Ive been thinking of putting a Mandarin in my size 29 cube. I understand he eats copepods, so if I set up like a 20 gal refuge would that be sufficient?

Tank has roughly 50lbs of rock (yeah alot)
2 clowns
1 Chromis
Chalk bass
And small golden dude

Any ideas?

In all honesty you will not be able to keep that fish alive unless you have 100+ lbs of rock for pods to live and grow in. Anything short of that and you will end up slowly starving the fish. I would suggest putting it on hold until you get a larger tank. Welcome to the ARC!

Consider it DEAD in my opinion..the rock in a 29 would not last a week with the mandarin.....now way that size could support it..unless you KNOW it will eat mysis or some other foods.

I have a 90 with a 300G sump..I was worried about mine surviving, then I saw it eating mysis like a pig....so I was relieved..

Yeah, look for one that eats prepared foods. Treyeleven is the expert on that! PM him and he may be able to find you one.

Thanks for the welcome and advice! If i could get one to eat bloodworms would that be sufficent? Id hate to kill one of these little guys.

How would i PM Trey also?

http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/member.php?u=2458

I've located several mandarins around Atlanta freely eating prepared foods at LFS's. Most places (in fact, every sponsor LFS I've visited) will gladly feed fish before you purchase. I ALWAYS do that as a safety measure to ensure the fish will eat prepared foods.

I desperately want a madarin, but all my tanks are 28-30 cubes (one even has a 25 gallon sump/fuge) and even though they eat, I still have not bought one. I can't stand the thought of killing one....beautiful fish.

See where is says "All Users", type in his name; Treyeleven and select "Send Message via PM"

Ill look around for one that will eat, and i need to add a fuge//sump anyways to get some more volume going.

I'm not sure this is within forum rules (new guy) but they are sponsors so I guess this is legal:thumbs: Aquarium Showcase had one a while back that was a little piggy. It was in their coral tank, but it was eating (mysis I believe) like crazy. Again, I apologize if plugging for sponsors is a no-no:D

I'm not sure this is within forum rules (new guy) but they are sponsors so I guess this is legal:thumbs: Aquarium Showcase had one a while back that was a little piggy. It was in their coral tank, but it was eating (mysis I believe) like crazy. Again, I apologize if plugging for sponsors is a no-no:D

no worries....

Just want to clarify....I was talking about myslef as the new guy on here....not jayguerreso. My previous reply reads weird:yay:

Thanks for the welcome and advice! If i could get one to eat bloodworms would that be sufficent? Id hate to kill one of these little guys.

Blood worms are not a good food source for most SW fish. More of a FW thing!

I've located several mandarins around Atlanta freely eating prepared foods at LFS's. Most places (in fact, every sponsor LFS I've visited) will gladly feed fish before you purchase. I ALWAYS do that as a safety measure to ensure the fish will eat prepared foods.

I desperately want a madarin, but all my tanks are 28-30 cubes (one even has a 25 gallon sump/fuge) and even though they eat, I still have not bought one. I can't stand the thought of killing one....beautiful fish.

See the problem with most prepared foods is they are not what is NEEDED. I could feed you nothing but McDonalds for the rest of your life and you would live (it might be a short life but you would live!). Mandarins have very high metabolisms and with that comes the need for high fat and protein foods. Pods are great for that. The fish meal and other crap in prepared foods are just fluff and filler.


I'm not sure this is within forum rules (new guy) but they are sponsors so I guess this is legal:thumbs: Aquarium Showcase had one a while back that was a little piggy. It was in their coral tank, but it was eating (mysis I believe) like crazy. Again, I apologize if plugging for sponsors is a no-no:D

No, plug away for a sponsor...

I could feed you nothing but McDonalds for the rest of your life and you would live (it might be a short life but you would live!).

Yeah, but it'd be a short happy life.

I must be crazy, or my mandarins are diferent... i have mine on my 90 gls with a 20 gallons fuge, and they are happy.. fat and all over the place.

90 is about the smallest tank I would recommend. I had kept one in my 55gal for years but I have pod life out the wazoo due to my set up! My tank breeds Mysid shrimp.

My LFS has a 75 gallon display tank and he has 3 mandarins in it (along with other stuff that, by all reasonable standards, would have him way way way overstocked), and they're so fat you'd think they were puffers and all the fish appear happy.

