HI! onegaishimasu! pls read!

[Shinguuji]

hi, i'm a newbie and would like to intro myself

i'm 18, currently studying in SAJC, science, i keep discus fish and marine fish only, i own 4 2 ft.tanks, 2 discus for 3 tanks, all 8-10inches big, of breed, blue socrpion, singapore fireworks etc. i recently started keeping marine fish in my 2ft tank, its currently cycling, but i have reserved a true percula, and a mandrin fish for my tank, the owner said mandrins are easy to keep provided tt there are very few fish, so no competition for food, is this true? they said to feed it brine shrip, frozen, anyway, my tank should finish cycling by this week...and maybe i'll perhaps get a yellow band prawn goby too.... i'm using an external filter ONLY, it should be enough right? i'm only planning to keep 3 small fishes plus some live rocks in my tank...

after my a levels, i'm gonna get perhaps a 3-4ft tank, will really need advise then, planning to keep those huge n beautiful angelfish...

btw, can someone explain the lingo used here, eg. LFC, what does it mean?

[SharkBait]

keke,i think you mean LFS, local fish shop.A level very stressful right?Don't think this hobby can relieve your stress....ask the other guys here.

[terryansimon]

hi, i'm a newbie and would like to intro myself

i'm 18, currently studying in SAJC, science, i keep discus fish and marine fish only, i own 4 2 ft.tanks, 2 discus for 3 tanks, all 8-10inches big, of breed, blue socrpion, singapore fireworks etc. i recently started keeping marine fish in my 2ft tank, its currently cycling, but i have reserved a true percula, and a mandrin fish for my tank, the owner said mandrins are easy to keep provided tt there are very few fish, so no competition for food, is this true? they said to feed it brine shrip, frozen, anyway, my tank should finish cycling by this week...and maybe i'll perhaps get a yellow band prawn goby too.... i'm using an external filter ONLY, it should be enough right? i'm only planning to keep 3 small fishes plus some live rocks in my tank...

after my a levels, i'm gonna get perhaps a 3-4ft tank, will really need advise then, planning to keep those huge n beautiful angelfish...

btw, can someone explain the lingo used here, eg. LFC, what does it mean?

for your sake I hope you aren't male. after As = NS. damn sian.

then again if you get posted to Sungei Gedong or Pasir Ris Camp, you get to go see fish farms when you book out! hehz.

well I'm sure this website will help you in anything that you do. ask and you shall be answered! well ask politely of course. good luck and eh. study hard for your A levels first lah.

[SharkBait]

yah..i agree. Must study hard for A levels.

[Cleartank]

btw, can someone explain the lingo used here, eg. LFC, what does it mean?

LFC means Limbei's Fried Chicken!

Anyway, run searches on topic you wanna ask first to see if you got any hit. If no hits, then ask...

Why so: There is an thread by AT, Founder of SRC on the Abbrevation. More posts on cycling.

For the questions on the fishes...... tis one can ask... Answer you later K? do some research first!

[Cleartank]

From a online source:

Mandarin, Spotted - Synchiropus picturatus

Also known as: Mandarinfish, Picture Dragonet, Psychedelic Mandarin

The Synchiropus picturatus grows up to 3 inches. The Mandarin, Spotted prefers a tank of at least 20 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Synchiropus picturatus is a carnivore and likes to eat variety of foods, especially brine shrimp, worms, flakes. The Mandarin, Spotted is a high maintenance fish and may act peacefully toward other fish. It doesn't get along with other conspecifics. This is a fairly hardy fish. Able to breed. Reef-safe. Gobies may sometimes attempt jump out. Needs places to burrow. Prefer presence of substrate. It can only be kept singly or in male/female pairs. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Mandarin, Spotted is commonly collected from the Indian Ocean

[SharkBait]

Before you buy anything.Find out more about that species first.It will save you money and frustrations.Hint- the survival rate of mandarins in captivity are not very high because of their diet.

