Mandarin dragonet
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I have to disagree completely with this. I added a good amount of pods and dosed phyto every other day and the population exploded in my tank for 2 months, and i didnt even have a refugium. Added the pods right to my display tank at lights off with return pump, mp40, and skimmer off for one hour. My Mandarin's belly was noticeably plumper and he was very happy nipping at pods all over the rock. Monthly to bimonthly is closer to the time frame for needing new pods. Size of jar varies on size of tank.
I’ve always loved this fish but I’ve come to accept that I can’t have one! So what do I do? I watch reef related content on YouTube and I’ve come to notice most content creators who keep dragonets in smaller tanks oddly stop posting updates on their dragonets after a while.. I’d listen to the elders on this one OP 
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clowns
Community Member
Definitely looking at best options..I’ve always loved this fish but I’ve come to accept that I can’t have one! So what do I do? I watch reef related content on YouTube and I’ve come to notice most content creators who keep dragonets in smaller tanks oddly stop posting updates on their dragonets after a while.. I’d listen to the elders on this one OP
I inherited one and its been fine. Just give them pods and feed the pods. They are great fishI’ve always loved this fish but I’ve come to accept that I can’t have one! So what do I do? I watch reef related content on YouTube and I’ve come to notice most content creators who keep dragonets in smaller tanks oddly stop posting updates on their dragonets after a while.. I’d listen to the elders on this one OP
I culture both pods and phyto. Phyto to feed the tanks and pods, and then the pods to feed a mandarin that I keep in my IM 30. I'm able to add pods 3-4x per week, if not daily. It might be more work than some people are interested in but it's part of keeping an artificial ecosystem, and besides, who doesn't love a mandarin? Previously I kept a mandarin in a 42hex, connected to a 100g stock tank that acted as a large refugium.
So it is doable, but might require some advanced planning. I set up my phyto and pod cultures well in advance of getting the mandarin. I then dosed many, many, many thousands of pods into my tank before she ever went it.
So it is doable, but might require some advanced planning. I set up my phyto and pod cultures well in advance of getting the mandarin. I then dosed many, many, many thousands of pods into my tank before she ever went it.
Right, but the phyto is also beneficial to the rest of the tank and corals. So thats how I look at it. I may start doing my own home grown phyto but I spend too much time on this tank as it is, lol
How hard is it to culture pods. I know about phyto but curious how to get started with the pods.
To each their own. My Manny is 3 years in my tank and it is a very well established reef. I still add pods to sustain him. My fuge has been going strong for over 3 years but still isn't enough to keep the tank pod filled. I dose phyto daily to.
I guess if you have had you mandarin in your tank for multiple years then you know what you are doing but if you just inherited one a couple months ago you are far from successful with the fish.
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Easier than phyto as I don't worry terribly about sterilizing equipment weekly. Super simply setup. I use a 14qt plastic totes with some plumbing (in hindsight, I'd go with these). An air pump hooked up to a stone and some tubing to provide circulation. Feed them phyto fairly regularly. I keep tisbe, tigriopus and apocyclops. All separated as the apocyclops are voracious eaters and will outcompete the other two. They get natural sunlight from the windows, but I don't provide artificial lighting. I have to feed the apocyclops regularly. Daily in fact (I usually skip Sundays). The tisbe can go a few days and the tigriopus are good for about two days between feedings. I just dump in enough phyto to tint the water a bit and then move on. Occasionally I'll run it all through the spigot and then a series of micron mesh filters to I can then clean out the totes. That's a pita, but I only do it once a month (or more).
Here's a pic of my school setup. Tisbe on the left, then tigriopus and two totes of apocyclops.
Yep! That is exactly why I buy both pods, and phyto, I do not have the time to do all things I want as it is! I need less in my schedule, not more.
PotatoPig
Valuable Member
My 2c:
These fish really want a self sustaining pod population. The captive bred ones should eat prepared foods, but it’s a gamble as once they go into a tank they may change their minds - mine is a Biota, very healthy, doing well. As far as I can tell it’s never even sniffed any prepared food in the year it’s been in the tank.
These fish really want a self sustaining pod population. The captive bred ones should eat prepared foods, but it’s a gamble as once they go into a tank they may change their minds - mine is a Biota, very healthy, doing well. As far as I can tell it’s never even sniffed any prepared food in the year it’s been in the tank.
i love your name
Im far from successful? Dont go below the belt. I come here to escape the negativity, so watch the way you talk to me.
very cool!Easier than phyto as I don't worry terribly about sterilizing equipment weekly. Super simply setup. I use a 14qt plastic totes with some plumbing (in hindsight, I'd go with these). An air pump hooked up to a stone and some tubing to provide circulation. Feed them phyto fairly regularly. I keep tisbe, tigriopus and apocyclops. All separated as the apocyclops are voracious eaters and will outcompete the other two. They get natural sunlight from the windows, but I don't provide artificial lighting. I have to feed the apocyclops regularly. Daily in fact (I usually skip Sundays). The tisbe can go a few days and the tigriopus are good for about two days between feedings. I just dump in enough phyto to tint the water a bit and then move on. Occasionally I'll run it all through the spigot and then a series of micron mesh filters to I can then clean out the totes. That's a pita, but I only do it once a month (or more).
Here's a pic of my school setup. Tisbe on the left, then tigriopus and two totes of apocyclops.
You'll start to see little white speckles on your glass when their population explodes. Watch closely and you will see those white speckles move suddenly, then stop. Then move again. Pods!
Make sure you feed them a few times a week with phytoplankton it will help the near microscopic ones grow quickly and reproduce. Phyto has a nice ancillary benefit of feeding your corals and competing with bad algae in the tank as well.
As Paul B stated above, 10 years is a good life span for a mandarin. Did you inherit yours 10 years ago? I doubt it, because you posted you started yoyr tank in March 5 months ago. You are essentially brand new to mandarin care and have not garnered the tenure and experience necessary to call yourself successful with a difficult species of fish. I only consider myself partially successful after 3 years but I have learned what it takes to sustain a mandarin. I do sincerely hope you are successful long term though with the fish.
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