[marine_pheonix]

Well, as the title implies, i have some queries on my wierd fishes....

1) I have 3 anthias in my tank and i just bought them a week ago. The strange thing about them is that the 3 of them likes to "push" my poor cleaner shrimp around the tank. And they do it (the pushing) together... My shrimp is not cleaning them at all. So is my shrimp gona be alright?

2) My green mandarin for watever reason got stuck in my powerhead and i manage to notice it and saved it. And now, there is an arch at the mandarin's belly area.... This incident happened yesterday and today, it is behaving normally. So wanted to ask is the mandari's belly going to go back to normal?

Thanks!

[j_man]

The arch on the mandarin sounds like it is starving to death. Mandarins require large amounts of live food to survive. If you can get hime to eat frozen mysis you may be able to save him.

[BubbaWPB]

Have you seen your shrimp clean other fish? It sounds like your anthias are courting your shrimp for a cleaning job... It sounds like they just need time to adjust to each other.

[marine_pheonix]

Thanks for the reply!!!

For my mandarin, it has been in my tank for a few months and it is doing fine with frozen brine shrimp. It will eat like a pig when i put the brine shrimp cubes into the tank.

And as for my cleaner shrimp, it will clean my yellow angel whenever the angel approach it...

So are there any other possible reasons for my fish to behave/look so strangely?

[Riptide]

j man may still be onto something. Most of the threads here on these boards say that brine shrimp has no nutritional value at all. The fish love to eat it, but without something else, they will still starve. After reading this on these boards, I got my scooter blennies to eat the frozen mysis instead. I still use the brine, but only as a treat once in a while. Good luck with the mandarin, I think they are beautiful!!

[GaryZ]

I'm pretty sure the Mandarins like to feed on pods as well. In fact, I think they prefer them. Thats one of the reasons I built a little pod motel in my display, for a future mandarin.

[Poseidon]

Mandarins are best kept in mature tanks that have HUGE pod populations. Those, and "scooter blennies" are difficult to keep in anything but large tanks with LOTS and LOTS of rocks!

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by GaryZ

I'm pretty sure the Mandarins like to feed on pods as well. In fact, I think they prefer them.

Their natural diet is 95% copepods.

[j_man]

pods are best, live are expensive. I would highly suggest you supplement your mandarin w/ mysis.

[marine_pheonix]

Thanks for the reply!!!!

My mandarin is well again( eating and doing what other madarins are doing) and the arch is very very slowly going back to normal day by day from what i can see.

And one more thing, when i don't put any food in my tank, my mandarin will be pecking on the rocks, sandbed and the glass walls of my tank... Is this a sign showing that copepods actually exist in my tank?(....even though i never seems to see one before when i tried looking for them...)

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by marine_pheonix

Is this a sign showing that copepods actually exist in my tank?(....even though i never seems to see one before when i tried looking for them...)

When did you look? Did you look at night? Use a red flashlight (or a regular flashlight with red celophane over the lens) and see if you see them on the sandbed and on the live rock at night. I see hundreds of them at night but I have never seen a single one in the daytime because they hide out when the lights are on.

Or, just take a regular flashlight and look at your tank after dark. See if you see what looks like tiny fleas scurrying back into their holes.

[marine_pheonix]

OH~~~~

I see i see....so i will only be able to see them at night when the lights are off lol..... I usually try looking for them during the day or when the lights are still on at night.......

Thanks!!!!

[Little Luey]

Mandarine is my favorite and dream fish, they are cool looking.

Gary Z, please do tell about your pod motel, or better yet post a picture for us.

[prow]

i dont know about gary z motel but my friend has one. he took a strawberry plastic basket thing stuck it upside down in the sand about 2 inches or so put some rubble under it and then covered it with rock. his tank is only a 55gal and the mandrine is the fatest one i have ever seen. i plan on doing the same if i ever decide to get one.

[curtis_rachel]

Gary, I'd like to hear the details about your pod motel as well. And, a pic would be cool!!!

[cichlidfort]

I am starting up my 55 gallon soon and I am putting 115 lbs of live sand in it and 60 lbs of liverock. Is that good for a mandarin or should I still wait a couple of months?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by cichlidfort

I am starting up my 55 gallon soon and I am putting 115 lbs of live sand in it and 60 lbs of liverock. Is that good for a mandarin or should I still wait a couple of months?

You should always wait at least five or six months to allow your copepod populations to develop before adding a fish such as a Mandarin Dragonet.