin show any signs of not "being happy" then I will offer it to my boss (he has 65 gallon w/ sump/refugium) or to other MR members.
They currently seem healthy and happy. They are chomping away at the LIVE baby brine that I am feeding them. I will keep posting updates.
They currently seem healthy and happy. They are chomping away at the LIVE baby brine that I am feeding them. I will keep posting updates.
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