Mandarins and Damsels.

[juliehodson]

Hi there.

(I still feel as though I know nothing about marine fish even though I have had my tank running successfully for a year!!)

Question 1 - My boyfriend has recently started up a tank (approx 15 UK gal) and at the moment has cycled it with live sand and rock and has stocked it with 10 crabs and 2 blue tailed damsels. Against my advice he has decided to keep the damsels because he has "grown attached to them" (I fail to see the attraction lol) but anyway he wants to know what other fish he can introduce. I'm not sure which fish the damsels will accept. He wants 2 clowns. Any advice?

Question 2 - What can I feed my spotted mandarins? The LFS told me that they would feed on copopods and stuff like that but I don't think my tank can support them. I've tried flakes and frozen brine shrimp but they don't seem very keen on either.

Thanks all you knowledgeable fish folk out there

 

[Navarre]

Question 1 - My boyfriend has recently started up a tank (approx 15 UK gal) and at the moment has cycled it with live sand and rock and has stocked it with 10 crabs and 2 blue tailed damsels. Against my advice he has decided to keep the damsels because he has "grown attached to them" (I fail to see the attraction lol) but anyway he wants to know what other fish he can introduce. I'm not sure which fish the damsels will accept. He wants 2 clowns. Any advice?

Nothing is the answer Damsels are not called devil fish for nothing. They are extremly territorial and will fight fish far larger than themselves to keeo the territory. Clowns are definatly not going to be able to stand up against the bullyish nature of a couple of damsels.
Better to get rid of them and get something a bit more freidnly and accomodating for the tank

Question 2 - What can I feed my spotted mandarins? The LFS told me that they would feed on copopods and stuff like that but I don't think my tank can support them. I've tried flakes and frozen brine shrimp but they don't seem very keen on either.

Im afraid that mandarins feed soley on podds and amphiopods. Each mandarin needs roughly 100kg of live rock to suppor them as it needs an enormous amount ot live rock for the pods to breed. A small tank simply cannot sustain a mandarin for any length of time Many people recomend huge tanks for mandarins and this is not because they need swimming room, its because they need this spcae for their food to grow.
Its rare.. very rare but possible to ween them onto other foods but this is something that i have never yet witnessed (although i know of people on other forums that have got lucky).

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news on both accounts

 

[Fishy411]

sw is not like fw. U can keep 3 very small fish in a 15 gallon. get rid of the damsels and get some gobies. Gobies of the same type that are not a mated pair are going to kill each other with the exception being dfferent volored clown gobies. I would get a black clown goby a firefish and another clown or neon goby.


I would return the mandarin. U shouldnt buy one unless u see it feed on something other than pods.

 

[Great Lakes]

Try this line on your botfriend,

"All that time and effort on a marine tank and you are going to stock it with six dollar fish

GL

 

[Fishy411]

the thing about weaning mandarins is that they dont have to eat stuff other than pods if they dont want to . If it doesnt like the shrimp or anything it can just eat some pods. Unless u dont have any pods.

Damsels i think look kinda cool. Its like having a oscar or something stuffed into the body of a swordtail.

 

[juliehodson]

Got rid of the damsels yipee!! And some good news I got the mandarin feeding on frozen brine shrimp. I must have been lucky or something!!

 

[Ed4567]

Got rid of the damsels yipee!! And some good news I got the mandarin feeding on frozen brine shrimp. I must have been lucky or something!!

make sure that the brine shrimp is enriched with vitamins since by itself its not really that nutritious.

 

[juliehodson]

ok ill check the brine shrimp. Thanks 4 your help!!

 

[Opcn]

Spotted mandarins are not as pickey as regular mandarins,