mandarin goby

[pete_ra]

i just purchased a mandarin goby, but i pick him up in a week. i would like info on keeping him because i have heard they arent extremely hardy. anyone who has one please reply.

[Mikeaveli21]

Tough fish to keep. How long have you had your tank? These guys need a REALLY solid pod population to survive, hence a well established tank. I was soooo into getting one of these until I did some research and realized the task at hand. I am not saying they are impossible, but the most common problem with these guys is starvation. They can run down a pod population pretty fast if the tank hasn't had time to establish itself. Run a search either on the board or on yahoo/google and you'll get some good info on these guys. HTHs

[phistio]

i had one about six years ago...great fish...i had him for about a year, and he began to starve, so i gave him to a frined with a monster reef...

i just traded a condylactis anemone for a mandarin yesterday, and with in about 5 minutes of being in my tank, he began to eat!

[pete_ra]

please tell me what they like to eat!

[Mikeaveli21]

Pods! They need a good pod population. I have heard of some people being able to feed them frozen shrimp. But I think it's a hit or miss with that route.

[pete_ra]

does any one know if my emporer 280 will remove any pods from my tank?

[surgeon67]

how large of a tank with LR is needed for a mandarin? My tank is a year old and has pod skeletons floating from where they molt. I would think there's plenty int here, but I'd hate for him to starve.

[michealprater]

My old tank was a 75 gallon that had been setup for a year and a half with 100 lbs of live rock when I got one. He starved to death in about 6 monthes, if that gives you a idea.