Well Stevie, I dont know who invited you, but im glad they didalways nice to have new members, and maybe we can learn a few things, from you. Welcome and hope you decide to make this your new favorite place to hang.
You can keep a mandarin in any size tank you just need to train it to eat frozen food. I have had the mandarin for 8 months now and it eats rods food every other day. You are correct about the tank size but that is only because they eat pods naturally. A large tank has a better chance of providing enough natural pods for the dragonet to eat. Yet with some knowledge you can train them and not worry about the tank size. A mandarin is not for the beginner and I waited for over a year for this tank to mature before purchase.Welcome to the site!
I would just like to inform u that your tank is way too small for a mandarinfish. mandarinfish need no smaller than a 90gallons w/ refugium(even larger without a refugium).
besides the cardinalfish, the clown, and the mandarin, is there anything else in your tank?
ok, i guess the mandarinfish-good thinkin about a late purchase. now my worries switch the coral beauty-again, the tank is too small. coral beauties should be in nothing below a standard 55 gallon(u may be able to get away with 40gallons, but only if its with other aggressive fish. )You can keep a mandarin in any size tank you just need to train it to eat frozen food. I have had the mandarin for 8 months now and it eats rods food every other day. You are correct about the tank size but that is only because they eat pods naturally. A large tank has a better chance of providing enough natural pods for the dragonet to eat. Yet with some knowledge you can train them and not worry about the tank size. A mandarin is not for the beginner and I waited for over a year for this tank to mature before purchase.
Current:
Darwin clown
Bangaii cardinal
Mandarin
Coral Beauty
This tank was born August 2007 with some livestock coming from my 12 gallon when I upgraded.
Vids before I moved the tank which was April of 2009. Pics above are after the move in my new office.
YouTube - Mandarin Dragonette Eating Frozen Food
YouTube - StevieT's Red Sea Max, Jan. 2009 (underwater video)
YouTube - Timelapse Mandarin eating frozen
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I don't expect my mandarin to eat one pod. I am sure he has daily pickings but it can't be it's main diet.ok, i guess the mandarinfish-good thinkin about a late purchase. now my worries switch the coral beauty-again, the tank is too small. coral beauties should be in nothing below a standard 55 gallon(u may be able to get away with 40gallons, but only if its with other aggressive fish. )
ok well its odd for me to here a mandarinfish that doesn't have pods as its natural diet. 1 of the hardest things to do in a reef aquarium is train a mandarin to eat non-pod related foods. u should consider your self very lucky.I don't expect my mandarin to eat one pod. I am sure he has daily pickings but it can't be it's main diet.
Coral beauty can do about 30 gallons. Probably would be more suited in a larger tank say 55 but it has been in this aquarium since October 2007. Never seen it nip one coral and my clown is much more aggressive than it. Actually it is timid now that I think of it, the mandarin is more aggressive towards food. I probably wouldn't get one again unless I had a larger tank but they are pretty shy and spend some of the day hiding.