[swinginbeef]

I'm looking for a good fish that is relatively hardy that eats pods and can do decent in a 12 gallon nano. My wife wants a mandarin but I really don't think I can (or afford to) keep it fed unless I can get it to eat prepared food.

I'm wondering about a six-line wrasse? I'd like something that is fairly active. My wife just want the pod population to go down and like the color pattern of the mandarin.

Any thoughts?


**Edit** - I'm sorry, can a mod please move this to the fish forum.

[glampka]

12 gal is too small for a 6 line. They require at least a 30.

[swinginbeef]

any other thoughts on a fish that will do ok in a 12 that will bring the pod population down conciderably?

[Jay03GT]

what about a scooter blenny, don't they eat pods and other stuff?

[gimmito]

Sixline will do the job.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I was just trying to think of a fish that wouldnt eat pods.None came to mind.It sounds like the wife thinks they are a bad thing,there not.

[swinginbeef]

I know they aren't a bad thing. I was just going through a short period with zero fish in the tank so the pod population was through the roof. I add a couple clowns and now I really only see the pods at night. Before I was seeing them everywhere, all of the time. I don't know if the clowns are eating them or if they are just scaring them from coming out during the day. My wife seems satisfied, which is all I can hope for.

[gimmito]

My clowns chow on pods at night when some come through the outlet pipes !

[emccullough1]

Happy and wife??? I didnt know those two words could be used in the same paragraph much less the same sentence. Let me know the secret

[ejwsr]

Excess pods??!?!!?? I wish I had that problem. I have a mandarin in a 12 gallon, but I am very lucky. She eats frozen cyclopeeze. Ever think about netting the pods and selling them?

[ejwsr]

If you do go the route of getting a dragonet, I would suggest that you buy some cyclop-eeze. While it is still in the bag and acclimating put a small amount in it. If the dragonet bites, you have a winner. That is how I found out that mine was going to do well in my 12 gallon.

[swinginbeef]

I was going to buy the two clowns and a small target mandarin, but found out that I was having an issue with my hydrometer and my SG was like 1.028 while my hydrometer was read just under 1.023. So I went ahead and picked out my favorite two clowns and my favorite little dragonet and had them set off in their own little divider.

After buying a new hydrometer and taking a couple days to get my SG down where it should be, I had time to do more research about the mandarins and decided against it. When I went back to buy, I told them that I had changed my mind on the mandarin due to only eating live food and they told me that they only feed them frozen brine. Which either means that they eat frozen brine, or they've already been starving since the LFS had recieved them. I told the lady behind the counter (none of the regulare saltwater people were there) that if she would feed it some frozen brine and it eats, I'll go ahead and buy it but she said she didn't have any thawed out.

Since it take all of 30 seconds to cut a frozen cube in half and drop it in a small cup of water and pour it in the tank with the fish, either she really has no clue about it or was just saying that to try and sell it.

[chinesebunny]

I've seen mandarins eat everything, live, frozen or flakes. The pods are good to have in the tank because even thought they eat at feeding time they like to eat little snacks like pods all day. Good job on not taking the fish home without seeing it eat. A little blenny or goby will eat the pods and do good in a twelve gallon. Like a small weaver goby or a yellow rose goby, or rainford goby.

[chinesebunny]

Just thought of one more little fish, a gumdrop (clown) goby, you can get these in cute colors like yellow or green with red lines on their faces. Your wife would probably like them, very cute and don't get bigger than maybe and inch and a half