I dont mean to jack this thread, but I'm new as well. Just while we are on the topic of mandarins....my friend and I have a 55 and she REALLY wants one. We have someone who gives us copepods from his tanks...so if we got one could I just go get some every couple of weeks to keep the little guy happy? Should suffice, shouldn't it?

He just gave us hundreds...cute little guys haha.

These guys eat hundreds every couple days... Not a good idea long term.

ah, ok. I guess we will have to pass until we upgrade to the 150 we want then

No go for a 29; Todd and Charlie are dead on!

Adding pods will not work well. That's just a bandaid for an underacheiving situation. I would suggest either a different fish or tank upgrade! :)

I would love to upgrade....I just don't want to set up the 200 I want and then move in a year. haha. My living situation might be changing because im a college student/full time work who may end up getting a house in the next year or 2 with my boyfriend. So I would hate to have to tear it down and set it up again. But you KNOW as soon as I get in the house...that 200 (or more) tank will be mine. haha.

And then to have to tear it all down again to move out away from the boyfriend! ;) J/K... I love these fish but they are one that EVERYONE tries to get away with but few make it. Best left for your gift to yourself when your new tank is ready (and up for at least 6 months to 1 year!).

haha if he hasn't gotten rid of me in the 4 years we've been together, I think I'm safe at least for a little while :lol2: haha.

But I knew they were hard to keep. I never order them for my work because we have crushed coral and I have never seen a copepod ever in our tanks. I should introduce some though. I just have started to really look into them, but I would definitely rather find out now that they're not the best to keep, than buy him and cause him to die.

I am going to go against the grain and say that you will be fine. IF you get one that eats frozen food. Now I do admit that is a big if. It is not easy to train a mandarin to eat frozen food, but if you do, they can and will thrive in a small tank.

The only person around skilled enough to successfully breed Mandarins, Matthew Wittenrich, feeds his broodstock almost entirely Frozen PE mysis. And he has the babies eating rods food and cyclopeze. So to those who say that prepared foods are insufficient. I say to you this. When you have surpassed Wittenrich skill at breeding them, you can say that you know more than him about their dietary requirements. (here is lots of great info about his first attemt at raising mandarins http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1963&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=150)

And then to thouse who insist that there is just insufficent space in a 29 gallon aquarium for to sustain a mandarin. I will direct you to Matt Peterson. While he has not succsfully raised the larvae yet. His mandarin pairs spawn every night in is 20-30 gallon aquariums.... Also fed on a diet consisting of entirely prepaired foods.

Additionally, I know of many people who have had mandarins for years that eat pellets as their primary diet.

To thouse who are insisting that you can not keep a mandarin in a small tank. I ask you this. Have you had a mandarin that was eating prepaired foods that was living in a small tank kick the bucket prematurely? I have this suspicious fealing that everyone here is just regurgitating the standard lines without any real experience to back it up.

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Now again I will stress, this is all dependant on you teaching the mandarin to aggressively chase down frozen food. Which is no easy task. It will take a lot of dedication, and a bit of luck, but if you can get it to eat frozen food, it will be fine in your small tank.

How big of a fuge would it take to pump enough food into a 29? Seems like itd have to be huge!

I am going to go against the grain and say that you will be fine. IF you get one that eats frozen food. Now I do admit that is a big if. It is not easy to train a mandarin to eat frozen food, but if you do, they can and will thrive in a small tank.

The only person around skilled enough to successfully breed Mandarins, Matthew Wittenrich, feeds his broodstock almost entirely Frozen PE mysis. And he has the babies eating rods food and cyclopeze. So to those who say that prepared foods are insufficient. I say to you this. When you have surpassed Wittenrich skill at breeding them, you can say that you know more than him about their dietary requirements. (here is lots of great info about his first attemt at raising mandarins http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1963&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=150)

And then to thouse who insist that there is just insufficent space in a 29 gallon aquarium for to sustain a mandarin. I will direct you to Matt Peterson. While he has not succsfully raised the larvae yet. His mandarin pairs spawn every night in is 20-30 gallon aquariums.... Also fed on a diet consisting of entirely prepaired foods.

Additionally, I know of many people who have had mandarins for years that eat pellets as their primary diet.

To thouse who are insisting that you can not keep a mandarin in a small tank. I ask you this. Have you had a mandarin that was eating prepaired foods that was living in a small tank kick the bucket prematurely? I have this suspicious fealing that everyone here is just regurgitating the standard lines without any real experience to back it up.

