 |
|
| Home | Marine Aquariums |
Freshwater Aquariums |
Planted Aquariums |
Brackish Systems |
Ponds,
lakes & fountains |
Turtles & Amphibians |
Aquatic Business |
Aquatic Science |
Ask the WWM Crew a Question |
| Please visit our Sponsors | ||||
Quarantine tank set up/Dragonets 5/27/09
Mandarin and Comment on WWM 8/9/08 Dear Bob and Crew,
<Andy> Hope you're having a good weekend. <Yes!> I am
thinking of adding a Mandarin to my 110g display. It has been setup for
17 months, and has 95-100 lbs of live rock and a 1-2" course
aragonite substrate. I also have about 10 lbs of live rock rubble in my
sump, and a 30 gallon refugium with a 4-5" DSB, 15-20 lbs of live
rock and a huge amount of Chaetomorpha. I feel I have a very healthy
population of pods. I have done a lot of research on the needs of these
animals and feel that my tank is a pretty good candidate. The other
fish in my tank would likely not compete with a Mandarin--a Sailfin
Tang (I know . . ), a Kole Tang and a Royal Gramma (my very beloved
Black Sailfin Blenny is, I hope, somewhere hiding in my sump, as he was
chased by the Kole Tang into my overflow, and when I tried to rescue
him, he jumped over the top of my pre-filter sponge and down the
overflow log flume--at least I assume, as I've thoroughly scoured
the carpet and my cabinet for fish jerky and have found none). <If
he is still around he could be one of many fish, this is quite a
general name. One "sailfin blenny" in particular to watch out
for is Exallias brevis: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/trublennies.htm.>
My tank is an SPS dominant tank, with a few mushrooms, a Candy Cane and
some tree corals. So, now to my question. I was researching about
quarantine protocol for Mandarins on WWM, and, as one might expect,
found varying answers. Many of the Crew say an abbreviated QT (2 weeks)
is fine given the thick mucous coat, others say the normal QT is
appropriate, and BobF says "I wouldn't quarantine
Callionymids". <I don't/would not either.> So, who's
right and why? Maybe there is no "one" answer, and only I can
make the decision based on how it looks, where it came from, and the
amount of risk I'm willing to take (I can already see Bob's
"<Bingo!> being typed . . . ). <Bingo, yes, you will have
to assess that the fish is healthy, otherwise do not buy it.> I
realize that WWM is a collection of a bunch of people who have
different ideas/practices, which is what, in part, makes WWM so great,
but these differences sure do make it hard to make choices sometimes. I
can't help but think, is an abbreviated QT really all that
beneficial other than maybe giving yourself the chance to train the
fish on frozen foods--either give it a full 4-6 week QT or don't,
because anything "bad" (e.g., ich, some other
parasite/disease) may not manifest itself in 2 weeks. <But if you
cannot (and likely won't) train the fish, this is a period of
fasting, starvation and stress for the fish.> Now for my comment. I
know that things are posted over and over again on WWM, but as you
guys/gals frequently state there are X thousand of posts/articles to
wade through and many differing opinions within. I really believe it
would helpful if responders made sure to give reasons for a response.
<The huge majority of responses are based on previously archived
queries or articles.> I will say that most of the time, responders
do provide ample justification for posts. And, please don't take
this as any slight to BobF, who has helped me tremendously over the
past 17 months, but the statement "I wouldn't QT the
mandarin" really just offers an opinion without a justification.
<But there is: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm,
particularly the disease portion.> I'll analogize the need for a
justification to your constant reminder to us that you need a
poster's tank parameters, because, without those, you often find it
very difficult to adequately address/answer a question. Without the
justification to an opinion, I find it very hard to make an informed
decision. I realize you guys/gals are very busy and do this for free,
and I also realize (as stated above) that if I researched long enough I
could put opinions and justifications together and come up with why I
think so-and-so said "I wouldn't do X". <Exactly, they
are there!> Just a suggestion to make our research burden a little
easier and WWM a little better. Cheers, Andy <Thank you Andy, it is
not only a matter of time for us, but for the readers of WWM. If the
same thing is archived many times, it is just that much to mull over to
find what a person is looking for. Scott V.>
Target mandarin, hlth. 6/10/08 Hi, <Hello>
I have had a target mandarin for about 8 months now. Recently it seemed
to have become less active. It spent about a third of the day lying in
the sandbed, and it seemed to have trouble breathing. <Was this fish
eating?> This continued for almost a week until last night I noticed
it had lost color in its head, it was now white with light orange spots
from the gills up. His head was also kind of shriveled up, like it was
slowly shrinking or something. He died last night, and when I found him
this morning his body was fully in tact except for his head, which
looked like it had deteriorated. What was wrong with my mandarin? Was
there something I could have done for him? <Without knowing tank
size, water parameters and tankmates it is difficult to say why this
fish died, however about 8 months to a year is about how long it often
takes for these fish to succumb to starvation is captivity so that
would be my first guess.> <Chris>
Fallow tank, ich, and a hungry Mandarin 9/1/07 Hello all, First off, let me say thank you for all that you do. I would've left the hobby long ago very frustrated were it not for you all and your efforts. <I might have too. :) > Let me quickly get to my question. My main tank came down with ich and following your advice I pulled all fish from the display and am now keeping them in QT. One of the fish in the main display was a Mandarin Dragonet. My main tank is chock full of pods for him to eat, but I'm afraid I can't say the same for his quarantine tank. I've been hatching brine shrimp for him in the meantime, but I've read that they're not very nutritious. I also started some stand alone pod cultures but it'll be a while before they really get going and that is a viable food source for him. Given how disease resistant the Mandarin can be, can he safely live in the main tank during the fallow period? By putting him back in am I basically negating all the time that I have had the tank empty? Basically, will he act as a vector to keep the parasite population alive, such that after 6 weeks when I repatriate the other fish they are still likely to get infected all over again. Thanks for your help! <Just to be safe, you should probably keep the mandarin in the quarantine tank. Baby brine may not be completely nutritious, but if he's eating them, they should keep him going until you can put them all back. Not that it should ever ever happen, but healthy fish can survive weeks without food (just like how healthy people can actually go over a month without food). Feeding the mandarin only baby brine is like feeding a person only cookies and beer for a few weeks. Granted, it's not healthy or ideal, but it shouldn't be too bad for short turn.> -Fred <Best, Sara M.>
Mandarin health 1/14/07 <Hey Michele, JustinN with
you today.> We recently obtained a mandarin from our LFS. <Ok>
We have a well established 100 gallon tank reef tank with 100 pounds of
live rock and a 15 gallon fuge. The tank has assorted LPS corals,
invertebrates, and a pair of sebae clowns and a yellow tang. We read
everything on your site about mandarins for several months and felt we
were finally ready to attempt one. <Yes, you sound like you have
properly planned here.> We watched the mandarin at the fish store
for several days and thought she looked healthy so we brought her home.
When we got her home, she was much skinnier than we perceived she was
in the store tank. She has a very prominent spine and lateral line. The
really stupid thing we did, though, was not notice that her tail was
missing! She has this little stub where the tail should be. We assumed
it was trauma from being in the store tank with more aggressive fish
(triggers, wrasses, etc.) Now, two weeks later, her tail is actually
getting worse. It keeps eroding away and has almost reached the point
of her body. <Is a source of concern... I assume from your
descriptions, that you skipped out on a quarantine period?> I'm
now worried that perhaps it is an infection instead of or secondary to
the trauma. <I would tend to agree here.> We skipped quarantine
(shame on us) because of her need for pods to survive and we thought
her slime coat made her a fairly resistant fish. <Mmm, a shortened
quarantine would have been acceptable, but you could have placed
established rock from your display system in the QT system to provide
food temporarily, occasionally changing out this rock with others.>
Now, I'm concerned about the welfare of our other fish.
