Mandrain goby

[rtheilman]

I just bought a mandarin goby. I have a 55 gallon reef tank that is about a year old. I have PC lights, and really good growth on my coral. I have seen many copepods running around my tank. I have read that this is their main diet. I have also heard that you could or should buy more copepods for your tank. Does anybody have any recommendations?

Thanks

Ryan

Edit: Mandarin goby. My bad

 

[sharkbait]

you will for sure need to add more as they will absolutely destroy your current population.

 

[pamelahaley]

IME they also enjoy sushi rowe... but not a long term solution

 

[jennm]

FYI... it's not a goby. It's a dragonet. Biggest pet peeve of mine in the industry (and it's everywhere, not just around here).

Gobies are usually pretty easy to keep. Dragonets, not so much (hence, IMO the misnomer - same goes with scooter dragonets often referred to as blennies).

Please keep a close eye on it that it doesn't get skinny. If it does, it's starving.

Jenn

 

[rtheilman]

Ok! This is what I needed to know. My next question is, where do I buy copepods? I looked online, but I would prefer to buy local. What is the best place to go?

 

[looters]

Contact lifestudent he said he was bringing some to sell at the next meeting

 

[hhughes]

If you're lucky, you may also be able to train it to eat mysis. (mine does)

 

[spike]

Build a little pod shelter with live rock rubble and shells. Give the little buggers a place to hide, multiply safely. Not the total solution but it will help.

 

[dawgface]

hhughes;664652 wrote: If you're lucky, you may also be able to train it to eat mysis. (mine does)

If you ever sell him let me know... I want one soo bad but can't due to all the pod eating machines I already have.

 

[rtheilman]

I got him at petland off ashford. Keith is the manager, and he has a couple left. He also has a couple tank raised as well, but I think they may be spotted. They are sooo cheap for the color you get!!

 

[rtheilman]

I bought mysis shrimp (frozen) today. I heard that live brine shrimp are good as well. True or false?

 

[dawgface]

angcot70;664919 wrote: i have had one for about a year now and have never been able to get him to eat anything other than copepods. I have a 65 gallon tank and didnt think i had enough so i added (turns out i had plenty just didnt see them). If you look at night with a red light you will see tons running over the rocks, just tiny ones that look like little white fleas but usually any store that sells saltwater fish will have copepods. If you google copepods for sale many sites come up and also there are many sites that tell you how to grow them. If you do buy them make sure you add them at night when the lights are off so they can find hiding places in the rocks to breed. The mandarin will find them dont worry but if you ad them with lights and when the fish are "up" they will eat them all.

+1

 

[jef4y]

rtheilman;664918 wrote: I bought mysis shrimp (frozen) today. I heard that live brine shrimp are good as well. True or false?

For pods, buy some tigger pods, but understand they are $20'ish/bottle & a mandarin can go through a bottle in a few days.

Mysis, well, if you can get your mandarin to eat frozen foods, great! Personally I'd tell you go pick up some Rod's foods (Creation Reef sells it). Many people (myself included) have had great luck getting a mandarin to eat frozen through rods. Now my mandarin will eat literally anything I toss in the tank.

Brine shrimp are generally attractive to fish in general. However, it would be the human equivalent of a diet consisting of popcorn. There isn't much nutritional value in it, and will not work for long-term sustainment.

 

[jaytwist]

I housed a mandarin dragonet in a 29g biocube for over 4 months. I did build up a pod colony using trigger pods 2 months before buying him. I introduced half bottle in tank and half in refugium and they multiplied nicely but they need time to do so without threat of predators.

 

[rtheilman]

This is the diva of fish. I have mysis, rdf formula 2, daphnia ,and brine shrimp. You figure that this guy would find something he likes. Lifestudent has a great deal going for pods. I'm a bartender though and can't make it to the meeting.

 

[rjrgroup]

Do you have a fuge? If not, create one like previously suggested. Even a pile of rubble hidden in the back behind rock. Try garlic and mysis in a sea-squirt(?) feeding tube to directly feed him. Some take to it immediately...

 

[brianjfinn]

JayTwist;664994 wrote: I housed a mandarin dragonet in a 29g biocube for over 4 months. I did build up a pod colony using trigger pods 2 months before buying him. I introduced half bottle in tank and half in refugium and they multiplied nicely but they need time to do so without threat of predators.

Four months is by no means a success story. What happened after the four months? Did you move it to a larger, well established tank where it is now thriving? Did you sell/give it away? Did it die?