Mandarin in 60 gallons is it ok?

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Shibaken3

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it's been 8 months since I started, and I think it's about time to add a mandarine. the question is would I be ok. right now the only pod eater I have is radiant wrasse. In the future, i will be getting a blue star leopard. will these 3 pod eaters be able to coexist in a 60-gallon with a 20-gallon sump?
 

i cant think

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it's been 8 months since I started, and I think it's about time to add a mandarine. the question is would I be ok. right now the only pod eater I have is radiant wrasse. In the future, i will be getting a blue star leopard. will these 3 pod eaters be able to coexist in a 60-gallon with a 20-gallon sump?
Absolutely! One thing you need to remember about wrasses is;
Those guys won’t be eating pods 24/7. They can wait for their next meal. Their metabolism is nowhere near as fast as a mandarins is.
 

OrionN

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The Mandarin likely will not doing well in your tank. I kinda disagree with @i cant think. The wrasses will be fine, but I don't think the wrasse will wait to feed once or twice a day and let the let the Mandarin eat the rest of the time. They will hunt all day long and will get the pod count to very low, too low to sustain a Mandarin. In addition the wrasses will gore themselves when you feed the tank so they will be fine. Mandarin will have problem finding food.
On the other hand, I have 3 Dragonet in my 40 gal breeder. It is a QT system (for invertebrates) that have been up for more than 10 years, full of pods since I rarely have fish in it for long periord of time. I use automatic feeder feeding pellets. Not I have a tiny Tusk, small Convict tang and a pair of Clowns in it in addition to the three Mandarin, One male S. sycorax and a pair of S. splendidus. I recently observe all my Dragonetts eating pellets and all three are doing well and are fat.
 
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i cant think

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The Mandarin likely will not doing well in your tank. I kinda disagree with @i cant think. The wrasses will be fine, but I don't think the wrasse will wait to feed once or twice a day and let the let the Mandarin eat the rest of the time. They will hunt all day long and will get the pod count to very low, too low to sustain a Mandarin.
I misphrased what I meant - I didn’t mean wrasses will wait to only feed 2 times a day. They do feed all throughout the day however it’s nowhere near as often as a mandarin.
A Wrasse doesn’t wait to feed when you feed unless it’s a species of Cirrhilabrus or Paracheilinus (Planktonic feeders), instead they feed and then don’t eat for a while. They tend to feed once every hour or so.

Im not basing this off of what I read but what I’ve experienced with most wrasses, every so often there are exceptions however with Macropharyngodon, Xenojulis, Halichoeres and Anampses this pattern is seen and they aren’t 24/7 grazers.
 

OrionN

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I misphrased what I meant - I didn’t mean wrasses will wait to only feed 2 times a day. They do feed all throughout the day however it’s nowhere near as often as a mandarin.
A Wrasse doesn’t wait to feed when you feed unless it’s a species of Cirrhilabrus or Paracheilinus (Planktonic feeders), instead they feed and then don’t eat for a while. They tend to feed once every hour or so.

Im not basing this off of what I read but what I’ve experienced with most wrasses, every so often there are
OP asked if the Mandarin will be fine not the wrasses. IMO and IME, the Mandarin may not be fine.
 

i cant think

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OP asked if the Mandarin will be fine not the wrasses. IMO and IME, the Mandarin will not be fine.
My mandarin is in a 3’x16”x1’ tank (Not much larger than a 20G tank), and in the same tank I have a pink streak pair and a leopard. The Mandarin is still fat and she’s been in the tank for nearly a month.
1438AB45-5B41-48E5-A0CB-5261F01535A3.jpeg
 
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OrionN

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I think a lot of it depends on what the tank is like. Like I said , I also have three Dragonet in a 40 gal reef. The Mandarin is spawning and the Ruby Red is fat and beautiful.
my tank is full of fauna and flora. They don’t have any other food competition in this tank, other than the three of them.
IMO this is at the limit of the system. Fortunately they start to eat pellets also.
 
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i cant think

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I think a lot of it depends on what the tank is like. Like I said , I also have three Dragonet in a 40 gal reef. The Mandarin is spawning and the Ruby Red is fat and beautiful.
my tank is full of fauna and flora. They don’t have any other food competition I. This tank, other than the three of them.
IMO this is at the limit of the system. Fortunately they start to eat pellets also.
My fauna is likely dying off unfortunately, Dinos has taken hold of my nano and so far it’s not going well as a millie is looking to be in the RTN mode.
 
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Shibaken3

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Here's some more information.
I'll be getting a tank raise mandarine. I feed 3 times a day (frozen and 2x pellet).
Here's my tank and refugium photo.
Will be able to give a good life to my radiant wrasse, leopard wrasse, and mandarine?
 

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