<Understandably so> The mandarin is very active and hunts
constantly. She appears to eat, though I have trouble telling if she
actually consumes the pods. <These are good signs.> My question
is how concerned should we be about the welfare of our other fish with
a compromised new fish in the tank? Should we keep trying with her or
is she a lost cause with the profound muscle atrophy and the tail
erosion? <Tail erosion, maybe, but if the mandarin is still actively
hunting and eating, muscle atrophy may not be much of an issue.> We
don't want to give up on her, but I don't' want her to
infect the clowns or tang either. Thanks! Michele <This is
completely understandable, Michele. At this point, being that I'm
not a major expert in pathogenic diseases and problems with marine
fishes, all that I can postulate is that some sort of existing water
condition is allowing the tail to erode away further. Typically in
cases of fin deterioration, water quality is at play. My suggestion is
to test your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH,
alkalinity, calcium) and try to identify an imbalance there, as well as
performing regular water changes to the tune of 25%. My opinion is that
if the mandarin is still actively hunting and feeding (that you can
see) there is a chance for recovery. However, do realize that if the
tail erosion is past the caudal, it will likely not regrow. Hope this
helps you! -JustinN> Mandarin <fdg., hlth> Question 12/29/06 Thanks for such a great, informative, fascinating web site!!! I hope I am not wasting your time with info that is already in the archives, but I have read through everything on mandarins and I'm worried about mine. <Lets hear it.> I have wanted a mandarin for quite awhile so we read and starting preparing. We have a 100 gallon well established tank with 100 pounds plus of live rock and a fuge. <Sounds like a good home.> Inhabitants include 2 sebae clowns and a yellow tang, peppermint shrimp, invertebrates, and assorted corals. Parameters are ammonia/nitrate/nitrite: 0, pH: 8.1, temperature: 81, SG: 1.025. The calcium reactor and test kit were ordered for Christmas! <Nice> We thought we were ready for the mandarin and purchased her (I think her based on fin size??) three days ago. She looked ok in the store, but when we got her home we realized she is VERY skinny. At the store she was eating brine (not sure if this means she is "trained" or just starving and desperate). <Either, hopefully the former.> She is very active in our tank and appears to be hunting the pods (constantly moving around the rock and pecks at the rock although I cannot see if she actually grabs a pod when she does this). <Good sign.> I know mandarins and especially skinny ones have a poor survival rate. <Unfortunately> My question is what is the best way to try and fatten her up? Should I just leave her to the pods and fate or can I try and supplement with Mysis, bloodworms, etc. even though this is not the nutrition she needs for long term survival? <I would try a little frozen food, preferably the Mysis soaked in Selcon for a little extra boost. If she takes it so much the better.> I feel like we have an ample pod population esp. with the fuge, but I am worried since I'm starting out with an already compromised specimen. Thanks for your help! MLF <Sounds like you have planned ahead and are ready for this somewhat demanding fish. Hard to say what its chances are based on your description of its current state, but it seems that your tank has the right conditions for its survival. Good luck fattening this guy/gal up.> <Chris> New Mandarin in quarantine - how to keep sustained
until move to main tank? 11/6/06 First off, definitely would like to
thank you all for a fantastic resource, and especially to Bob Fenner
for his awesome book, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. I've had
my 90 gallon reef tank with a corner overflow and 20 gallon sump set up
for just over a year. The CMA was instrumental in helping me get going
and continuing to maintain my tank. I'm just about to order
"Reef Invertebrates vol 1" as well. <Thank you for your
kind, encouraging words. Mean much> I picked up a healthy looking
mandarin last night from my LFS. It is currently in quarantine in my 12
gallon AquaPod. He's nibbling (I think) at some algae on the glass,
but it could be pods. <Yes... likely "aufwuchs"...> The
AquaPod nano has live sand, a couple of small chunks of live rock and
was nearly completely filled with water from my main tank over the past
2 weeks as I've done water changes (approx 10 gallons through water
changes, 2 gallons of "fresh" but aged salt water). I have a
ball of Chaeto in the nano that was in my sump and some dragon's
tongue macro algae as well. My main tank has a ton of copepods in the
sump, overflow and throughout my ~120-150 lbs of live rock. I believe
the Chaeto ball had a small colony of pods in it prior to moving it
into the nano. My main question is how to keep the mandarin alive/fed
while in quarantine? <Mmm... actually, I'd like to make a
plug/push for your expediting this quarantine... Callionymids rarely
harbor parasites, problems that such isolation improves> I'm
hoping I can entice it to eat pellets or something other than live
pods, <Not likely> but I also don't want to move it to my
main tank too soon and risk my main tank with some kind of unknown LFS
infestation. I'm also thinking of adding some
zooplankton/phytoplankton (dried and DTs) to the nano to help feed the
pods. <Mmm, keep your eye on the apparent thinness of this
specimen...> Additionally, as I do my next water change I'll
take 5 gallons from my main display and add it to the nano. Also, I was
thinking of splitting the Chaeto ball in half, rinsing and adding one
half to my main tank for a day or two and then swapping it out with the
other one, rinse and repeat every 2-3 days. <Good idea> The
Wet-web Media mandarin FAQs suggested that only 2 week quarantine
period was needed for the mandarin. <Yes... this or even less>
Any comments, suggestions or ideas? Thanks again, Steve <I would be
bold and move this animal to your main/display system if it appears to
have a "low index of fitness". Bob Fenner> Mandarin Maladies...A Too Common Tale - 10/13/06 My mandarin stopped moving around today. It has been hovering in one place and did not respond to food. <<These fish often fare poorly in captivity in the long-term>> It appears to be otherwise healthy. Fat as always and good coloration, breathing seems regular, but all fins are erect at all times as if it were threatening or mating. <<Mmm...>> So I tried to feed it with a turkey baster (it supplements its diet of pods with frozen Mysis). The fish did not respond to the turkey baster so I touched it with the tip of the baster and it responded. I blew some water across his face and once again he responded. I believe that he is blind and that this happened suddenly. <<Possibly (and likely a nutritional issue), or maybe not blind but just so ill it will only respond to physical stimuli>> Do you believe that I might train it to eat food placed near by? <<Won't know till you try...but I have my doubts as to whether this fish will recover/survive from this point. You say the Mysis is used to supplement the mandarin's "natural" diet but if this fish is not in a large system (100g+) with a deep sand bed, sufficient live rock, and an in-line refugium its long-term survivability was always in question...regardless of whether or not it accepted the frozen Mysis. These fishes rarely ever thrive in captivity...usually best left in the ocean>> He is in a tank with seahorses and a Yellow Watchman. There is no real competition for food. The fish has been with us for about 1 year and has always eaten well. <<A common scenario...yet these fish still decline/die mysteriously in most cases>> Thanks <<Regards, EricR>> Wrong shipment. Mandarin health, nutrition 7/18/06 Hey crew, <Eric> I just received a wrong shipment from an online supplier. I just wanted to get some snails for my 200 gallon tank. I can never seem to find the quantity that I am looking for in the area. Well the company sent me a whole bunch of fish instead. (they are going to send my original order now) I think I can care for the fish except for the Mandarin Dragonet since he is in my QT I really don't have a food source for him. <Very bad... I would consider moving, shortening the quarantine time for this fish... to move it to your main display system... for the food organisms likely there> I was wondering if I can just go down to the ocean and scoop out some pods and zooplankton and put those in the tank for him to eat? <Not really a good idea. Way too likely a chance of introducing undesirable organisms, pollution...