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Now again I will stress, this is all dependant on you teaching the mandarin to aggressively chase down frozen food. Which is no easy task. It will take a lot of dedication, and a bit of luck, but if you can get it to eat frozen food, it will be fine in your small tank.

YES, I have had a mandarin wither away in a 29 gallon.

Is the average hobbyiest a Matt Wittenrich or Matt Peterson? NO. SO, would it not be better to give advice accordingly to the audience requesting such advice?

You can find some mandarins that will eat frozen/pellet foods. You can also find smokers who never get cancer. Would you reccomend smoking since there are people who never get cancer from smoking?

Having said that, it can be done and as acro said in his first sentence, it is a big IF! Why not just get a fish that is better suited for that size tank rather than playing with it's life?

I am going to go against the grain and say that you will be fine. IF you get one that eats frozen food. Now I do admit that is a big if. It is not easy to train a mandarin to eat frozen food, but if you do, they can and will thrive in a small tank.

The only person around skilled enough to successfully breed Mandarins, Matthew Wittenrich, feeds his broodstock almost entirely Frozen PE mysis. And he has the babies eating rods food and cyclopeze. So to those who say that prepared foods are insufficient. I say to you this. When you have surpassed Wittenrich skill at breeding them, you can say that you know more than him about their dietary requirements. (here is lots of great info about his first attemt at raising mandarins http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1963&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=150)

And then to thouse who insist that there is just insufficent space in a 29 gallon aquarium for to sustain a mandarin. I will direct you to Matt Peterson. While he has not succsfully raised the larvae yet. His mandarin pairs spawn every night in is 20-30 gallon aquariums.... Also fed on a diet consisting of entirely prepaired foods.

Additionally, I know of many people who have had mandarins for years that eat pellets as their primary diet.

To thouse who are insisting that you can not keep a mandarin in a small tank. I ask you this. Have you had a mandarin that was eating prepaired foods that was living in a small tank kick the bucket prematurely? I have this suspicious fealing that everyone here is just regurgitating the standard lines without any real experience to back it up.

______________

Now again I will stress, this is all dependant on you teaching the mandarin to aggressively chase down frozen food. Which is no easy task. It will take a lot of dedication, and a bit of luck, but if you can get it to eat frozen food, it will be fine in your small tank.

I hate to agree with you:yuk: , but you are indeed correct.

My biggest secret is what you dont want to hear- Bloodworms. But wait... Mysis are a fresh water food too! Wow my reef thrives off of fresh water foods? Holy cow, who would have thunk it?

Now, I do agree that a refugium needs to be full of chaeto and LR. Ideally over 30 gallons, even on a 30 gallon tank. Nothing beats the real thing- Classic Pods. I think adding pods to a display tank is a waste, add them to the fuge with some DT's.

YES, I have had a mandarin wither away in a 29 gallon.


But was it eating prepared (either frozen or dry) foods? Were you even making any effort to teach it to eat prepared foods?

And no tossing food in the tank, watching all the other fish chase down the food in 1 minute and then saying "Nope, he didn't eat any" does not count as teaching.

You don't hand a book to a 5 year old every day and say read and then when the kid just looks back at you with a blank stair say "We'll try again tommorow." Teaching requires some extra effort on your part.

For example, start it off in a 1 gallon basket by itself where it has no competition for the food, and has all the time in the world to think about it. Feed adult live brine shrimp until it attacks them aggressively(which usually does not take long). Then start mixing in some frozen brine shrimp. Start with just a small amount(perhaps 1 dead for every 10 live) then over time increase the proportion of frozen brine until that is all it is eating. Then start mixing in frozen mysis. Once it is aggressively eating frozen mysis (not just eating, but actively chasing them down like a clownfish would) you can then release it into your tank.

If you are not willing to spend the time and effort required to keep a mandarin alive in anything less than a 500 gallon tank where there is sufficient naturally available food, then just say that. "I am too lazy to properly care for a mandarin", don't say that "It is not possible". I am much too lazy to learn to read spanish. That does not mean that it is impossible, and that I should tell others not to try.

On another note, I have bought/obtained over 10 individual specimens and have gotten every one to eat bloodworms. Some have to literally eat it on accident, but once they get the taste they are good on it. The spotted variety is easier for me to get going. I occasionaly get them eating Formula 1 and 2 pellets. I learned almost everything from Mark.

www.melevsreef.com

I put a spin on his mandarin diner concept, which works great.

