Where did the Mandarin Goby go?

[bobz]

I agree with Mark. I kept my target and green Mandarins in isolation for about a month while I pounded them with foods to fatten them up. They were very thin when I got them from the LFS. Besides the pods in the tank/fuge they also are adult live brine shrimp. I eventually got them eating frozen enriched brine and mysis by mixing it in with the live brine when I feed them and now they will accept frozen and formula one pellets. They seem fat and happy and have grown pretty fast.
bob

 

[linda lee]

flyingarmy;211855 wrote: Let you system get more estalbish and get another. Mine is absolutely one of my favorite fish, other than my Copperband. If you need some cheato full of Tiger pods for your refug, let me know.

His tank is only 45g and has no refugium. I'd not advise purchasing another mandarin.

 

[flyingarmy]

Linda Lee;211867 wrote: His tank is only 45g and has no refugium. I'd not advise purchasing another mandarin.

Depending on his LR, pod population and once well established a 45GAL could support a Mandarin. A good way to get you pod pop up is to get some from someone else and build a pod hotel (eggcrate with LRR). It gives a place for pods to do the hanky-panky and only charges by the hour!

 

[linda lee]

flyingarmy;211870 wrote: Depending on his LR, pod population and once well established a 45GAL could support a Mandarin. A good way to get you pod pop up is to get some from someone else and build a pod hotel (eggcrate with LRR). It gives a place for pods to do the hanky-panky and only charges by the hour!

I never thought about this... what a good idea!

I'll have to try it.

 

[george]

phoenix20;211838 wrote: Lesson learned though. I'll never let the wife perform an impulse purchase at the LFS without adequate research of the addition...

It happens or has happened to everyone in this hobby. Also remember to ask the LFS about the particular fish. All the research in the world on feeding isn't as good as a quality report on what that fish is eating in the store or if it's eating at all. If the LFS can't answer that question, proceed with caution.

flyingarmy;211870 wrote: Depending on his LR, pod population and once well established a 45GAL could support a Mandarin. A good way to get you pod pop up is to get some from someone else and build a pod hotel (eggcrate with LRR).

This is a great method for an in-tank refugium. You can also use wadded up and tied together mesh or just about any reef-safe material that water can flow through which the fish and any invertebrates can't enter.

Cheato in an actual refugium has the benefit of also producing foods that pods like to eat plus a mild amount of nutrient export, but it's not required to culture pods. You could even get one of those live-bearer nursery in-tank things and put a bit of cheato in it.

 

[linda lee]

Barbara;211879 wrote: Linda, you can give the pod pile a nice jump start too by getting the rubble out of some established systems. I bought my rubble from Atlantis Aquarium (not a sponsor - just down the street from.....sniffle...... Cap Bay.) They've had the same tanks set up for years and years. You can go in there and just buy handfuls of rubble out of their tanks and that stuff is loaded with pods. That's where my mysid culture came from. I know a lot of folks don't agree with doing this, but (don't tell anyone......) I also bought a couple pounds of sand out of the bottom of their tanks to seed my tank with when I first set it up. You should have seen all the creepy-crawlies that were in that sand!

I have a 3-sided view on my 90g display and I'm a little picky about cluttering it up, but I do have a productive, well pod-ulated 44g fuge.

The in-tank fuge area is a good idea for someone who has an all-in-one display, though. I might tuck a little something in the back of the nano and see if something grows.

Also ... what about overflows? When i got my 90g used, I could tell that this thing used to host a gazillion feather dusters in the corner overflow. Can pods be cultivated in there? Since my baby cardinal fish ended up in my fuge after traveling from the display, through the overflow and plumbing, I would think a few pods could make it also.

 

[flyingarmy]

I bought some Tiger Pods from ES and dumped it into my refug....they are multiplying very quickly. Great way to kick start a refug or re-energize one!