> Is that a very good idea? I have ordered some food for him online, but I think the order is going to take a few days to get here. I don't think he is doing to well, and he wasn't very health to begin with. <Mmm, are tough animals really... If not really "very skinny" can/will hold off till the food arrives> Thanks for the help. My reef tank is coming along great thanks to you guys. Eric V <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/manddisfaqs.htm and consider foreshortening QT for this animal. Bob Fenner> Attn: Bob - Mandarin QT... Hey, I'm not going in with that Callionymid! 7/18/06 Hi, We have received great advice from you in the past! You helped us through trying to save our female mandarin (but she was apparently too far gone to start with). Our male Green Mandarin is now very, very fat and healthy in his 230 gallon kingdom. <Ah, good> We were given 2 females after a tank tear down that have now been in QT 10 days. The QT has about 30 lbs of live rock seeded with copepods (a few months ago). The little Green female seems well rounded. The other female is a 3" spotted that they had not had very long. Her belly is slightly convex - but seems to be getting flatter. She is eating great (seems to nab a pod about every 5 seconds - although they are too small for me to see). They get along great - not even a hint of a squabble! <Good> Our plan is to switch out the male for a short period to get the females used to the big tank and to hopefully prevent the male from being completely territorial. That is, if we can catch him while he is asleep - otherwise we'll never get him out. A couple of questions: 1) Does switching them out temporarily seem like a good plan (I really hate to disturb the male, as he is so healthy and outgoing - but I fear he will not accept strangers in his territory otherwise)? <I would try just introducing both the females simultaneously "by cover of night"> 2) How long would we need to keep him in "exile?" <A week or so if you were to try this> 3) Is it okay to shorten the females' QT period? No signs at all of ich or disease so far (just the slightly sunken belly of the spotted). If so, I'd love to go ahead and do this so that everyone will be in the big tank before our vacation, which is in a week. However, we can leave them in QT if necessary. We've been monitoring to ensure they are eating consistently and have 2 copepod cultures to supplement the rock if necessary while we are home, but that close monitoring would be impossible while we are gone. <I am a believer in not long-quarantining certain groups of animals... Including dragonets. I would foreshorten QT here if all appears as you state.> Thanks as usual for your advice and time!!! - Doug <Welcome. Bob Fenner> Mandarin quarantine question 7/11/06 Hola WWM
amigos, <Que tal my friend?> As many other fellow reefers have
already said, the WWM site and crew is a MUST resource for new and
seasoned reef tank hobbyists. My question is about treating an ich
outbreak and medicating fish, including a Mandarin, in a quarantine
tank. I read numerous threads in WWM dealing with Mandarin FAQs, but
would like help in how to deal with this situation. What is the
preferred way to deal with an ich outbreak and medicate a Mandarin
along with other fish in a quarantine tank while providing food for the
Mandarin? <A tough one... if the Mandarin and other fishes are in
good shape otherwise, I'd try a slightly elevated temperature (to
the mid 80's F.) along with a minimum physiological dose of
chelated copper product (0.15-0.20 free Cupric ion)... testing at least
daily...> I have a 125 gallon AGA with 30 gallon sump, 10 gallon
fuge, and GEO calcium reactor which I set-up in April 2006. I know,
kinda quick. Water parameters are good (nitrates, SG, temp, KH, Ca,
etc.) with lots of pod production. Included is approximately 125 lbs.
LR, 3" LS substrate, and a Euro-Reef protein skimmer. I have 9
fish (Firefish, Tiger Goby, Bi-color Blenny, Royal Gramma, Six Line
Wrasse, Percula Clown pair, Striped Blenny, Mandarin) along with a
cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp, sea cucumber, and a few hermits and
snails. Other inverts include mostly LPS corals, my favorites. I
experienced an outbreak of ich and did manage to get all of the fish
out of the tank into a newly set-up 20 gallon quarantine tank. <Mmm,
a bit small... do keep an eye out for aggression, nitrogenous waste
accumulation> I should share my technique in how I managed to do
this. <Please do> I humbly admit to being stubborn about not
setting-up a quarantine tank first and did learn a hard and aggravating
lesson from not doing so. My attempts to treat the main tank with Stop
Parasites (Chem Marin botanical product) <... bunk> did not work.
In my opinion, save your money and don't bother with this rather
expensive stuff. I understand the importance of keeping the main tank
fishless for a period of 3-4 weeks to "starve-out" the ich
life-cycle process. <Good> I witnessed some Psychedelic Mandarins
eating live brine shrimp in my LFS and bought some with the hope my
Mandarin could survive on this food source during his 1-month stay in
the quarantine tank, <Mmm... some Artemia is better than others,
but...> which is being treated with CopperSafe. I've been using
a 2/3 strength solution due to the scaleless fish I have. <Good>
Well, the Mandarin won't eat the BS (hmmm... guess I shouldn't
use an abbreviation with brine shrimp). After being in the quarantine
tank for 5 days and refusing to eat the brine shrimp, I moved him into
my refuge to eat pods to build-up his strength. I know I am risking
extending the ich life-cycle process by having the Mandarin in my
refugium and intend to move him back to the quarantine tank after being
in there for 3 days. <Will/should "re-start" the treatment
and fallow time frames as of its removal> I DON'T want to go
through "ich hell" again. Did I blunder by putting my
Mandarin in the fuge? <Not blunder... but delay> How does one
keep a Mandarin fed via fug or main tank placement without also
providing a host for ich parasites? <Best, easiest through feeding
cultures of small crustaceans... see IPSF.com, et al.> I did read
that Mandarins are somewhat immune to ich. However, mine did show some
signs of ich before being placed in the quarantine tank. Thanks! Steve
<Best of fortune/success, life to you and your plans here. Bob
Fenner> Green Mandarin tail Problem 6/20/06 First of all my husband and I have found your site very useful. Thanks for all of the topics and threads. <Glad you've found them... useful> I'm writing because I've had two green Mandarins back to back that have developed something with their back fin or tail. It looks like it was glued together. It would not spread at all. The mandarins could not swim and therefore could not hunt. I lost them both. My husband is part of RASOC <http://www.rasoc.org/> and while at the RASOC/C-MAC Picnic we asked around and could not get any ideas what may have caused this. We have one of Bob's books now and have searched through Wet web as well. I have not been able to get a good idea of what may be causing this. <Mmm, me neither> They are such beautiful animals and so hard to care for correctly. I don't want to purchase another one until I get down to the mystery. We have a 20 gallon refugium loaded with pods attached to our 120 gallon . I'm sorry I have no idea how much live rock we have. I believe we have more than enough.:) Also many people at the picnic are very excited to be hearing Bob speak in February of next year Columbia, S.C. <Oh yes... As stated, don't know what the root cause of this issue is actually... Other than trying your best to pick out specimens that don't exhibit this trait I'm at a loss here. Perhaps someone will "chime in" here with more. Bob Fenner> Mandarins and External Parasites - 05/22/06 Hey everyone, <<Hello Marc>> Just a question. I read recently on a reef forum that Mandarin fish are not susceptible to white spot due to a heavy mucus layer. Is this correct?? <<Though not immune, they are indeed quite resistant to external parasite infestation...too bad they're not as "immune" to starvation in the average marine tank>> Thanks, Marc <<Regards, EricR>> Re: Treat Tank Bred Clown & Mandarin with
Metronidazole? 03/07/06 Thanks for the quick reply. I believe
clown's pectoral fins were short at birth because they are frayed
(look torn). He is doing much better every day and now swims side by
side with the other clown (a little slower still). I think that story
will turn out okay. <Good to read, realize> However, something is
now wrong with my female Green Mandarin. The pair has been eating
happily in a QT with refugium for about 4 weeks. The female has never
been as active as the male, but seemed happy - hunting and pecking (she
is bigger than him and while not really fat, was well rounded).
Saturday morning the light came on and she didn't get up as usual.
I checked the water parameters and the PH had dropped to 7.6 - 7.8
(ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all zero). I panicked and decided to move
them to the big tank in case it was the PH or in case the pod supply
was getting low. She let me scoop her out with no trouble (by hand).