But was it eating prepared (either frozen or dry) foods? Were you even making any effort to teach it to eat prepared foods?

And no tossing food in the tank, watching all the other fish chase down the food in 1 minute and then saying "Nope, he didn't eat any" does not count as teaching.

You don't hand a book to a 5 year old every day and say read and then when the kid just looks back at you with a blank stair say "We'll try again tommorow." Teaching requires some extra effort on your part.

For example, start it off in a 1 gallon basket by itself where it has no competition for the food, and has all the time in the world to think about it. Feed adult live brine shrimp until it attacks them aggressively(which usually does not take long). Then start mixing in some frozen brine shrimp. Start with just a small amount(perhaps 1 dead for every 10 live) then over time increase the proportion of frozen brine until that is all it is eating. Then start mixing in frozen mysis. Once it is aggressively eating frozen mysis (not just eating, but actively chasing them down like a clownfish would) you can then release it into your tank.

If you are not willing to spend the time and effort required to keep a mandarin alive in anything less than a 500 gallon tank where there is sufficient naturally available food, then just say that. "I am too lazy to properly care for a mandarin", don't say that "It is not possible". I am much too lazy to learn to read spanish. That does not mean that it is impossible, and that I should tell others not to try.

This entire response is based on the assumption that I didn't try.

If you want to smoke because it's possible that you don't get cancer, by all means, knock yourself out. But, reccomending it to a beginner or average guy is simply foolish.

What's the probability that the person who you are telling to get the mandarin is going to successfully follow through with everything you must to to keep this fish in such a small tank? Odds are the fish won't make it very long. You have to know the audience that you are advising. Not jabbing the OP, but most people just can't pull off housing the mandarin in a small tank..period.

If you can do it, then by all means get the fish and be happy. I just hate seeing fish die because we don't do our best to provide for them, that's all.

Skriz- I feel like the mandarins have a better chance at home than in the fish store. Even if they die at home ATLEAST they got a chance. Over the years, Ive seen way WAY too many mandarins wither away at the LFS waiting to be purchased.
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Another thing I have noticed is that the mandarins need to be hungry(stomach flat) to even try your prepared foods. If you have a fat mandarin and plenty of pods- its very hard to get them to start eating your food, but I think that makes sense.

Its best to get the mandarins in a tank with NO competition to start offering them foods- 3 times a day and you must watch to see whats going on. Try to get the smaller bloodworms- Hikari and ON are good. Cut the cube with a razor to get small pieces, eventually they will eat full sized pieces. This takes hours of work, but its worth it in the end!

True, but then it begs the question of if we should be encouraging the lfs to continue to buy the fish (supply/demand)

And yes, it does take a lot of work and it IS worth it if you can pull it off.

I've had success by burying food under the sand..seems to trigger a more natural feeding response.

True, but then it begs the question of if we should be encouraging the lfs to continue to buy the fish (supply/demand)

AGREED!

This entire response is based on the assumption that I didn't try. Well was the mandarin in question eating prepaired food? If not, then it was a bad example of what I was asking for (and what you were claiming you were answering). Examples of a mandarin that eats prepaired food dieing because the tank was too small.

If you want to smoke because it's possible that you don't get cancer, by all means, knock yourself out. But, reccomending it to a beginner or average guy is simply foolish.Yes it is foolish because there is nothing you a smoker can do to stop from getting cancer except to die of something else first.

If there was a magical pill that if smoakers took every 10 minutes for the rest of the life, would decrease the risk of cancer 10,000 fold. Yes, that is a lot of work and they are unlikely to do it, but I can say that if you are willing to make the effort, you are not doomed to failure. In that case yes, I would tell people, yes, go ahead and smoke if you are willing to take the pill every 10 minutes for the rest of your life. And that is the case with mandarins, if you are willing to go the effort, it is not doomed for failure.


If you can do it, then by all means get the fish and be happy. I just hate seeing fish die because we don't do our best to provide for them, that's all.

