Djplus1 December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 Hi, I'm thinking of getting a tank raised mandarin dragonet for my 14g Biocube that currently houses 2 small green chromis. Can these fish live together, or should I move the chromis to my 72 gallon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 They can live together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBVette December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 Putting a mandarin in a 14 gallon is just a time bomb for the fish. No way will you be able to keep it fed in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 (edited) Putting a mandarin in a 14 gallon is just a time bomb for the fish. No way will you be able to keep it fed in there. That is absolutely incorrect. Get it eating prepared food like any other fish. I've watched one grow, and grow, and grow in a 2.5 G tank. Edited December 27, 2012 by extreme_tooth_decay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 27, 2012 Author Share December 27, 2012 Putting a mandarin in a 14 gallon is just a time bomb for the fish. No way will you be able to keep it fed in there. Time bomb for who? The mandarin? The chromis? All? What do you mean exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy357 December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 I think what he means is that you will have to be adding pods to your tank none stop to feed the Mandarin unless you can get one that is already eating frozen food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 27, 2012 Author Share December 27, 2012 I think what he means is that you will have to be adding pods to your tank none stop to feed the Mandarin unless you can get one that is already eating frozen food. That's why I'm looking tank raised from ORA. From what I've heard, they are bred to eat frozen, or at least are easier to make do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy357 December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 If you get one from ORA then you should be fine but I would add lots of pods to your tank about a month before you get one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBVette December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 The Ora ones are not a guarantee to eat frozen, honestly I think your chances of getting a wild one to eat frozen js not that far off from the Ora one. And yes I meant you will be adding pods to the tank non stop with the mandarin, nothing is impossible with the right amount of money spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 27, 2012 Author Share December 27, 2012 If you get one from ORA then you should be fine but I would add lots of pods to your tank about a month before you get one. Define lots of pods? Like a 8oz bottle? Or 4 8oz bottles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 i have a mandarin in my 29g cube. there really was never many copepods in my tank. i got one that was not ORA raised, just from the fish store. i picked one that ate live brine. he was the only one in the tank. i put him in my QT tank, and confined him to a small mesh breeder box in the tank. i was able to train him to eat frozen food that way. kept him in that breeder fattening him up for three weeks before he went into the main tank. A bit of advice on training them - use the Nutra Ova frozen brine eggs. awesome stuff. he wouldnt touch regular frozen food but went for the nutra ova. After a while a added Jan's frozen food a little a time and weened him off the Nutra Ova. He is super happy and eats like a pig in the tank now. it takes some time to train them, but its the only way to keep them alive in the smaller tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 (edited) I've tried twice. Both wild caught, cheap mandarins from the LFS. Both times it was relatively simple (and cheap) to get them eating PE mysis. Same food I feed everyone else. I think the "common wisdom" that you need them eating pods is nonsense, and makes people not even try. I agree the chances are probably about the same getting a wild or tank raised one to eat frozen. I'd call the odds "good". I find that many who call the odds "bad" have not tried. Don't be discouraged, give it a try. Here is a pic of one of mine (not the one in the 2.5G, but looks the same). Edited December 27, 2012 by extreme_tooth_decay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 27, 2012 Author Share December 27, 2012 I've tried twice. Both wild caught, cheap mandarins from the LFS. Both times it was relatively simple (and cheap) to get them eating PE mysis. Same food I feed everyone else. I think the "common wisdom" that you need them eating pods is nonsense, and makes people not even try. I agree the chances are probably about the same getting a wild or tank raised one to eat frozen. I'd call the odds "good". I find that many who call the odds "bad" have not tried. Don't be discouraged, give it a try. Here is a pic of one of mine (not the one in the 2.5G, but looks the same). Do you have yours in a tank with semi aggressive fish? The proposed scenario is in a tank with two green chromis which are supposedly aggressive. I would also like to have one in my 72g with my yellow coris wrasse, BW occelaris, true perc and hippo tang, but I think it would get picked on in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 27, 2012 Author Share December 27, 2012 i have a mandarin in my 29g cube. there really was never many copepods in my tank. i got one that was not ORA raised, just from the fish store. i picked one that ate live brine. he was the only one in the tank. i put him in my QT tank, and confined him to a small mesh breeder box in the tank. i was able to train him to eat frozen food that way. kept him in that breeder fattening him up for three weeks before he went into the main tank. A bit of advice on training them - use the Nutra Ova frozen brine eggs. awesome stuff. he wouldnt touch regular frozen food but went for the nutra ova. After a while a added Jan's frozen food a little a time and weened him off the Nutra Ova. He is super happy and eats like a pig in the tank now. it takes some time to train them, but its the only way to keep them alive in the smaller tanks. So you recomend quarantining in a breeder box for 3 weeks? Wouldn't it be the same if he was the only fish in a 10 gallon quarantine for that period? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBVette December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 Do you have yours in a tank with semi aggressive fish? The proposed scenario is in a tank with two green chromis which are supposedly aggressive. I would also like to have one in my 72g with my yellow coris wrasse, BW occelaris, true perc and hippo tang, but I think it would get picked on in there. Its not so much aggressive fish as it is aggressive eaters. If the fish are aggressive eaters the food will not make it to the bottom of the tank for the mandarin to get it. Then causing you to overfeed and having other issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k December 27, 2012 Share December 27, 2012 Aggressive Green Chromis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary December 28, 2012 Share December 28, 2012 I've got two - one in the 24g and one in the 90g. Neither are ORA, but both were healthy-looking, active, and ate when I bought them (I asked the LFS to feed so I could watch). Both eat frozen like little pigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan December 28, 2012 Share December 28, 2012 (edited) So you recomend quarantining in a breeder box for 3 weeks? Wouldn't it be the same if he was the only fish in a 10 gallon quarantine for that period? i think it made it easier to get the food in his face. in the 10 gallon, the food would spread around and it didnt seem to "find" it. i think they end up eating the frozen food when they just happen to "breathe" it in by accident and get a taste of it. by keeping it confined in the small breeder box, i was able to concentrate the food around it, which is when i started having success. Edited December 28, 2012 by Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella December 28, 2012 Share December 28, 2012 Do you have yours in a tank with semi aggressive fish? The proposed scenario is in a tank with two green chromis which are supposedly aggressive. I would also like to have one in my 72g with my yellow coris wrasse, BW occelaris, true perc and hippo tang, but I think it would get picked on in there. I have a green mandarin in a 70g with a Harl. Tusk, Tangs, Damsel, Chromis and it does just fine. Ive had it for over a year and its very healthy and happy. No one ever bothers it. I dont really ever see it eat food when im feeding the tank but I constantly see it roaming the rocks grazing at will. This is my second one, both ive had have done excellent. The first one I had ate frozen from day 1, but that was lucky. I think a good healthy established tank can hold one, even in your 14g. I would just avoid another fish who likes to pick at the small life in the tank. They are wonderful fish to watch and keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunWyrm December 28, 2012 Share December 28, 2012 As long as you watch it's weight, and make sure it's always fat and happy then go for it! You can tell when they aren't getting enough. I've never had anyone mess with a dragonette, not even evil blennies or very mean damsels. They just do their thing and everyone ignores them. My only suggestion - would be to eventually get a pair for your 72. I think everyone would agree that it's really special to see them "dance" in the evenings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay December 28, 2012 Share December 28, 2012 (edited) Do you have yours in a tank with semi aggressive fish? The proposed scenario is in a tank with two green chromis which are supposedly aggressive. I would also like to have one in my 72g with my yellow coris wrasse, BW occelaris, true perc and hippo tang, but I think it would get picked on in there. Super aggressive eaters. Chromis, hippo, a sohal pig, clowns, wrasse...that pic was from years ago and I don't have him anymore, but he would aggressively come up and compete for food at feeding time like everyone else after he was properly trained. Edited December 28, 2012 by extreme_tooth_decay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 28, 2012 Author Share December 28, 2012 Thanks everyone. I guess it shouldn't be a problem after all. Now the only question is do I get one for the 14g and 2 for the 72g (I would like to see the dance) or just stick to my original plan and get one for the 14g. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef December 28, 2012 Share December 28, 2012 If you can order the ones from ORA...id do 1 for the 14 and a pair for the 72 And you could get 2 different kinds for the 2 tanks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike December 29, 2012 Share December 29, 2012 When you get a "pair", do you have to get a true pair or just 2? How does one find a true pair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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