Mandarin Goby @ 6 months ?

[Bifferwine]

Bottles of live pods run $25 apiece. I hope you can afford to keep that guy fed.

[Doc]

that is why I will kindly pass on that fish, as the food for a month costs WAY more than the fish itself. They are one of the few that I just pass by in the LFS and wave respectfully. That and the Achilles Tang, which my LFS has TWO of that look pretty good and eat well....hmmmm. Maybe it is time to rethink that conviction.

-Doc

[Bifferwine]

I would sooooo get an achilles tang if I wasn't so worried about it giving ich to all my other fish.

[Doc]

$40 down the street. 4 inches

-Doc

[Bifferwine]

Ugh they are, to me, the prettiest tang out there. THE tang. But they are also the most difficult! WHY?!?! Why must the fish gods always tempt us with such awful trade-offs?!

[kevinsimons]

OK, so I have this mini-refugium that I bought when I first started the tank - it's a plastic box that hangs inside the tank, about 8" long, 6" deep, and 5" front to back. It was ostensibly purchased to try and get two maroon clowns used to each other (what it really was, was the LFS ripping me off... but that's another story). This box has a place for a small Rio powerhead - there are small holes (about 1/2" diameter) that allow water flow. Might this thing work for a refugium for these pricey little pods?

Just in case any of you are wondering why all your good advice was more or less rejected: the mandarin goby was a purchased to keep peace in the house - you know how human dynamics can F*** up an otherwise stable sitch?

[HAWKS12thMAN]

I have heard but never tried.... Mandrins will eat cyclopedes (sp?)

[reeffreak]

I don't think mandarins will go after cyclops.The small fuge with some chaeto may help.

Sorry I'm late back.
If you have a mason jar,put some pellet food or mysis inside it.Your mandarin may eventually enter and start eating.I've done another trick.Every now and then,a mandarin will see it reflections in the glass.When it does,turn the pump off and squirt some mysis near it.That trick worked to get a mandarin in my 72 to start taking frozen.For me mysis and vitamin enriched brine worked the best.

[kevinsimons]

Sounds like I should put some chaeto into that refugium and see what happens.... this stuff is good no matter what, from what I gather?

I bought a bottle of pods this afternoon - $20 - they're called Tiger Pods - I'm doubtful about all this, and am thinking I made my first fatal mistake... Thanks for the pointer, Reef. I'll try it...

[Bifferwine]

Unfortunately, mandarins that don't eat frozen don't survive long in our tanks. Even ones that have fuges.