Keeping Mandarins?

Are you keeping one? I would love to! I've been doing a lot of research. My tank is over a year old, with a healthy supply of pods both in tank and in my fuge. Also pods are very easy to get via on line ordering. And if need be I do have a re-homing option available if it were not to work out for the fish.

Please share your experiences with me.

 

I have two now and they are doing great. Every 3 months I add pods to the fuge and DT so they are well kept. Of course I add when there is a total blackout or pods become great food for fishes.

 

I just seeded my tank until i thought there was a decent supply which was months and hundreds of dollars, and I knew my fuge had a decent supply for a few months. I just watch him very closely and monitor is growth and girth. So far he's growing like a champ and seems to find food rather easily.

With the drop in price of the ORA mandarins, I'd def get one of them!

Edited due to tapatalk! sorry!

Also, vinny's post is much more thought out and should be followed, however I feel nana knows what she's doing and would be able to keep this fish with her experience and available time for it. Also I have a HOB huge that i call my pod incubator that syphon pods out of daily and target feed in front of my mandarin.

 

I had one a long time ago, he lasted for about 3 months (I was a serious noob and wasn't providing enough of the proper food) and then found him dead one morning. My brother in law claims he has kept them and they have eaten frozen mysis shrimp. I have read that they can consume upwards of 5,000 pods a day so a healthy supply of pods or a species that will accept other kinds of food is a must. I would watch them eat before buying, of course, look for signs of starvation i.e. hollow belly, sluggish etc. They are the coolest fish and by far my favorite, but I am doing the population a favor and not keeping them in my tank. I just couldn't stomach waking up to another one of those dead in my tank!

 

They can be tough to get to eat anything except their natural diet. Ive had my Mandarin for well over a year. Occassionaly I find him in one of my overflows. I think he knows there is a plethora of pods in them and he jumps in to clean them out!

 

A pic of a mandarin please?

 

Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

wish i knew about the red ones before I got mine! But my green one is cool. ORA had some really cool neon green ones a few months back.

 

I have had a spotted for about 2-3 years. It can be difficult to ween onto frozen foods, but it can also be easy. I used Blood worms to ween mine off. I would just use a baster and squirt some right in front of him. After he saw some other fish eating them he took to them. He now eats blood worms, mysis, and brine. I do love him and he has done well in my tanks. Good luck.

I also suppliment pods every once in a while (6-9 months).

 

I'm looking at the Red Mandarin on LiveAquaria. Sadly no one around here sells ORA's nor can I find any for sale online I really want the red one!!!

What about corals? I have a couple of Maxi Mini anemone's. Would this fish be in danger of getting stung by them?

 

thatpetplace did have them. I'm sure your local LFS would get ya one. But yeah, the red one is really cool