Mandarin Love

[TigerIssey]

As many of you know, the fish that got me into Marine Keeping was the Striped Mandarin. I have been patiently waiting for the time could have one.

Reet since getting my pair of Mandarins, I have noticed far different behaviour in the male and some wonderful interactions between the male and female.

This log is to document that, feeding, and hopefully spawning too.

My copepod culture was started before getting the Mandarins.

Pod food from Reef Phyto

Concentrated Pods and Rotifers with 6 week fridge life.

I have found that you do not need as much Pod Feed as you would use Live Phyto for feeding copepods.


I then purchased a male that lasted 2 weeks only. He was too thin when I got him so wasted quickly.

I then found a fat male on a trip to the Midlands and brought him home.

Caesar

I was then intending on purchasing a female from the same place I got Caesar from when I go on Friday, however, on a trip to the LFS for water on Monday, I saw the most beautiful female ever, AND she was Red.

Cleopatra

Theen the Two Together

On the evening at moonlight time I then got the opportunity to take this video




I thought at first they were fighting, but no, she had hold of his pectoral protuberance.

On switching off the moonlights, Caesar shot to the top bobbing about, would have scared me if I did not know what it was. Cleopatra did not join him.

They spend their days on different bommies and their evenings together.

Last night I did try to induce some beahviour by swtiching the white light on and off, had read this can work on WWM. It did not.

Link to breeding Mandarins I have found useful

Mandarin Breeding


I need to get an olive jar for a Mandarin Diner, a jam jar is too big, the blennie and wrasse end up in there.

Mandarin Diner

I will update this thread with any information I find may be useful.

 

[garry_boyd3]

Cracking start TI. You will be writing a book for us to buy from Amazon next

Thanks for doing this, like others I have always liked Mandarins but they are too difficult for a beginner. Now people have a one stop shop for info.

 

[tropic_john]

I love striped mandarins, red mandarins and especially spotted mandys

 

[Trod]

Really looking forward to seeing this thread develop.

Thank you again Tina for taking the time to share this

 

[bae1994]

may i ask where did you get the equipment for this
(except the brine shrimp hatcher lfs sells them)

 

[TigerIssey]

I bought a sheet of acrylic, 4mm from B&Q. I bruised my knuckles using a stanley knife and metal ruler to snap the acrylic into the sized pieces I needed.

I then used solvent weld to glue the pieces together to make the acrylic copepod culture tank. Once dry I then used a bead of the solvent weld along the joins to ensure the container was waterproof. The lid just sits on top and the air is supplied by a regular air pump with control valve fitted to regulate the flow.

The Copepods and Copepod feed I purchased from Reef Phyto

Here is a link

http/www.reefphyto.co.uk/

I have also read that Mandarins like Roe (fish eggs) so I will be purchasing some soon. I am looking at these

http/www.midlandreefs.co.uk/xcart/produc...=286&page=1

I am wondering whether tinned or fresh cod roe would work too. Worth a shot though I think.

 

[bae1994]

i thought you where using the brine shrimp hatcher could i use a jar

 

[TigerIssey]

I also hatch BBS in the brine shrimp hatcher, all the fish love them. As to the corals incidentally.

 

[ben1987]

good read that tina, Thank you.

 

[Musho3210]

Any information that you feel can help you or other people breed these fish I would recommend you to MOFIB, they're a community of marine breeders.

 

[TigerIssey]

Its linked to in the first article in the first post. I did not link to it as it is another forum.

 

[Musho3210]

Ah well, as long as you know about it.

 

[TigerIssey]

Searching for Pods

 

[TigerIssey]

I found this diving story quite interesting.

At the end of the narrative the author suggests that the Mandarin mating is at its peak at the Full Moon.

Mandarin Sex - A Diver Narrative

Maybe Seffie, this is why a flash of white light does induce spawning again.

I am lucky here, we have roof windows in our living room therefore the full moon will be evident to the tank.

Interesting- When is the next full moon??

 

[daveo_irl]

Very interesting journal!
Mandarins are amazing looking fish, pity they are so difficult to look after. Although I suppose the view would be that they are worth the effort!