Have not had success with Mandarin Goby in established Reef tank

My 4 year old 150 gallon reef tank has evolved to currently hold SPS,
LPS, Fish, invertebrates, clams. It has approximately 170 lbs of live
sand, and about 350lbs of live rock. The majority of the fish
population is at least 2 years old, and the LPS, and SPS have been
doing well. My nitrates are persistent but low at about 5 PPM, and
phosphates stay at about .05. My question is regarding mandarin
gobies. Despite multiple attempts over the past year, I have not been
able to keep one alive. I add one, and will see it for a couple of
days, and then I will see it no more. When the reef tank was about 1
1/2 years old I was able to add a mandarin goby which survived for
about a year, but since then no success. I recall reading from one
source that Mandarin gobies are indeed very difficult to keep, but
frequently you are told that they should do fine if they have adequate
LR in the aquarium. Have others had long-term success with Mandarins.
They are indeed unusual and beautiful fish, and I would love to be
able to keep one happy and healthy.

"Timothy Tom" wrote in message
Have others had long-term success with Mandarins.
They are indeed unusual and beautiful fish, and I would love to be
able to keep one happy and healthy.



Have you supplemented your pod population lately?
Many/most Mandarins eat nothing but live pods and if your system is depleted
(or never grew many to begin with for some reason) then you need to buy
some.
Perhaps your first Mandarin wiped them all out?
And having a refugium where pods can multiply without predation can help
insure that you don't run out over and over.

Many places to buy pods-
Try:
http://www.floridapets.com/
http://www.ipsf.com/
http://www.aquaculturestore.com/swinverts.html
http://billsreef.safeshopper.com/
http://www.copepod.com/



--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/reef.htm

"Timothy Tom" wrote in message
om...
My 4 year old 150 gallon reef tank has evolved to currently hold SPS,
LPS, Fish, invertebrates, clams. It has approximately 170 lbs of live
sand, and about 350lbs of live rock. The majority of the fish
population is at least 2 years old, and the LPS, and SPS have been
doing well. My nitrates are persistent but low at about 5 PPM, and
phosphates stay at about .05. My question is regarding mandarin
gobies. Despite multiple attempts over the past year, I have not been
able to keep one alive. I add one, and will see it for a couple of
days, and then I will see it no more. When the reef tank was about 1
1/2 years old I was able to add a mandarin goby which survived for
about a year, but since then no success. I recall reading from one
source that Mandarin gobies are indeed very difficult to keep, but
frequently you are told that they should do fine if they have adequate
LR in the aquarium. Have others had long-term success with Mandarins.
They are indeed unusual and beautiful fish, and I would love to be
able to keep one happy and healthy.


In a tank that size and one up that long, it's almost impossible to wipe out
the pod population unless you have several other fish such as small wrasses
feeding on them. You might not have anything wrong on your end. It's more
than likely the fish you are choosing. I have been in the retail end of the
aquarium trade for over a decade, and I see mandarins come in all the time
too skinny to make it. If they have been starved long enough in the
*collection, wholesale, retail chain* long enough, they rarely make it.
Even as little time as two weeks without proper food, their digestive tract
can start to degenerate, so that even with proper food supplies once you get
them home, they can't digest the food they eat. If you want to try again,
make sure you pick one with fat, almost swollen sides, not one that is even
a little bit skinny. They aren't that delicate if you choose a healthy fish
to begin with and have the proper food.

I do indeed see pods. I can see them in my sump, and whenever I wipe
the inside of my overflow box, there are multiple pods.

I do indeed see pods. I can see them in my sump, and whenever I wipe
the inside of my overflow box, there are multiple pods.

seeing "pos" means little

define "pods"

give a good description of all of the different ones you find. or post pics

give general shape, coloring and where you found them in relation to a surface, what
surface and amount of light where you found them.



--
Richard Reynolds

give a good description of all of the different ones you find. or post
pics

give general shape, coloring and where you found them in relation to a
surface, what
surface and amount of light where you found them.


Tim, I just stumbled on this article that might help you do just what
Richard suggested.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-08/rs/index.htm
hth

I am eagerly following this thread =)

~Mort

Here's another one. Rather basic but it might help...

http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.p...showpage&pid=3

~Mort

Yes I actually did come across the article by Shimek. What I have
seen in some abundance are amphipods. But then again, that is not to
say that some of the other organisms that are mentioned in his article
are not present, I just have not noticed them in the same abundance.

Does anyone know the "specific" pods that a mandarin preys on?

~Mort

"Timothy Tom" wrote in message
om...
Yes I actually did come across the article by Shimek. What I have
seen in some abundance are amphipods. But then again, that is not to
say that some of the other organisms that are mentioned in his article
are not present, I just have not noticed them in the same abundance.

Does anyone know the "specific" pods that a mandarin preys on?

they are not that specific of a feeder they will eat isopods, copepods,
micro worms, types of rotifers(non plantonic types) and a variety of other
itty bitty critters, amphipods are generally speaking not part of there
diet, though i guess if one jumped up and down and yelled "eat me" the
mandarin probiby would