[nelleson23]

i have a niger trigger 4 1/2 inches, a panther grouper 2 1/4 inches, and snowflake moray eel 10 inches. i had all kept in a tank with 2 clowns and 2 damsels and no agression was shown towards the smaller fish. i gave the damsels and clowns to my dad but considering a spotted mandarinfish. if i buy a medium/large mandarin would it be safe? im assuming they might since no aggression was shown towards the clowns and damsels but some feedback would be nice.

thanks
nicholas

[demonsquirt]

First manderins only eat live food in the form of pods. You need sufficient amount of LR and a refugium for pod propegation , and up and running for 3 or 4 months.

Then theres no gauruante he will be a meal. Its with caution with any smaller less aggressive fish.

[pogodzib]

There is a good chance that he will end up being a meal it that tank. Mandarins are slow moving fish that remain fairly small in size. With those inhabitants, your tank is probably a decent size, but mandarins need a lot of live food so they shouldn't be housed in a tank smaller than 75 gallons with a lot of LR and a refugium.

[nelleson23]

i think i do have a bunch of copeopods in my tank. after i started putting live rock in about 2 months ago ive noticed a bunch of white specs in my tank on the glass. ive also noticed some things that look like worms, black, maybe 1-2 mm long. i wanna say i have 22lbs of rock. and after today i should have 30lbs of rock. also whats a refugium?

[pogodzib]

Pods are small creature that will typically be running around inside of your tank when the lights are out. They hide during the day. To see them, shine a flashlight into your tank at night and see if you see them on your rock.

Here's a link they may help you to see what your looking for.

Bitty Bugs: Copepods in the Reef Aquarium by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

30 Lbs of LR isn't nearly enough. Most people think that you need at least 75 of LR to provide enough places for pods to multiple fast enough to provide enough food for your mandarin. Even if you see a ton of pods running around on your LR, mandarins can wipe out a large population of pods in a matter of a couple days. A refugium is a place where macroalgae can grow, generally either as a HOT container or inside of your sump, which helps keep the water clean and provide a place for the pods to multiply without getting eaten by your fish. If you do a search for "refugium" or "fuge", you should find a bunch of info.

[demonsquirt]

Manderans are an expert fish. Many of the pods they eat you cant see and can clean a tank out fast then starve to death.

I think that money would be much better spent on a reef book and the added knowledge would save you hundreds or dollars and many headaches.

Amazon.com: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide: Michael S. Paletta, Edward Kadunc, Scott W. Michael, John Goodman: Books