Green mandarin

[brett559]

I realize this is a very common fish to ask about here. I've had my current setup for about 4 months. I bought it from another reefer who had the tank for several years. So the live rock is years old (I kept it cycling while I moved the tank). I have a refugium with a bunch of chaeto algae that was also established from the prior owner.

About 10 days ago, my LFS got in some HUGE, fat green mandarins. I had never seen ones so fat before. Local reefers told me that larger mandarins have a better chance of surviving because they have a little more time to get used to a new tank. So I bought it. I also bought a bottle of Tiger Pods to bump up my pod production. I added the tiger pods over time to the fuge area of my sump.

I knew it was a risk, but I figured with a fuge, and rock that had had a LONG time to develop pods, I would give it a try. I also wasn't sure if mandarins that big would come around again - my LFS stocks primo fish from LA and these were a lot better than any I'd seen before.

Simply put, I have no idea how this fish is doing. He flits around most of the day, although he does just sit in the sand from time to time. None of the fish bother him at all; he has taken no interest whatsoever in frozen or pellets. He doesn't look that much thinner or more lethargic. But I don't see him eating. I don't see him picking at things very often or jutting his mouth forward to eat, etc. So I just don't know. If he wasn't eating anything after 10 days, it seems like he'd be in worse shape (i.e. dead).

So I'm somewhat hopeful, but confused as well. Is this a good sign? Bad sign? Who knows?

[Betta132]

How large is the tank?
Have you ever just sat there for about ten minutes and stared at him to see if he does anything?

[brett559]

It's 90g. And I'll be honest, I haven't watched him for that long. I'll try that.

[Marshall O]

It would definitely not be a good sign if it did not pick at the rocks several times per minute. This may be an indication of it being caught with cyanide.

[brett559]

So what happens then? He just slowly starves?

[MondoBongo]

So what happens then? He just slowly starves?

if that is the case, then yes.

spotting a healthy mandy in the store can be as much art as science in some cases for the uninitiated.

my girly will typically peck a few times a minute. on the rocks and in the sand. sometimes even getting small mouthfuls of sand, and then blowing the excess out of the openings behind her eyes (i think this may be part of the gill, but i can't find any labeled anatomical images to substantiate this).

she likes to kind of float around. sometimes dragging on the substrate a bit, and just methodically work her way through the tank. she will rest for brief periods from time to time, but most of her day is spent in constant, deliberate, motion around the tank.

really with these guys, aside from providing the conditions they need to maintain their natural food supply, there isn't much you can do for them. if the food is there, they will eat, or they won't. if they're not eating, they will eventually starve. if they are eating, you can always supplement, but getting them eating in the first place is more or less on them.

it's not a great answer, but you're likely in a wait and see mode now.

[Betta132]

Those sand-spouts are part of the gills, yes. My guess would be they exist in order to keep sand from falling back down into the gills after it's blown out, but I really don't know.

[MondoBongo]

Those sand-spouts are part of the gills, yes. My guess would be they exist in order to keep sand from falling back down into the gills after it's blown out, but I really don't know.

ok awesome, that's what i figured.

i've noticed when she is resting that they appear to have (for lack of a better term) a flap that will open and close, but i wasn't sure because they didn't look like the typical gill structure that i am used to seeing on other fish.

such strange and wonderful little fish. i wish there was more detailed information available on them.

[BrianD]

You have been advised on several occasions to stop adding new fish and even to remove some of the existing fish.

Your choice is to add another specialized feeder to an already overstocked tank.

I think you need to decide whether you truly value the advice you are given here, because you certainly are not following much of it.

[brett559]

BrianD, I actually sold my yellow tang and my coral beauty. I don't believe my tank to be overstocked. I was also under the impression that since aggression issues are not common with mandarins and since mandarins eat a completely different food source, I could give it a try. My understanding was that a mandarin will make it or not depending on available pods to eat, not based on other fish in the tank. Given the years-established live rock, the fuge, and the pod supplements, I assumed I was good to try.

And yes, based on my research it does appear that I am in wait and see mode. So I guess I'll just.....

Thanks again.

[MondoBongo]

I was also under the impression that since aggression issues are not common with mandarins and since mandarins eat a completely different food source, I could give it a try. My understanding was that a mandarin will make it or not depending on available pods to eat, not based on other fish in the tank.

Other fish have a very significant impact on the survivability of any fish in your tank, but especially dragonets. since these guys are obligate feeders, you need to know what other fish can potentially out compete them. wrasse and other high speed pod eaters can eat circles around one of these docile little fellows. that is one of the reasons it is not recommended to house them together. in addition to that, while the mandy may not be the SOURCE of the aggression, they can quite easily become the target. given their relaxed demeanor and lack of any offensive (and arguably lack of most defensive) weaponry, they can make convenient targets for bullying depending on who they reside with.


Given the years-established live rock, the fuge, and the pod supplements, I assumed I was good to try.


Moving a tank is very disruptive, and in many cases can be akin to starting over. i'm not familiar with your setup, nor how it was moved, so i haven't commented on this. however i will say that i would not put a dragonet in to a 4 month old tank, even if it was a migration. these fish are great additions to established tanks, but rolling the dice and getting one before all the proper components are in place is playing with fire at best.

but as i look back, i already gave you this advice, and apparently you ignored it.

i wish you luck, and i would urge you to check out my responses in some of these following threads:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2374330
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2367532
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2363996

[Stevenliu9]

There are some tedious, manual feeding videos and instruction you can google. I have tried one of them and it worked wonders, I got my mandarin to eat frozen and kept it for a long while until one day it jumped.
Check out this guy's feeding station
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6/feeding-stations-178611.html