<Good... this is what I would have done as well> Both male and
female are in the 180 gallon now. The male seems fine, acting like a
Mandarin. The female stayed on the rock I put her on all Saturday. Late
in the afternoon, she made her way down the rocks to the sandbed. She
has stayed there on the sand for 2 days now - listless. Her color looks
good, no visible wounds, no signs of external parasites. Her breathing
is somewhat labored and she opens and closes her mouth constantly (with
no food in it). Yesterday, she did move around some - going to the edge
of different rocks. However, she just bumped into them (possibly by
mistake) and didn't hunt. I thought maybe she was having trouble
seeing, but she moved her eyes when I moved a flashlight around this
morning. She won't eat and is now starting to get thin (hasn't
eaten is at least 3 days - maybe 4, but I didn't watch her closely
the last day before I moved her. I've tried shooting copepods and
brine shrimp close to her and building a small pile of rocks from the
refugium close to her. It is like she just doesn't have any energy.
I could probably get her into a cup or trap with no trouble to move her
back to QT. <I would not do this. I'd leave this fish where it
is> I just don't know what to treat her for (and the water is of
course more stable in the big tank). Any advice appreciated! <If
this system has a well-established refugium (with more ambient
"live food" present, I might move the female to this...
otherwise... Bob Fenner>
Shortened Quarantine? - 11/27/05 Dear Crew, <<Good morning>> I bought a scooter dragonet yesterday and put him in my quarantine tank. There isn't a pod population in my quarantine tank to keep him full. <<Agreed...>> His belly is starting to shrink. <<A bad sign.>> I'm trying to transfer some over, but I'm not getting enough for him. <<And maybe not wholly appropriate/accepted (amphipods vs. copepods).>> Any suggestions? <<Move the dragonet to the display.>> I read that some people just freshwater dip their fish and put them in their display tanks. It sounds kind of risky. Does this usually work? <<Quarantine is a good idea, but if there are some exceptions, I think this specie of fish is one that benefits from an "abbreviated" quarantine. These fish are fairly disease resistant and less of a threat in general, and considering the difficulty in meeting their dietary requirements, I feel it is better to move them to the display quickly.>> Should I try it to get him into my display tank which has plenty of pods for him? <<Yes>> Thanks for your help. I don't want him to die in my quarantine tank of starvation because I'm trying to stop possible disease. <<Agreed...is in the best interest of the fish. EricR>> Mandarin goby 11/22/05 Hi, I am having a problem with my
mandarin goby. We noticed about a week ago that he was staying on the
bottom of our 150 gallon tank <Is about where they live...> and
not eating. He also had a white spot on the side of his head. I moved
him into a quarantine tank 4 days ago and am using Maroxy. <For
what?> Do you know what could be wrong with him? Would it be alright
to use Copper? <...?> It almost looks like a big white pimple. It
is located between his gill and his head, behind his eye. Any advice
would be appreciated. Thanks, Cindy <I would not be concerned with
this pimple, but look to getting food to this animal, discover what is
going on in your main system that it is not feeding there. Is there
sufficient food? Too many competitors? Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm
and the linked files above, particularly on systems and feeding. Bob
Fenner> Can I treat my mandarin w/ CopperSafe? Not a good idea 11/7/05 Hi! Is the mandarin ok to treat in my quarantine tank? He is showing a few spots & I am wondering If I can move him in with my Yellow Tang in quarantine? PLEASE HELP?? Bluesachet <... please read on WWM re copper use, Mandarin Disease, quarantine... all posted there. Bob Fenner> Another Mandarin Death and More Lack of Research. 10/5/05 In my 55 gallon tank I had a mandarin who is now dead. <I'm sorry to say that this is not the least surprising. Most Mandarins are put into inappropriate confines with inappropriate tank mates. These fish require large tanks 100 gallons plus, with loads of well established liverock and large fishless refugiums. They also require the absence of other "pod" eating fish such as other dragonets, gobies and wrasses. In the future please research fish before purchase. In doing so you would have quickly known the Mandarin was an inappropriate buy. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm .> There is around 100 pounds of live rock in my tank and I would only see him once a day. He was very small, but I didn't see him being picked on at all but when I found him wedged between two rocks he had shredded fins. The other fish are 2 clowns who don't leave the top right of the tank, a bullet goby <This specimen was in direct competition for food with your Mandarin, likely a factor in its demise.> , cleaner shrimp, and a yellow tang <This fish will quickly outgrow its current tank.>. I didn't notice any aggression between him and any other fish. <Chances are there was no aggression, he simply starved.> He couldn't have been dead for more than a day because I just added a protein skimmer last night <You have a heavy bio-load and you just added a skimmer, I am guessing the water quality is below pristine? This could be another cause/factor in death.>The tang (the only one who I think might have hurt him) is scared of everything and when you walk within 5 feet of the tank he swims away. I also just added an anemone <Another poor choice in tank-mate for a Mandarin and also another sensitive animal. If you don't already know you need to identify the species so that you can provide proper care: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm .> but I don't think he ever saw it being that its at the top. <In the future please research the needs and compatibility of the animals you wish to keep before purchase, Adam J.>
Wherefore art thou Geisha/Mandarin? 8/27/05 Thank God for
WWM! You guys are great...however I was hoping I'd never have to
e-mail you again.... After searching around your site, I am still
unsure of how to handle this. I have a 100 gallon bow front with 110
lbs of live rock, all of the levels have checked out... perfect.
<?> Occupants include a Chocolate Chip Starfish, 1 Coral Banded
Shrimp, 2 Blue-Green Chromis (used while cycling still around), a True
Percula, 1 Saddleback Anemonefish, a "red bulb" Anemone
(that's what the LFS said), a Yellow Tang and 2 Mandarinfish (a
male, Sumo and a female, Geisha) Everything has been going great since
the tank has been set up, except a brief issue with the Tang over a
month ago, in which you all helped me eradicate (a freshwater dip). All
was well in my "Peaceable Kingdom" UNTIL....(I guess you knew
that word was going to pop up sooner or later) My female Mandarinfish
disappeared. Actually I didn't realize she disappeared until this
morning, however once I began putting 2 and 2 together she has probably
been "out of sight" for at least 2 days now. Yesterday I
noticed my male mandarin swimming up and down the side tank wall, not
munching on food there, just sort of solemnly going up and down...later
on , he continued his normal activities...in retrospect, Geisha, the
female wasn't with him... which at the time didn't register, I
was more concerned with his odd behavior, but once he settled back to
grazing and what not, I didn't think any more about it. This
morning I came down and turned on the "daytime" lights in the
tank and he did the same thing for a couple of minutes then went on
with "normal" activities. Still, I didn't think anything
of Geisha. These two have been so hardy for us, even though everyone
warned us, it just never dawned on me that there was an issue. After
cruising around on your website, as I normally do in the morning, I was
reading an FAQ about a Percula that just stayed in the top corner of
the tank, only venturing out to eat...I thought, oh, my Percula does
that all the time, I should read on...the answer stated that the
Percula was just lonely and checking out his reflection. Bingo,
suddenly it all came together....could that be the cause of Sumo's
strange behavior? <Mmm, unlikely> I immediately went to the tank
to look for Geisha, I didn't see her and started thinking about
when I saw her last, approximately 3 days ago when I was adding a new
live rock, a Squareblock Anthias, and a small Brittlestar (rust &
black in color with a black disk) The search for Geisha started around
10am today and still no sign of her, totally abnormal when coupled with
the fact I don't recall seeing her at all for the past couple of
days. My question to you, should I do a "full fledged
archaeological dig" moving rocks and stuff? <I wouldn't>
I hate to upset everyone and get them all stressed out, however if she
has fallen ill and hiding I want to try and help her (however that
would be strange for her to just get sick out of the clear blue when
she has always eaten well and been very active). Also, I truly believe
the anemone is innocent, <... innocent? Of consuming this fish? Is
most likely it did> even though she is large she eats well 3 times a
week and is closely "guarded " by the saddleback. I don't
recall ever seeing the Mandarinfish in that area of the tank. Also, in
defense of Emily the Anemone, she has been wide open during the day,
and hasn't emitted any indigestible "goo" plus her stem
is almost translucent and when she eats "spaghetti" once a
week (a driftworm) I can see it in her. Surely the voluptuous Geisha
would show right through. If Geisha has indeed passed on, will her
rotting corpse totally screw up my levels, if I don't locate it?
