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the new mcdoubl
12/02/2011, 12:56 PM
can 2 different types of mandarins be bred together? like a green mandarin and a spotted? im just curious about it

billsreef
12/04/2011, 09:18 AM
They are two different species. However, being in the same genus it might be possible for them hybridize.

hbubble
12/04/2011, 09:21 AM
Holy Neptune! you are able to keep mandarins long enough to breed? That's great. I have tried growing brine shrimp for a live food source, keeping these beauties in a separate chamber of the refugium, all kinds of things to keep a mandarin happy and fat. Very difficult. What's your secret?

billsreef
12/04/2011, 10:09 AM
I've always had the best luck with mandarins in largish (40 breeder as a minimum) tanks with lots of live rock, and no other pod picking fish in the tank. Seem to grow enough pods in the tank that way, along with supplemental frozen mysis shrimp and brine shrimp.

snorvich
12/04/2011, 12:11 PM
My pair of mandarins mate at "sunset" which is when I transition my lights to a moonlight period (2 hours) but I have never attempted to capture the spawn. I know that there are a fair number of folks that do, however, including, of course ORA.

davocean
12/04/2011, 01:37 PM
My pair of mandarins mate at "sunset" which is when I transition my lights to a moonlight period (2 hours) but I have never attempted to capture the spawn. I know that there are a fair number of folks that do, however, including, of course ORA.

Ditto, I've had two pairs of mandarins do the exact same thing, lights begin to dim, and then starts that beautiful mating dance.
I was told it is very difficult to collect the spawn and raise them, and so I decided it was best to let that become fish/coral food.

Luis A M
01/02/2012, 09:51 PM
Nov Dic issue of Coral is dedicated to mandarins.There is a report of pairs of green,spotted and scooters all spawning in the same tank.Pairs didnt mix and males didnt fight:cool:

billsreef
01/03/2012, 11:09 AM
Nov Dic issue of Coral is dedicated to mandarins.There is a report of pairs of green,spotted and scooters all spawning in the same tank.Pairs didnt mix and males didnt fight:cool:

I've kept multiple pairs in tanks before, there was always a degree of fighting between males when they encountered each other. So I've got some degree of disbelief when someone reports multiple males in a tank without any fighting.

Luis A M
01/03/2012, 01:37 PM
There was one pair of each of the 3 species.The finding was that males of one species didnt fight with males of other species,nor spawn with allien females.Two males of the same sp,will certainly fight.I have not tested it myself yet.

billsreef
01/03/2012, 02:10 PM
There was one pair of each of the 3 species.

That makes sense then.