Scene one:
Some asks. "How do I keep X alive"

Everyone replys. You don't. It is doomed for failure. 1 in a million will live (that is how you explain away thouse who have succeded), if you luck into getting that one it will live if not, it will die. The guy buys it anyway hoping to be that 1. Makes no attempt to give it the care it needed, because no one told him the care it needed. Thus it has absolutely NO chance of living. And thus it dies just like everyone predicted. He goes back to the fish store and buys another, again hoping that he gets luck. But since he does not do anything differently, the outcome is the same. This repeats it self a few more times, and then he joins the croud proclaiming that it is impossible.

Scene two.

Some asks. "How do I keep X alive"
Everyone replys. Well it is a lot of work. You have to do A, B, C.....X, Y, and Z. And if you are not willing to go the effort, you are doomed for failure. The guy buys it anyway (either way, people are going to buy it because the fish look so cool). He makes an effort to care for it. He may go the distance, he may not. But it had a chance, and it only takes one fish for him to realize that he is not willing to do what it takes.

So everyone in group 1 kills the fish. While only half the people in group 2 killed the fish. Which one seems better to you?


but then it begs the question of if we should be encouraging the lfs to continue to buy the fish

Which group was more helpfull? Which group was more honest? Which group was spreading knowlege? And which group was just spreading fear and lies? Which group do you want to be a part of. I would much rather be a part of a group spreading truth, than lies.

But you say that when you tell people that it is hopeless they are less likely to buy it than being told it is a lot of work. Sounds good in theory, but is it true? Yes it was a lie, but the ends justify the means. Well even if you do believe that ends(people don't buy the fish) can justify the means(spreading lies and false information), is it even true that telling people they are impossible does decrease the demand more than telling them what is actually required to keep them alive?

Let us look at mandarins vs seahorses. When X is a mandarin everyone goes with option one and says it is impossible. While when X is a seahourse, which if anything is more difficult, and requires more specialized care, but everyone goes with option 2 and tells the guy what is involved in caring for it.

How many of you were told a mandarin was hopeless, purchased one anyway, and watched it die?
Now how many of you were told a seahorse was a lot of work, and said, "ohh I'm much to lazy for that", and walked away?

Based the number of people who have tried and killed a mandarin vs the number of people who have tried and killed a seahorse, it seems to me that scene 2 is actually more effective than scene 1 at discouraging people who are not going to go the effort.

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Lets start giving people helpfull tips, and stressing the imprtance of doing it right, rather than just spreading lies about the impossiblity of it. Yes you can still try to talk him out of it. But do it with truths rather than with lies.

Now to the truth. Mandarins, just like Seahorses require dedicated care to feed them properly. Yes with both, if you place them in a huge tank with no other fish they might be able to find enough food growing on the live rock. But that is just a might no matter how big your tank is. If you really want to care for either properly, you need to teach them to eat frozen food.

And in both fish, it is much easier to do this in a small tank, than in a large tank.

I've always been a fan of the disclaimer rather than straight-up lie.

"Yea, you can buy the mandarin, but you do know you're going to kill it ? Lets talk about this shall we ?"

As opposed to

"Do you have a 300g tank ? Then get out of my store. Get out ! Get out !!"
"Sir, I was asking for directions"
"OUT OF MY STORE MANDARIN KILLER"
"Can I use your bathroom ?"

Haha, a little exaggerated, but good points. Always laughing...

Anyways, no need to drag it on. Atreyu, looks like you have to decide whether or not it is worth the effort.

How big of a fuge would it take to pump enough food into a 29? Seems like itd have to be huge!

It would have to be betwen 60-70 gallons with only Live rock and NOTHING else besides macro. No fish, no inverts NOTHING that could eat pods or their food source. Then you would have to design it to be gravity fed so that the pods didnt go through a pump which would chop them up and kill them. I would just be patient and wait a year.

Acroporas, Im sorry but people who make comments like you did about "oh well you could if!" to a newbie is irresponsible. Use your head and look at the skill level and learning curve someone is on. I cant tell you how many people get bad advice such as this and kill a fish and waste money. Be responsible about your advice for the FISH as well as the hobbyist. Your statements are not IMO.

. Atreyu, looks like you have to decide whether or not it is worth the effort.

I'm sure it would be worth the effort! But I don't want to even try if there is a chance I will kill it....I would feel so bad.

Then dont try. There is a good chance you will kill it if there isnt an adequate food supply. All they do is cruise around eating pods. Thats it.