<Doubtful> I have about a dozen blue legged crabs and the same
amount of turbo snails that are complete scavengers. Any ideas would be
highly appreciated. Thanks in Advance, Amy <This fish is likely
gone... died, dissolved, consumed... by what? Bob Fenner> Mandarin Mystery - 08/16/2005 Thanks for your advice in past. <Glad we could be of service.> I have a new dilemma. I purchased recently a mandarin goby, he is beautiful. I made sure that it eats newly hatched brine shrimp before we left the store. <This may very well not be enough nourishment.... they cannot survive on baby brine alone. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm and also the links, in blue, at the top of that page.> First days were fine. Now here is the mystery --- my two cleaner ('skunk') shrimps died 3 days after introducing mandarin. <Possibly/probably coincidence.... I doubt the introduction of the mandarin had anything directly to do with these deaths.> They were in very good condition before and breeding like crazy. My all water parameters are fine (0ammonia, 0nitrates, pH 8, <A touch low on pH, not dreadful though> tank is 4 years old with deep sand bed and live rock), <What of alkalinity? Calcium? Possibly iodine?> I didn't change salinity or anything else. Now the mandarin acting strange too --- it breathes heavily and refuses to eat, prefers to stay in one corner and is not active as before. <My first guess is malnutrition. These animals require copious amounts of live foods to forage upon.... You do not mention your tank size, or the amount of live rock in, so this is my best guess.> Besides 2 cleaners I also had 2 blue devil damsels (they get along fine and did not bother mandarin). What is going on? what I can do to save my mandarin? What happened to my shrimps? <Again, likely coincidence.... The shrimp may have died of a lack of iodine or calcium.> (are mandarins poisonous?) <To my understanding, mandarins are neither toxic nor poisonous.> Thank you. -Veronica <Do please go over that article, and those links.... Wishing you well, -Sabrina Mandarin hiding - 7/7/05 We have a 44 gallon well established tank with a Mandarin dragonette(2 in), 2 false Percs(1 in), a lawnmower blenny(2in), and a longhorn cowfish (2 in, and yes we know he's poisonous, and he will be moving to the 160 gallon when it finishes cycling). <Actually I was thinking this was a very stocked aquarium. No worries though> The mandarin eats frozen food, shrimp pellets, and the copepods, he has been a steady and healthy tank mate for 8 months. <LUCKY. These are very hard to keep in small confines. I would attribute your luck with keeping this animal to the fact that he does eat frozen and pelleted food> Recently when we did a water change we rearranged the rockwork and moved a banded goby to another tank. After the changes (none of which are new, we rearrange fish and rocks often) <Me too.>, the mandarin started spending lots of time hiding under a piece of coral, which is odd behavior for him. <Hmm> He usually is cruising around the tank hunting ignoring all the other fish (and they ignore him also). Is this new behavior something we need to be concerned about? <So very hard to say. I can tell you though, through my observations in the wild, this is not abnormal for mandarin to hide in and around a territory be it rock or coral> All chemicals are good: ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 30, and pH 8.2. Any ideas? <Unfortunately, there is little I can offer here. As long as he comes out to eat, you keep water chemistry, and other inhabitants don't bother with him, then I would say he is just in an adjusting period.> Thanks for all your great advice. Casey & Lisa <~Paul> Mandarin Death Hello, <Hi Martin> I have a 50 gallon marine tank which is 2 years old and the love of my life! I have soft corals, gorgonians and some small fish inc neon gobies, clowns, a blenny and starfish. I carry out regular water changes of 20% every 2 weeks with RO water. I test my water regularly and have no problems. Everything seems healthy, however, yesterday, I found my mandarin dead. He had no signs of injury and looked plump and well. I was shocked at his death. He has lived seemingly happy in the tank for just over a year. I am puzzled as all of my other fish and inverts seem absolutely fine. Our electric had to be off for most of the day the day before he died, which the corals didn't like a lot. Could this have caused him to die? I just think it's strange that everything else looks ok. I am very upset as he was my favourite fish, please help! Thank you, Martin. <I wouldn't think a slow drop in temperature would kill it unless it fell below 70. Possible the system ran out of goodies for him to eat. Was it acclimated to frozen food etc. Search Google on the Wet Web, keyword "mandarins". You may find someone else who has had a similar problem. James (Salty Dog)> Mandarin Goby appearance concerns First, I just wanted to thank you guys for a great informative site. I've read so much lately, but haven't been able to find what the problem is with my mandarin goby. Although, I have quite a few copepods visible in my tank already after only a month of setting up, I've noticed that my mandarin's skin is a bit irregular. I'm not sure if I got him that way, I didn't really pay attention. But after looking at him for a week now, I noticed he has some weird spots on him and also some bubbles on his skin. The bubbles seem like bumps. I can't quite figure out if this is ich, some other disease, or maybe it's normal. I've done quite a bit of reading and it doesn't seem like ich, because I don't see white spots that look like sand, but more like his skin is being rubbed against the rocks and maybe that's what's going on since I have a small tank for a mandarin. He's swimming fine and seems quite active grazing over rocks frequently, breathing fine, and eating I assume since I have ample copepods. I have a 24G nano cube, 30 lbs live rock, 20 lbs live sand, 30 or so hermit crabs, 15 or so snails... <This is way too many hermits and snails... I would remove about two-thirds of both... trade them in?> ...1 peppermint shrimp, serpent starfish, 2 yellowtail damsels (used to cycle tank), mandarin goby, and 1 clownfish. All parameters are normal, water changes done every week. Is this something I should be concerned about? Should I take the mandarin out ASAP? The bubbles are noticeable on the top of its head, side, and bottom. Thanks so much for the help. Perry. <I would not panic... or "do" anything re this fish at this point. Likely will "fix" itself. Bob Fenner> Sick Mandarin Fish Help. My mandarin fish (Mr.
Mandarin) is ill. He was feeding fine and eating loads until this
morning. I got up a bit earlier than normal to do university work and
turned the lights on about 30 minutes earlier than normal (I don't
have any corals so didn't think it would matter) <Does matter...
better to use timers...> My tank is set up with live rock at either
end with bare coral sand in the middle To give my knobby starfish some
ground to move over, I also have a sailfin tang, hovercraft cowfish,
two percula clowns and a tassel file fish and 1 hermit crab (hitchhiker
on the live rock) I have a U.V sterilizer protein skimmer an external
canister filter and two power heads to help circulate the water . The
mandarin shot from one side to the other which is very abnormal for him
so I had a closer look and he had a patch one his skin about the size
of a 10p piece (sorry I'm from England and its the only way I can
describe it) This patch is like the skins been bleached but it still
has a little colour to it but mostly white you can just see his normal
pattern on his skin. The patch has stringy mucus coming off it.
<Mmm, these fishes (Callionymids) are quite slimy... the patch may
have been nothing... but a too-early wake-up call by you> On seeing
this I decided to move it. I had a small 10 gal tank set up in my tank
stand which I cycle live rock through, taking it out of the tank so it
can regrow before putting it back in and taking out another piece it
has the same temp, ph salinity as main tank I check weekly. <Good
practices> I decided I had to put him in here it's got a small
internal power filter and a heater as well as a light. I regularly top
this water up with weekly water change water form the main tank.
