mandarin goby

[rookie50]

I'm afraid my LFS did me in again. I got a mandarin goby and my LFS guy told me I didn't need to feed it cause the live rock and sand would provide enough food!Well I guess I should have read up on my own first. Anyway it is a lovely fish and is the only fish in my 20G reef tank Ive got 25lbs LR and a lot of sand 3-4 ".There seems to be a lot of copeds etc present but my question is there anything I can add to the tank food wise that can help make sure the mandarin has enough to eat?I don't have a sump or a refugium nor do I really want to add them.

[Loverotties]

Two things add more LR like 10-15lbs more(you don't have enough rock to supply him and that probly still not enough ,he needs a bigger tank.But mine eats everything flake,pellets etc.Good luck!

[VWD]

Thats all I can say is I hope he will fine the food he needs to stay alive.

[michael7979]

Mine has yet to show interest in any man-made foods, I would say you need to add more rock and make sure you have no other competitive fish that eat ONLY pods.

[Cosine]

If you can get him on a variety of prepared foods you may be alright. Especially if you keep it as the only fish. This way it will be easy to get lots of food to him without other fish eating it all and without having to extrememly overfeed the tank trying to get past faster fish.

[schigara]

Take a look at this web page http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_diner.html.

He came up with a simple but effective way of feeding his mandarins in a way that keeps their competition away while they eat.

Granted, they are feeding on man made food but this seems like a very good way to get them to start eating man made food.

Everything I have read about Mandarins says they are voracious pod eaters and that just one would require a 100 gallon tanks worth of rock to stay well fed on pods alone.

[wharyat]

All I can really say is keep it fat. I tried a one in a 20, and very highly recommend against it, I'm still working on the algae problems (3 months later), after 1 month of keeping it fat (cube of mysis a day).

[aussiereefer82]

To start off lets straighten things out a liitle, Mandarins are not gobies they are dragonets. Very few of the dragonet species of fishes will eat prepared foods in enclosed aquariums and have a poor survival rate in tanks less than 80 gals. The tanks also need to be established for at least 6 months to allow a good pod culture to establish. Seacrop, which is a TRT sonsor sell aquacultured pods (Seapods) and you can purchase them HERE. Another thing you should do is build a mound out of live rock rubble behind your rockwork to allow the pods to breed with out predatation from fish.
If you are not prepared to do this, PLEASE give the fish to a local reefer with a large established tank, to many of these fish die because of irresponsible LFS staff selling them to inexperienced fish keepers. VERY FEW of these fish will ever take prepared foods, those reefers who do get one are very lucky.

[tims]

I would just take him back to the LFS and get your money back. tell them after reading up on them thatyou dont have the right size tank to keep them alive and happy.

[Twitterbait]

I have seen the best success with Frozen cyclopeeze. Every Dragonette i have given it to has eaten it.

[VWD]

Dan is correct that the survival rate is very poor. I think it is a shame that so many end up in the LFS and are being sold just to waste away. If you can and don't think you will be able to keep him alive try to sell it back.

[rookie50]

Okay will try to catch and return, lesson learned should concult TRT first! Thanks everyone.

[aussiereefer82]

Chances are this fish is doomed if you cannot get it eating prepared foods or give it to a local reefer with an established tank. Returning it to the LFS will probably only result in the same outcome, inexperienced person buying it and the poor fish is no better off, that is if the LFS even has the facilities to keep it alive.

Sorry for venting twice in this thread already, i just feel strongly about conservation and it seems we are condeming more and more fish to a death sentence through inexperience, lack of research and just lack of knowledge.

[wharyat]

I'm behind you Dan; if mandarins were ugly, I think quite a few less would be sold. Yes, beautiful and interesting fish; but...

I was able to have my LFS put mine in their show tank, so I see it every time I'm there and I know it's in a good home.

[VWD]

RookieO don't beat yourself up on this, just research in the future. You will save a fish, coral and part of nature by doing it ,