A few random pics:

Photosynthetic Gorgonian frag

Black Sun (Tubastera Diaphana)

Orange Sun Tubastera Faulkneri

Hungry Oxypora

MANdarin

and friend...

SO PURDY! <3

I need to get my boy a girl....

Did you aclimatise the mandarins to each other first, or just chuckem in?

I just released the male on to the other side of the tank - of course they immediately saw each other and spent the next 20 minutes dancing. Now they follow each other around the tank

They are so cool. Definitely a fav Good pics.

Did you work out what sex they were?

Did you work out what sex they were?

Male has longer front dorsal fin. This is true of all Dragonet species.

I am very curious to see how you are planning to keep a sufficient copepod population to sustain 2 mandarins in a RSM? Are you culturing them? Importing? Collecting from Research Instit?

SO PURDY! <3

I need to get my boy a girl....

Did you aclimatise the mandarins to each other first, or just chuckem in?

Typically, Adding a female to a male can be problomatic. They will often kill each other

I've found if you add a larger male for the smaller female there tends to be very little problems.

This is also re-enforced by some researchers at Marine Breeders who have been working on mandarin breeding.

Male has longer front dorsal fin. This is true of all Dragonet species.

I am very curious to see how you are planning to keep a sufficient copepod population to sustain 2 mandarins in a RSM? Are you culturing them? Importing? Collecting from Research Instit?

I'm growing them and amphipods etc in a seperate tank, but I plan on making some sort of sump as well - plus I ocassionally harvest out of someone else's sump just to be sure. I'm mindful of their requirements, so if either show signs of weightloss or stress the male will be going to a new home.

I'm growing them and amphipods etc in a seperate tank, but I plan on making some sort of sump as well - plus I ocassionally harvest out of someone else's sump just to be sure. I'm mindful of their requirements, so if either show signs of weightloss or stress the male will be going to a new home.

Ok. I'd be inclined to give NIWA in Chch a call. I believe (I can find out for sure if required) they have an Aquaculture centre down there. I know that Wellington does not culture Copepods or Zooplankton, but ChCh might.

I'm growing them and amphipods

This is also an interesting point. There has been some debate about whether or not Mandarins eat amphipods. Some believe that a full grown Amphipod is too big for a Mandarin to eat. No personal experience so I cannot comment.

If you can get the little white-ant looking things from you glass and culture them I think that would be a better approach (Isopods). You shud try and source some Phytoplankton to feed them when moving them to main tank. otherwise something like yeast should work but not as nutritional.

This is also an interesting point. There has been some debate about whether or not Mandarins eat amphipods. Some believe that a full grown Amphipod is too big for a Mandarin to eat. No personal experience so I cannot comment.

If you can get the little white-ant looking things from you glass and culture them I think that would be a better approach (Isopods). You shud try and source some Phytoplankton to feed them when moving them to main tank. otherwise something like yeast should work but not as nutritional.

Thanks for the advice I'm putting pretty much any small organism I can find in the 'random critters' tank into the RSM - I'm pretty sure they (the female at least) does eat little amphipods, but if not then I don't think there is any harm in adding them anyway. I'll keep people updated.

looking good conch, very impressed

looking good conch, very impressed

what is with fnzas at the mo, keeps double posting and having issues..

They're a cute couple!

Yep, mine's going bananas too :-?

One more action shot:

This is also an interesting point. There has been some debate about whether or not Mandarins eat amphipods. Some believe that a full grown Amphipod is too big for a Mandarin to eat. No personal experience so I cannot comment.

If you can get the little white-ant looking things from you glass and culture them I think that would be a better approach (Isopods). You shud try and source some Phytoplankton to feed them when moving them to main tank. otherwise something like yeast should work but not as nutritional.

I've seen my small 6line wrasse eat a large sized amphipod, and if its little mouth can devour one, then the mandarin shouldn't have any problems.

Zaita, from what I've read Conch also feeds very heavily, which will probably help his pod population.

Re-post your feeding details again?

Thanks for the advice I'm putting pretty much any small organism I can find in the 'random critters' tank into the RSM - I'm pretty sure they (the female at least) does eat little amphipods, but if not then I don't think there is any harm in adding them anyway. I'll keep people updated.

Amphipods have been thought of as harmless, but recently they have been identified as killing some corals (esp Zoanthids). There is a lot of discussion on this at present. They seem to not target all Zoanthids, but then it maybe only certain species of Amphioids. *shrug*

Some Isopods are also very bad for your system. The common white-ant looking one I sent an image off to Dr Adelaide for her advice on if it was a concern and her belief is that they are harmless.

I have inquired about who to contact at the Chch Aquaculture centre and will drop them an email this week sometime to see what they are culturing in the way of zooplankton

Maybe I should post some pics of my feeding - you'll be horrified! But I should say that I think Zaita is right about Mandarins being generally hard to maintain in small aquariums like RSMs, and he is right to be concerned about how I will maintain two in such a small tank - I am too, to a degree. That said, I have a very good population in the RSM (largely due to very heavy feeding) - in fact with one Mandarin I could always find pods running around on the glass at any time of the day. I've also set up a second tank with no fish specifically to grow a range of small feed organisms, and I have a home available for one of the Mandarins should things begin to go badly. I will put the welfare of the fish ahead of my ego.

Maybe I should post some pics of my feeding - you'll be horrified! But I should say that I think Zaita is right about Mandarins being generally hard to maintain in small aquariums like RSMs, and he is right to be concerned about how I will maintain two in such a small tank - I am too, to a degree. That said, I have a very good population in the RSM (largely due to very heavy feeding) - in fact with one Mandarin I could always find pods running around on the glass at any time of the day. I've also set up a second tank with no fish specifically to grow a range of small feed organisms, and I have a home available for one of the Mandarins should things begin to go badly. I will put the welfare of the fish ahead of my ego.

That is very good to know I take alot of advice from people on RC (Snorvich) and MarineBreeders (MWP) about the care of Mandarins. I put these guys knowledge well above my own. But I don't wish to own/purchase a fish I know is going to die through insufficient care.

I have made a half-a**d attempt at breeding pods but gave up. I will be starting another culture in the next few weeks. Unfortunately it was taking more than enough time to split my Rotifers and Phytoplankton that I gave up on the pods. I am very keen to see their reproduction speed though. Dr. Adelaide Rhodes believes they can be a viable food in the breeding of marine fish.

I'd be keen to see photos of your Pod breeding tank?

Sure - but it is nothing pretty! Just an 80 litre tank with a few bits of rubble and weed in it :oops:

Sure - but it is nothing pretty! Just an 80 litre tank with a few bits of rubble and weed in it :oops:

Hah. I culture in 2L Glass flasks Although I do have some spare tanks around atm I should use. I am going to hit up the Aquaculture centres around NZL to see if any of them have isolated strains of different pods. If they do I should be able to get some without a problem

Ah, that fish is so cute...and beautiful colors

Caper