All time favorite fish

[ileas]

Well, I don’t have a trick but I’ve been asked a lot about it. What I would tell you is to add a ton a pods for a good 3 months or just until you see a good pod population. For a 20, I would say you should not get a juvenile or adult. A small one like mine should be the best starter. I got mine from petco for $50, I believe they are 100 on Biota. Mine is a biota. Just replenish your tank with pods even though the mandarin might be guaranteed to eat prepared or frozen. Keep a good eye on them too, mine has been in the overflow too many times haha. Not a good time for me, but she was just throwin a munch in there. Make sure you have a ton of pods, have a culture or refugium to grow pods too. Even if your mandarin eats frozen or prepared, it’s good to have a pod growing place in case but also as some cuc for your tank and snacks for your other fish. Make sure your other fish aren’t aggressive either. Try not to have too many shrimps since they might get agitated. Good luck if you get one!

Thank you I appreciate all the advice. I plan on getting a biota one if I do I figure it has a better chance of surviving

 

[Sdeluca10]

whats your trick to keeping them alive? thinking of putting one in my nuvo 20 but only if I can give it my best to keep it alive

I’ve also had one for a little while now. I purchased it when it was nice and fat, and maybe once a month (give or take) I buy a bottle of copepods from LFS and dump them in. He’s still fat and healthy

 

[ileas]

I’ve also had one for a little while now. I purchased it when it was nice and fat, and maybe once a month (give or take) I buy a bottle of copepods from LFS and dump them in. He’s still fat and healthy

Gotcha, I feel like a 20 gal may be a bit small so I might hold off at least until its more established. I moved everything that I kept from my 125 into but I feel the biodiversity is a bit low at the moment.

 

[Zirky]

Hard to narrow it down but This guys name was Grover the tiger pistol shrimp he hosted was rover. not prettyest but great to watch.

 

[highfive52]

My powder blue. Love

 

[HiReef20]

Gotcha, I feel like a 20 gal may be a bit small so I might hold off at least until its more established. I moved everything that I kept from my 125 into but I feel the biodiversity is a bit low at the moment.

Yeah. Good idea. I recommend just making a pod culture or some place for them to grow. Buying pods a lot can be quite expensive. It’s like $10 for an 8 oz bottle at my lfs. Reef Nutrition pods are my favorite though. They grow really well, you get a ton of them, and they are very healthy and almost are still alive. I got one of my tigger pod bottles when it was bottled 3 months before I got it but all of them were alive lol.

 

[wdebenedettojr]

Huge fan of the purple tang and Achilles tang for reef safe fish. For non reef safe fish the Solomon Islands black dogface puffer, adult red coris wrasse, and adult emperor