<Very good> I have treated him with Myxazin as my LFS Seemed to
think it was a bacterial infection of some kind. <Very rare with
dragonets> He is just sitting on the bottom of the tank not even
moving on to the live rock that's in there (should I leave this or
take it out) <Leave it in... discontinue the Myxacin use> he
always sat on the live rock in the other tank, except at night when he
moves around the sand in the middle looking for food. The patch seems
to be getting bigger and more strands of mucus are forming. Could the
starfish have bitten( well what climbed on him and tried to digest )
him or something on the liverock, <Yes to both possibilities> I
just noticed a cottonwool look growth on one piece looks like the mucus
on the mandarin? what should I do? sorry if I wrote loads down just
wanted you to get all the facts all though I probably left something
out. Hope you can help sorry I cant give a picture oh and he
doesn't seem interested in food but could that just be stress from
moving him. Thanks Andy <First off... relax... nothing good will
come of over-reacting here. If the animal is otherwise fine, eating...
I would move it back to the main tank... far more likely to recover
there... What the root cause of the spot is... who knows... but it will
likely self-cure. You list some fishes that grow quite large, and as a
group they are a source of prodigious wastes. I do hope you monitor
water quality closely. Bob Fenner> Mandarin fish disease I have read that mandarin fish do not catch "Ick". <Not true in my experience> Is this also true of "Velvet"? <They can catch both!> Can they carry/transmit these diseases to other fish? <Yep> Should they be quarantined? <Yes sir, as well as any living thing added to your aquarium for 4+ weeks> Thanks again! <Sure thing - M. Maddox> Mandarin health Dear Crew, <Hello, how are you??> I
have had mandarin fish (Synchiropus splendidus) for 6 months and he has
been fine feeding on frozen foods until yesterday morning when he just
sits motionless in the tank with fins erect with laboured gill
movements but no other sign of infection. Ammonia, nitrite are 0 and
other parameters are stable. Other occupants of the 125 litre tank with
live rock are 2 cleaner shrimps, 2 black footed clownfish and various
soft corals. All other occupants are fine. I have never known a fish to
change so quickly with no apparent reason and to have erect fins as a
symptom. Any ideas? Gordon <Hello, Gordon. I do have an idea. I
think that the mandarin might be getting picked on by something in the
tank. It doesn't have to be fish related to be picking on the
mandarin. It could be that there is a crab or shrimp that are bothering
the fish. The dorsal fin being erect is usually a defensive posture in
most fishes. You mention that the other parameters are stable, does
that include the PH? One other possibility could be that the fish could
be coming down with something called marine velvet. Check for tiny
"sugar like" spots covering the fish. Good Luck.
MikeB.>
The Eye Has It...For Now? (Mandarin With Eye Disorder) Hello, I have a 150 gallon reef tank with some fish and mainly soft corals and shrimps, crabs, starfish, etc. The water quality seems fine but I noticed about a week and a half ago my mandarin had a white spot inside one of his eyes under the clear outside part I guess what would be the cornea. The outside was still perfectly intact from what I could tell. Over the past week the white area has gotten bigger and now that eye is definitely swollen. Is this a fungus or a bacterial infection and more importantly what do I do about it. It didn't appear as if there was any injury to the eye, it seems as if it happened from the inside out. He is still fat and healthy otherwise, eating well. I haven't taken him out and QT'd him because of his special dietary needs, I also can't feed him medicated food, so I don't know what to do. All my other fish look healthy and don't seem to have any visible problems. Besides water changes, what else can I do for the mandarin? Should I take him out I have just been monitoring him to see if it would go away on its own and now I see that it doesn't look that way. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Kylee. <Well. short of removing him and administering medications, it may simply be advisable to do those water changes, and maintain excellent water changes. I, too, would wait until it became absolutely necessary before removing the fish for treatment. It is a calculated risk, but you may want to take that risk and see if this clears up by itself. Hope for the best! However, if this does not improve, or if the fish declines, then you will need to intervene medically. Regards, Scott F.> Mandarin Quarantine Procedure? OK here's where I'm at. <Fire away> 72G+10G fuge, 0/0/10 Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate, SG 1.023. We are in our 1st week of (intended 8wk) fallow period. 4 fish (1 Ocellaris, 1 Checkered Goby, 2 Chromis) are in QT for ich. Combating ammonia/Nitrites in the QT w/aggressive water changes & HBH Ammonia removing media. I changed to this after trying Penn Plax Ammonia cartridges; if I've got this right-- Zeolite based, no good for saltwater, right? Is HBH ammonia filter media any better? I chose this over Poly Filter because Poly Filter would remove the copper (saving for after treatment). <I'd attack the water quality issue with an aggressive water change schedule, and avoid chemical filtration media until you are done with the disease treatment> Cleaner shrimp (Amboinensis), Sandsifter star & Spiny brittle star remain in tank, but for the 1st time I have really noticed, I have *swarms* of copepods & isopods. I've been seeing them in slowly increasing numbers over the last few weeks (tanks running about 9 wks now), but never in these quantities. Some of them are getting big, too-- 1-2cm (shrimp I think). <Amazing what happens when the predators are taken away, huh?> So I'm starting to wonder about how soon the tank will be ready for my primary goal fish, a Mandarin Dragonet. I realize the concerns about aquarists buying these fish & their dying of starvation, which is why I'm taking steps to make sure I have a proper environment to keep one. <An excellent concept> But here's my concerns... OK-- let's assume I've completed my isolation & fallow period for ich. How does one isolate a Mandarin before moving him to the main tank? My concerns are making sure he eats, but what's the best way in a bare QT? <Good question. Lots of thought on this issue. My personal recommendation with this fish is to provide some live rock and possibly some macroalgae in the QT, which may provide a bit of foraging for the fish.> Should I try to scoop out some of the critters floating in the main tank's currents, & introduce them to the QT? (assuming I can keep the ammonia under control, besides) <Yep- that was my next recommendation> I'm wondering now, though, perhaps I can take advantage of the other fishes' isolation, & basically quarantine a Mandarin in the main tank. If I'm understanding these fish correctly, their slime coat is protective (partially? completely?) from parasites & infection (I'm not sure where I read this, is this true?). <It is thought to provide some resistance to parasitic infections> What if I were to wait 4-5 weeks into the fallow period, after I can be semi-confident that the ich cycle is broken, & have him 3-4 wks in advance of the other fish? Is he resistant enough to ich to be considered effectively a 'non-fish'? Or would waiting about 4 wks be sufficient that it shouldn't be a concern, even if he weren't resistant to it? <I see what you're thinking about here...Good thought, under the circumstances. My only concern is that the Mandarin, although it may be resistant to ich, could bring this into the tank yet again...A real Catch 22! I'm a firm believer in quarantine of every new introduction, period. I'd opt for the specially "quipped" quarantine tank, myself!> In either case, in 4 wks time, I'm anticipating that there should be enough live food available that he might need help eating it. Let me know what you guys think... Pete Cushnie <Good thoughts, Peter- and there is no shortage of controversy on either side here...I suppose that, in the end, it's best to err on the side of caution. Good luck! Regards, Scott F> Very Sick Mandarin (4/13/04) Hi, my name is Kevin, <Steve
Allen here> My last letter asked if I was proceeding in a sensible
direction but I didn't get an answer. <Apologies. I don't
know what could have happened to your inquiry.> My psychedelic
mandarin is in big trouble with ich. PLEASE help. 10 gal. quarantine 2
small fluorescents whisper filter ammonia = 0 nitrates = 0 nitrites = 0
(just added the fish April 3) ph is all over the place, it was great
(8.3 Sunday) off the low end last night, added buffer and was 8.3 this
morning. <Bad news. Try to find a way to control this as big
fluctuations are definitely unhealthy.> 82 degrees salinity = 1.018
<Gradually lower to 1.009-1.011 to be effective against ich. Higher
levels are generally not effective.> coarse gravel = 1/2 in. 1 small
live rock trying to feed Cyclops with garlic and Zoe vit. supp. He was
pecking at it yesterday. Not today. <This is ominous,
unfortunately> My mandarin is in his own 10 gal. and was even
looking for food until yesterday. This morning he is lying on the
bottom covered in ich. I have dosed twice with Ich-Attack (recommended
by 2 LFS) but was reluctant to add any Formalite-I. (Has a mix of
Formalin, malachite green and copper sulfate.) <I have doubts about
the real efficacy that make such broad claims (and do not list their
ingredients) as I just read on Kordon's website. OTOH, Kordon is
generally a reputable company.> I added a quarter-dose of Formalite
hoping it would help yesterday but the ich is worse today. Should I use
the Formalin-mix on my mandarin or is there something else more useful
than the pepper-sauce they are pushing in the stores? <Copper and
Formalin are excellent killers of ich. Unfortunately Mandarins are more
sensitive to these than many other fishes, so the treatment may kill
it. This is why my LFS keeps his Mandarins in his copper-free system.
