a pair of mandarins

[dadonoflaw]

when do you know if you are ready for a pair of mandarins. i have 250 lbs of live rock about 200 lbs of live sand in a 180 gal. i moved from a 125 early this month. the rock and sand was out of the tank for an hour max. also since then i have gotten alot of macro algae from hobbyists with tanks full of pods. also i see them all over the front glass and in my refugium even in the day. also i will be adding live pods to bolster my populations. also if i were two get two can i get one green one and one of the colorful ones?

[Rob]

usually the recommendation is at least 6 (some say 9)
my opinion is that if you have a stable system for about 6 months and nothing else that will predate on them, you should be safe to add the mandarins..

on the same note if you can find 2 that eat frozen foods, then you dont have to worry about it.. :)

[dadonoflaw]

would i be able to add two different species to the same tank?

[Rob]

i have never done this, in a tank that size you might be able to, but i would wait for some else's input or continue researching the issue

[dadonoflaw]

does anyone know where i can get that info. i cant seem to find that particular question

[Reefbaby]

I certainly wouldn't add two males to the same tank, even if they're different mandarin species...

[iglowce]

regarding food, i have been feeding mine wt live brine and 2 days ago, i suddenly switch to mysis (frozen) and it eats right away.

ok i left out my lil trick. i fed my live brine shrimp but the one that almost dying or mixing the dying, the dead and the alive. soon my mandarin is unable to tell the difference.

hope this helps mandarin-owners out there

[JustDavidP]

If you feed adult brine to ANY of your fish, you really should either a) if alive, gut pack or b) if frozen, enrich with Selcon or other enrichment formula.

More and more dragonettes that eat frozen or otherwise commercial foods are showing up in the market each day. This is a good thing, but could cause new hobbyists to believe that they ALL eat prepared foods. Just as with any charge you wish to own...read, read, and read more.

Dave

[George]

regarding food, i have been feeding mine wt live brine and 2 days ago, i suddenly switch to mysis (frozen) and it eats right away.
Is your mandarin still taking the Masago or did it start rejecting that?