I had kept on in a 30g with 50ish pounds of live rock for over a year and he is now in my 55 with only 75ish pounds of LR and he is still doing fine. I do add pods once every 2-3 months just in case, hes about full grown. hes not super fat but looks healthy to me, no shrinking behind the gills(stomach area) or anything. Guess i am the exception to the rule. if your gonna do it i would advise adding pods once a month or so mainly just look at his body for skinniness and that will tell you if you have a problem.i understand what others are saying but it can be done if your not afraid to spend a little money to keep these beautiful fish alive.

I live in Acworth...and have a pair of mandarins that are doing great-in a 120 gal reef with a fuge full of pods. If you would like to come over I love to show them off. I hate to see these fish starve to death in any aquarium. They are very beautiful and deserve deep respect from reef keepers.

I CAN NOT recommend anyone try to keep mandarins in a small tank(less than 75-100) AND with a proper fuge. I too have tried to keep these fish in the past, with limited success---in a 120. I love the fact that you are researching these beautiful fish BEFORE you buy...it says a lot about you.

If someone has kept mandarins in a 29 gal, then they are expert mandarin keepers. Well boyond my 8 years experience in the hobby. To my knowledge, anything is possible...with the right experience and resources.

Good Luck with your decision!

wouldnt say expert at all, just alot of time to research and time looking to make sure they are healthy. all was said is that it can be done with the proper steps taken, along with care. dont expect to put him in and not look to see how well he is doing, there is a lot more care needed in a small tank than a large tank hand down. i guess i just have to much time on my hands.

wouldnt say expert at all, just alot of time to research and time looking to make sure they are healthy. all was said is that it can be done with the proper steps taken, along with care. dont expect to put him in and not look to see how well he is doing, there is a lot more care needed in a small tank than a large tank hand down. i guess i just have to much time on my hands.

This is kind of like saying I could keep a Tiger (with proper permits of course) and have it not eat me. There is a chance, but why would you give advice like this to someone when you dont know their experience level and could be condeming a fish to death. Advice that is "oh well I just said you could! I did!" is pretty trivial and gets newbies excited thinking they can then they kill a fish. Its irresponsible advice. Ive worked in a few fish stores and have sold a bunch of these fish. 9/10 times they died if they are in a smaller tank than 75-80 within a few weeks. Even some that ate bloodworms still didnt make it.

never said that he could do it, said that it could be done, and gave him info that has kept mine alive for the last 1 1/2 years. sorry if i have done something wrong in you or any others opinion.

I'm getting ready to get back into the hobby. Many years ago I had a yellow headed jawfish in a reef tank. At the time in the hobby, most of us didn't even know that what we had was a reef tank. I'm think of around 65 or so gallons for my reef tank. Can I add the jawfish and what other fish would co-exist best in my reef?

I have a yellow headed jawfish in my tank. I constructed a burrow out of 3/4" pvc and buried it in the sand and put some rock over it, and he rarely strays from that burrow. It's funny, my coral banded shrimp will pick up shells and bring them to the jawfish, and he'll stack them around the burrow opening. When I first put the burrow in the tank, it stuck out like a sore thumb; now, you'd be hard pressed to find it if it weren't for the jawfish hovering an inch above the hole.

And yes, they're reef safe.

After reading this thread,I don't know if I can continue in the hobby or become an expert, I'M SO SCARED!!!

After reading this thread,I don't know if I can continue in the hobby or become an expert, I'M SO SCARED!!!

Part of the problem with this hobby is that EVERYONE and their dog has an opinion. Far too many people give themselves airs, you're keeping a fishtank, not acting God, and that's what people forget. You're borrowing life, not creating it. Its really not that hard to keep a saltwater reef, if I could do it and I'm an idiot then anyone can. Its pretty much equipment,rocks,sand,livestock,water,and salt.

Just do what you want, and hope you've got some sense.

ok well this question kinda exploded lol. From what Ive learned a mandarin can be kept in a 29, just find a way to feed it lol. Pump the tank with pods, or get one to eat a number of different foods.

ok well this question kinda exploded lol. From what Ive learned a mandarin can be kept in a 29, just find a way to feed it lol. Pump the tank with pods, or get one to eat a number of different foods.

Jay your nailing it right on the head. For a mandarin pair to thrive naturally, i suggest a tank with 200+ lbs LR. IF you can get a pair to actively eat prepared foods with pod supplementation you can keep them in smaller, pref tall tank for mating. Now back to the eating part...