Our very own Magnus claims success with a product called "Stop
Parasites." I am thinking another FW dip but need some good advice
on what to use for treatment. <Mandarins also do not tolerate these
very well. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. 5
minutes or so may get some of the ich off of him. I'm sorry to have
to say that I doubt your Mandarin is going to make it. Drastic action
is its only hope, but it has a good chance of dying from the treatment.
You could go ahead with more Formalin, maybe a little less than the
recommended dose.> Thank You. Kevin <Sorry to hear of your woes.
Any idea how this fish contracted ich?> - Ich, Quarantine, and a Mandarin Dragonette - Hi, I just found out about this website, thank you for the hope you offer my fish! I have a complicated question, and don't want to overload your system, but I tried to include as much background as I thought might be relevant. And probably forgot to include some too. I have myself and my fish in a corner by simply reacting and not studying up. I thought my fish would be covered with ich and die in 3 days if I didn't get some meds in the tank right away. I went down to the LFS and was given a choice of 3 medications and no idea what they would do. I started the treatment that night with Kick-Ich. The next day I started searching and found your site. On your advice a 20 gal tank for quarantine is set up and running now. (not on your advice) I also bought a 15 w UV sterilizer. When I installed the UV I noticed my skin burning from the display tank water. (Kick-Ich?) After reading your opinion on this I stopped after 2 treatments. Also the snails become unconscious??? in the display lying fully exposed on the sand so I moved them to the QT. <Would expect the snails to react negatively to the Kick-Ich. Would just remove them period... certainly not to quarantine where you might need to treat the tank with something that might just outright kill the snails.> I have a 5 year old 60gal. tank, not sure but 50 or so pounds live rock, 3" sand/gravel bed wet/dry filter and sump (have photos if you want) 2-tube 40 watt light fixture Salinity 1.020; ammonia 0; PH 8.3; Nitrates under 10 (the kit is only in increments of 10) I have an AquaC skimmer but have not used it since the (Grrr) Rio pump quit. The tank has been pretty stable for a year or so. I have a Percula Clown, Yellow Tang, 2 green Chromis Damsels, some snails and BL hermits. A couple of weeks ago I added a coral beauty and a mandarin dragonet (who has been eating well from day one though I am watching him carefully) The coral beauty was not so lucky, she was stressed out from the move and hid for 3 days. When I finally chased her out I could see she was in trouble, one eye cloudy and a clamped fin complete with white spot starting where the black spot was. In addition I could see the white specks on her. The previous inhabitants had some spots for a few days but not now, but both the mandarin and the coral beauty have spots and ALL fish are twitching and chafing. The white patch on the angel is turning black again and the eye is better, but the spots are there the same from the day I first noticed them, more in the morning, less in the evening. I hope the preceding was not too much, but now I need a course to follow. I plan to freshwater dip the fish, mandarin last, and place most in the QT. Mandarin goes to the new 10 gal I will set up for him. I have Formalite 2 to treat the QT, but not the mandarin? I will do a large water change, (aerating a.k.a.) on the display. I think I need a separate QT for the mandarin and have read your answers to this dilemma, or should I leave him in the main tank? <I would quarantine the Mandarin.> I would like to go a month with no fish in the display but I refuse to sacrifice this little guy to starvation. <That may happen no matter what - your tank is too small to support one of these fish long term, even if it were the only fish in the tank.> (working on a refugium solution). Am I on the right track? <Sort of, but I wouldn't let your whole world hinge around a fish that was a poor selection in the first place. I'd go ahead and try isolating all these fish and continue to attempt to keep all the fish eating, including the Mandarin. Go ahead with the pH/temperature-adjusted freshwater dips for all and keep under observation.> Thank you for your time. Kevin. <Cheers, J -- > Mandarin Dragonette and color loss Bob and Crew, <Hello
Deborah> Regarding this phenomenon: "Ok, so the
problem...Yesterday after changing the usual 10 gallons of water and
cleaning the algae off the sides of the tank that I do every week for
the last year, using Instant Ocean synthetic sea salt, I looked at my
tank after about an hour. The other tank inhabitants seemed fine. The
Mandarin was losing color and lying at the bottom of the tank. Its
beautiful colors were changing to kind of bleached light peachy
splotches with some areas of regular color. It also did not move. It
seemed to deteriorate for a couple hours, continuing to lose color,
breathing looked different, and didn't move much. Then after a
while it was hunting, and eating, all color back and now looks fine. I
do not want to go through that again. What on earth happened? Is that
common? <My guess/bet is on a chemical and/or physical challenge
that arose from your polyps (or mushrooms) consequent to the water
change... Do you pre-mix, store your new water ahead of use? Please see
here re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water4maruse.htm
< http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water4maruse.htm>
and have you read over the Mandarin FAQs materials archived on WWM? I
would: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm
< http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm>
Find them linked, at top, in blue> Thanks, Flo <Bob
Fenner>" as published at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/manddisfaqs.htm
< http://www.wetwebmedia.com/manddisfaqs.htm>
. I am writing to tell you that we experienced exactly the same thing
this morning. We have had an ill seahorse who was treated and then
returned to the tank yesterday. Sometime during the night she died.
This morning we woke up to this bleached-out mandarin. An hour later,
he was his normal self, swimming around just fine and quite colorful.
