Will a Mandarin starve living with a Mystery Wrasse in a 30 gallon???

[b0bby1]

Thought I might put this in this forum rather than the Reef Fish forum. I currently have a Finnex 30 Gallon M-Tank with a False Percula and a Yasha Haze Goby. My 2 last fish I wan to add are a Spotted Mandarin and a Mystery Wrasse. I know that the Mandarin will need pods to live, and I'm not sure if the Mystery Wrasse eats pods. I used to have a Sixline that obviously did, but I know that the Mystery Wrasse is more of a meaty food eater so I don't know if it eats pods. Do Mystery Wrasse's eat pods? I do have a 4 gallon refugium with Cheato, sandbed, and some rubble. I also plan on keeping some cool macro algaes in back of some of my rock work in the main display. Do you think I can get away with keeping both of these fish together? Or will the Mandarin starve?

I know that 3 Spotted Mandarins at the LFS eat both pods and frozen brine once in a while. Don't know if that changes anything. I know a ton of people that have kept Mandarins in the same tank for years, I'm just wondering whether I will be able to keep it with the Mystery.

[cardiffgiant]

To be honest, I think you'd have problems keeping just the mandarin (regardless of the competition from the mystery wrasse). I haven't heard many stories of successfully keeping a mandarin in a system your size. IMO, 30 gallons would be too small unless you had a very large refugium.

I'm no expert, and I'm sure that someone with a good deal more experience will provide more detail, but my understanding is that their metabolism is very high, and that they eat several times in a minute. Thus, even a mandarin that eats prepared foods can still starve. Generally systems that are 75 gallons, with a lot of LR, and a large established refugium can produce enough food to sustain them.

Just my $0.02.

[specialkb]

thats pretty much dead on.

[ManotheSea]

I think all wrasse will go for pods like crazy. I used to feed my other fish with different food to fill them up. Then after I would put in the pods or brine shrimp. The mandarin will then have more opportunity to eat in peace. I have to agree that a small mixed tank will be difficult for a mandarin.

[billsreef]

The Mystery Wrasse will indeed eat pods, and at a much faster rate than the mandarin. A 30 is already to small to sustain a mandarin without heavy supplemental feeding, add in something else that will eat the same food and the mandarin won't have a chance.

[b0bby1]

ok, i'm not even gonna try the mandarin then. need to find something else that looks nice.

[everl0ng]

well with you having rare zoas/palys, you may want to stay away from angels. it's be a shame to get one and have it start nipping, but i guess it all depends on the fish itself. good luck, and let us know what you decide to go with.

[b0bby1]

ya i would never keep an angel in fear that it would eat my palys, some costing over 60 bucks a polyp.

this is my fish list as of now:

-False Percula (already have him)
-Yasha Haze Goby
-Blue Neon Goby
-Mystery Wrasse

i can get away with a 5th fish because the yasha haze and neon are basically nothing. i'm gonna have to do some research.

[cardiffgiant]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11643529#post11643529 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by b0bby1
ok, i'm not even gonna try the mandarin then. need to find something else that looks nice.

What about a royal gamma, or a chalk bass? Both are hardy, peaceful, have good color (IMO), are generally considered good reef inhabitants, and would be good for a tank your size.

[watson_barrett]

My manderin eats frozen brine. If you find one that eats frozen food you may be ok but i'm sure tons on here would argue that you shouldn't house a manderin w/ out atleast 70 lbs LR in an established system.

Mine was fine in a 45G with a six-line (12 months). It is now in a 92G BF though.

[wsamsky]

I just got a bi color blenny and he is a very cool fish with great personality, also check out the tail spot blennys. As far as keeping mandrins goes there is a good thread on nano-reef.com (sorry i dont have the link) on the fish forum. Some guy there has had a pair of mandrins for quite some time and his tank has heavy algae growth to support the amount of pods they eat. Check it out if you want more info.