Caring for a Mandarin Dragonet

by Vinh Nguyen

Nov 9, 2012

         After alot of research ( About 3 months ), I decided to find a Mandarin. I visited multiple stores and I saw multiple Mandarins. I did NOT buy the first one I saw. I looked.... I watched.... I left..... I pissed off the store owner... and I looked again. Every week for about 3-4 weeks. Ironically, the healthiest fattest Mandarin I found happened to be at PETCO... Now I know that you are all raging and screaming and tossing your food at the screen but this Mandarin  was the healthiest I've seen in awhile. I Bought him 11/8/12 right as he got in PETCO I took him out.

        Plan: I plan to put said Mandarin in a 24g Nanocube. But before I do I will try to get him to eat frozen or pellets. I have him in a barebottom 1g HOB breeder box. The foods I will try to feed him are Baby Brine Shrimp, Cyclop-eeze, NLS small fish formula, Fish Roe, and Mysis. I know that this might not work and maybe the Mandarin will starve but the way I see it... at least he isn't in Petco anymore.

Here is the Mandarin. He is a male.

 

11/9/12

So tried to feed him Freeze Dried Cyclop-eeze... no luck

That afternoon  fed hm new life spectrum .5mm.  saw hm peckng at t but  dont think he ever swallowed it. Maybe I can get hm to eat something else.

 

11/10/12

Today I tred to feed him some more Cyclop-eeze... and enriched frozen Brine. No dice.

 He is swimming around looking at everything including the surface. I heard these guys are jumpers.

 

11/11/12

So I went out and got some Brne shrimp eggs and Fish ROE.  I hope this guy like live brine.

He pecked quite a bit at the ROE.... I'm pretty Optimistic as he is still swimming around looking healthy. Does anyone have any advise or opinions? Should I keep trying or toss him in the 125g?WHat should I try next?

 

11/12/12

Today  fed Baby Brine shrimp. He ate only 5 but didnt seem interested.  also Tred to feed Roe again which I think he ate some of.

 

11/13/12

I trying to get the brine shrimp to adult size so I hope the Mandarn will eat that... If I dont see him eat by SAT I will put him in the 125g

 

  • Peter

    Every time I see that fish I want 1. Sooo much awsome

    Nov 9, 2012

  • Jake the Dog

    No offense but you are going to probably starve that poor little guy.  I have a 29g Biocube with an attached 15g refugium specifically for breeding copepods and I would still never put a mandarin in that small of a system.  They continually eat pods, probably 200 a day. Typically a 55g reef tank is the minimum hobbyists like to see them in. 

    I'm not saying this is going to happen to you, they are some of the most beautiful fish available but they are very difficult to keep healthy.  Even if it does start eating pellets it still may not be getting the nutrients it needs to thrive

    Good luck keep us posted!

    Nov 10, 2012

  • Vinh Nguyen

    I was prepared for that and I gave him about a week to start eating pellets and frozen. If he does not eat in that time period, I will put him in my 125g Reef that has been established for about 8 months.

     

    Of course I understand your concern but I feel that I have done enough research and the fact that I have a backup plan is enough to justify buying a Mandarin from PETCO

     

    Nov 10, 2012