We have had this mandarin for 2 months and he has always seemed healthy
and fat. Our tank usually has plenty of 'pods, although I've
noticed their numbers down over the past few days. Our parameters were
all perfect when we measured them and no new fish have been added to
the tank. We age our water before changes. There are only 2 corals in
the tank (1 leather and 1 clove polyp) both doing well. I'd be
interested to find out if other people have experienced similar
incidents with mandarins to try to learn if any commonalities might
emerge. <Me too. Will post your data, comments in hopes others will
come forward. You might also send this note to reefs.org,
reefcentral.com for a broader input> regards and thanks for
providing an excellent web site and information repository! <Thank
you. Bob Fenner> Deborah Lafky Scooters Not Scooting! Dear WWM crew, <Scott F. with you today!> My scooter blennies have stopped moving, although they are still breathing and eating food given to them by pipette, they aren't swimming around. They don't seem able to move their tails to move around, but can use their fins. My blue cheek goby was like this 2 days ago, but seems to have fully recovered and is sifting again. I have a180litre (48 U.S gal) tank with a UV, skimmer, LR, and 15x turnover. I have checked my parameters and the water is fine. At the weekend I added a pom-pom crab, making sure not to put any bag water in, and using Myxazin whilst acclimatizing. What could this be? Will my blennies recover like the goby? Could this be a 24hr bug? Thanks in advance, James <Well, James, it's tough to say what it might be. The fact that the fishes are eating is a very good sign, IMO. I'd run some basic water parameter tests, and make sure that there has not been any sudden shift or decline in water quality. These fishes do not take well to rapid environmental changes, so investigate this possibility. It is a bit unusual for these rather active fishes to stop moving around, but I have witnessed this same phenomenon before, and the fishes seemed to "perk up" after a few days and recovered without any complications. I'd keep observing the fishes carefully, make sure that they eat, and monitor water conditions carefully. It may not be a 24 hour "bug", but it could just be a reaction to some minor change in environment....If some sort of symptoms do manifest, take required action. Other than that- just wait it out for a bit and see how they do...Good luck! Regards, Scott F> QT a Mandarin Hello Crew, I got a ? for ya pros....I would like to QT a mandarin, but I know these guys have a very very special diet. How would I feed in a QT tank if he's only feeding on pods? Of course this would be my last fish added to my main tank!!!<I would quarantine a mandarin in a refugium, (Don't treat the refugium!!! since this fish has special eating habits and are not very hardy I would setup a refugium for him to be qt in, with lots of pods for him to eat-to get him healthy/acclimated), in a refugium by himself he won't be able to pass on disease to other fish because there aren't any)...if he were to get sick I would remove him and place him in a bare bottom aquarium and take the proper procedures for the problem, disease...etc> THANKS, so much for your time!<good luck, IanB> Treating Ick On A Touchy Fish Hi Bob and Crew, <Scott F. checking in tonight> I am writing to you because I have a Mandarin dragonette that seems to have fallen victim to a case of Ick that has already claimed the life of a Kole tang in my 72 Gallon Reef tank. I fear that the Ick is preventing "Manny" from foraging for food and he is starting to really feel the effects of this parasitic disease. I am not sure if I should treat him as I would another fish of take exception to the fact that he is extremely delicate and only feeds on a diet of copepods and amphipods. What steps would you take in order to rid him of the Ick parasite? Any help or advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated in this matter. I am thinking of treating him with Methyl-Blue in a small quarantine tank. Is this the best course of action or would this do more harm than good? <Well, Methylene Blue is really better as an anti-bacterial, and would probably have little effect on a parasitic disease such as ick. However, if you're leery (and rightfully so!) about subjecting an otherwise touchy fish to aggressive medications, then you might want to utilize hyposalinity in the treatment tank. I am not a big fan of this technique, but I have utilized it with delicate fishes with some degree of success. Do read up on this technique on the WWM site> I got him as a rescue out of a barren 10 gallon tank from a friend at my LFS. I would do anything I can to save him, as he is a really beautiful fish. Any help is appreciated - thanks. Jason <Well, Jason- I think that you can save him, but it will take pretty quick action on your part...Get that hospital tank up and running, and start treatment ASAP...Good luck! Regards, Scott F> Mandarin Goby and Loss of Color Greetings, <Saludos> I hope you can answer this. I've tried finding info on the net about this but haven't been able to. I have a 75 Gallon Tank that is over 1 year old that I set up after reading directions from Bob Fenner's book and much other reading material. All of the water parameters are fine and always have been for the last year and the tank is kept at 80 degrees. I change 10 gallons of water once a week. I have 200 watts florescent and Power Compact lighting, Skimmer (not a super skimmer but works), Filter, Heater. About 90 lbs Live Rock w/much coralline and green algae and plant growth on it. Tank has various lower light mushroom corals, rapidly growing toadstool leather, feather dusters, sea mat, yellow and brown polyps, 2 Chitons, a limpet, a few different kinds of snails which grew on the live rock, 1 Camel Back Shrimp, Hermit Crabs, 1 Yellow Tang (very aggressive but likes all current tank inhabitants), 2 green Chromis, and the Mandarin Goby. I have had fairly good luck with everything and have not added anything new for a few months and all are usually healthy except yesterday with the Mandarin. I got the Mandarin Goby of unknown age from a fish store that was trying to feed it flake food (obviously to no avail) 9 months ago and had researched these for about a month before buying this one- wasn't sure I wanted to buy this one but another at the store was dead and I didn't want this one to end up like that. I slightly overfeed my tank and have many copepods and worms and it hunts constantly. It does not look thin, and I see many food items for it so I assume it eats enough. Ok, so the problem...Yesterday after changing the usual 10 gallons of water and cleaning the algae off the sides of the tank that I do every week for the last year, using Instant Ocean synthetic sea salt, I looked at my tank after about an hour. The other tank inhabitants seemed fine. The Mandarin was loosing color and lying at the bottom of the tank. Its beautiful colors were changing to kind of bleached light peachy splotches with some areas of regular color. It also did not move. It seemed to deteriorate for a couple hours, continuing to lose color, breathing looked different, and didn't move much. Then after a while it was hunting, and eating, all color back and now looks fine. I do not want to go through that again. What on earth happened? Is that common? <My guess/bet is on a chemical and/or physical challenge that arose from your polyps (or mushrooms) consequent to the water change... Do you pre-mix, store your new water ahead of use? Please see here re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water4maruse.htm and have you read over the Mandarin FAQs materials archived on WWM? I would: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm Find them linked, at top, in blue> Thanks, Flo <Bob Fenner> Quarantining Mandarinfish Hi, Really enjoy this website! I have one question? How do I quarantine a Mandarinfish? <Merely QT as usual. Your only problem will be providing a source of live food in your bare-bottom QT tank. You can harvest pods from your refugium and attempt a variety of frozen foods.> If I had to do the hyposalinity on them I'd have to do it for 3 weeks, right? <I think you are confusing terms here. Quarantine is merely holding an animal away from your others in an attempt to ensure it is healthy and does not infect your main display. Treatment is something all together else; like hyposalinity. You would do this in the event that your Mandarin was suffering from a parasitic infestation. Although, Mandarins being a scaleless fish, hyposalinity may not be your best option. I would go the daily water change route.> And then a couple weeks to raise the salinity back up, right? <Generally, yes.> Thank you so much, Lynn <Best of luck. -Steven Pro> What the heck? When arriving home tonight with my new mandarin goby, <study hard to care for that mandarin> I noticed that my yellow tang had a red splinter looking thing hanging off his nose!!! With this I have two questions What should I do about this (parasite??) thing? <unlikely a parasite> And after giving a perfectly healthy goby a hypo saline bath <a scaleless fish...not the best idea> with dip away I noticed white spots on the goby!! Could this be ich or just stress from the move? <if appeared suddenly, bubbles to particles stuck to the excess mucous of an ill-advised hypo saline/freshwater dip (for the record, I love Freshwater dips with tolerant species)> I don't have a Q-tank (slap on the wrist). <with a ruler> But I do have multiple cleaners <cannot effect a cure on full-on infections in captive systems unassisted...just stimulating> (peppermint shrimp, fire shrimp and cleaner wrasse (been alive in tank for 13 months). <put up the peacock feathers when it is five years old. In the meantime, fire whoever has been giving you fish selection advice... some of your choices are a tree-huggers nightmare...hehe> I also run UV on the tank. How long, if it is ich, till my other fish show symptoms. Thank you for your time!!! Jeremy <eh, don't count your tomites before they are hatched...ha! What an opportunity for pathogenic them humor. Unfortunately, it isn't that funny <smile>. Not clear if it is even Ich yet. Maintain stable temperature... feed medicated food (full 7-11 days) and let's go slow...no need to knee-jerk or overmedicate unless it is symptomatically warranted. And look on the bright side...if some fish die because of a lack of quarantine, you will have a hard lesson to learn from ?!? Kind regards, Anthony> |
|
|
Features: |
|
| Featured Sponsors: |
