Does anyone who is running bb have a mandarin? I have been bb for a little over a month and still am getting used to it. I am worried that without any sand in my display or refugium that I might not have enough pods for him to eat. I don't have a ton of rock either which is great for my flow but not for pods. Should I be worried about adding a mandarin? My tank is 75g with a 30g sump/refugium with a duplexium concept incorporated.
mandarin in a bb tank
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If its a green manderin I agree with jflip , but if its a spotted mandering you might be able to get it to eat other things . I have one and it LOVES frozen blood worms . I feed my fish 4 different types of foods and thats the only thing I've seen it eat . It usually just swims past everything else . Ask at the petstore you go to if your can see it eat and if they could give it something else to see if it'll eat it before you buy or condem buying it .
I would go with a spotted mandarin if I do decide to get one. BTW, I have had most of my rock for over 5 years if not longer and when I was cooking it I would see pods everywhere. If I did decide to get one down the road should I get rods food to be on the safe side?
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I wouldn't do it.
I hope everybody is basing what they say on experience and not my post count. I have be reefing for over 7 years and have done well with sps, clams, and such so please don't think I am some newb who has to have a mandarin because they are pretty. I am also very ethical about the care of these animals so if anyone does actually have a mandarin in a bb tank those responses would be greatly appreciated. I am in no rush to add one, just want to know if there is anything extra I should be aware of with having a bb tank. Luvmylo, I guess I am not following the whole waste thing correlating to pod reproduction. I am under the impression that adding phyto would add to the pod population. Thoughts?
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Post count aside here. I would give the same advise to everyone: Don't do it. You really do need lots of rock and a very mature take to pull a mandarin off. More often than not, you won't find one that will eat enough prepared food to keep it alive. Beautiful creature that is best kept in a large, mature tank or left in its natural environment.
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We have a bb and I wouldn't put a mandrarin in it. We have had enough problems keeping them alive in our 125. There is just not enough pods in a small tank to keep them fead. I hope you deside not to get one. They are very pretty though.
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what's 'rod's food'?
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Renee here is a link to the food - it's awesome stuff
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...OD&Product_Code=RR-FOOD-6&Category_Code=Mysis
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If you deside to get one I would make sure it will eat prepread food before releasing it into the tank.
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Beltmann, I say no mandarin due to the BB. You can have your >10 posts or Loverotties irrelevant 20k+ posts, it doesnt matter. In my 190g, I was going to go BB, I actually WAS BB for a little, with a good 150 lbs of rock Id estimate. Even then I didnt feel that it would have been safe for a mandarin. I added sand pretty much for the looks, and so I could keep a mandarin and jawfish.
IF you MUST have a mandarin, there are probably ways to do it. First Id wait til you do have a good pod count... then Id get more. Have a fuge with tons of rubble rock, macro algae and sand. Then have some more rubble rock in rain gutter net zip tied together, making little bundles you can rotate. I would have a good 5 of these guys, and rotate them every 1-2 days, from sump to display, 1 at a time. I think if you are religious with that method, you could probably keep a mandarin successfully. I know that if it were me, it would end up not being worth the hassle.
IF you MUST have a mandarin, there are probably ways to do it. First Id wait til you do have a good pod count... then Id get more. Have a fuge with tons of rubble rock, macro algae and sand. Then have some more rubble rock in rain gutter net zip tied together, making little bundles you can rotate. I would have a good 5 of these guys, and rotate them every 1-2 days, from sump to display, 1 at a time. I think if you are religious with that method, you could probably keep a mandarin successfully. I know that if it were me, it would end up not being worth the hassle.
That is a very good plan, and possibly workable as well. I am in agreement with you totally though and am one who would not think it to be worth all of the hassle.
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