[terryansimon]

somehow my ability to edit the post was not there. hence the new reply. sorry!

and also if you want to set up a new tank, say a 3ft to 4ft, my advise to you is this. don't bother wasting your time and money. then again I may be wrong.

why I say don't waste your time? because you will be doing it by the time you finish your As, which is just when your tank should have completed is cycled stage.

wait. let me retract my statement. you can transfer whatever LS and what not into your new tank. oops. sorry. blur lah me. if you want to go and see farms and all, let me know. I'm a newbie myself and I wouldn't mind company to fish farms to learn/find/see more about fishes and their fascinating lives under water

cheers and study hard for your As!

[Shinguuji]

yes, i'm a guy, but napfa pass so april2nd go in, i still want to go holiday wif frens, somemore got prom night, dates, etc. and a lot of extra time, so once my A's fin., i go out there and buy tank, filter, skimmer everything liao, then i put dead prawn, then i go do what i want, 1mth later when i come back hopefully all right, by then i go work liao, so can start do buy fish

my LFS say mandrin fish eat brine shrip lehz...dun tell me the bluff me....

[Shinguuji]

errr.and ya, how long does cycling take, i'm in 1 1/2 week liao, my nitite test kit cannot read anything liao, bcos too high, i drop the test solution, it immediately change colour, my test kit cannot read beyond 5 ppm, so think its very very high liao...

[Cleartank]

Some tank cycle faster, some slower... but it takes about 4 - 6 weeks.

Some reefer seed matured live sand from a matured tank to shorten the cycling....

Another few common recommended ways to speed it up....

1. Hook your new filter to a matured tank 1 - 2 weeks before setting up your new tank.

2. Use live rocks from a mature tank.

3. Add commercially available chemical that promise to shorten cycling time.

4. If I think of another i let you know. (oredi got three what else do you want? )

[Shinguuji]

uh...ok, thats enuff, thanks!

my LFS say mandrin fish eat brine shrip, they bluff one ornot?

my nitirite go up so fast in 1 week(this was when the reading went off the scale...) izit cyclingvery fast or is the tank got problem?

[Cleartank]

Did you kick start you cycling wif a prawn or use uncured live rock. If not, then your cycle might have not been started. If nothing is decomposing in your tank then the cycle will not start or maybe not a complete one...

Pls do a search on cycling as you will find plenty of info on it.

And as for the mandrainfish, already answer you in the post above!

[Shinguuji]

i actually let a whole cube of brine shrimp melt in my tank............

[Shinguuji]

eh...errr...nvm, i see wrongly..haha, anyone got personal exp. on mandrin fish?

[Cleartank]

Brine Shrimp <> market shrimp?????? hmmmm........

I think you gotto trust yourself then?!

[woonming]

my LFS say mandrin fish eat brine shrip lehz...dun tell me the bluff me....

As for ur mandrin fish i would only suggest u to get it after ur tank mature after maybe 6 to 8months.. as they would require lots of pods to feed.. so i would not advise u to get it now ..

[jOO]

i think mandarins that eat brine or frozen food really really really rare... read somewhere in reefcentral that a few such mandarins were spotted... but so far haven come across anyone here with mandarins eating brine... correct me if i'm wrong.. but so far haven read anywhere here lah.. and for a number of ppl... their mandarins dun survive long due to starvation...

[Dispar_Anthias]

heyo welcome

[ZiT]

okok got a newbie book here, has some info on mandarin fish:

MANDARIN FISH

Synchiropus splendidus

FAMILY:

Dragonets (Callionymidae)

SIZE:

2-3inches (5-8cm)

CARE:

Demanding, not for beginners. Needs mini-reef environment where it can hunt for food among corals, algae, rocks; allow aquarium conditions to settle for at least 3 months before introducing fish.

DIET:

Algae, small crustaceans (also small frozen food, such as brine shrimp, mysids).

COMPATIBILITY:

Never keep 2 males together, territorial battles WILL ensue. The first dorsal fin ray is longer in the male.

SPECIAL FEATURE:

Fish may leap out of the aquarium during courtship display; cover the aquarium.

source:BARRON'S SALTWATER AQUARUM

i know lah my book lousy

[shieldk]

From a online source:

Mandarin, Spotted - Synchiropus picturatus

Also known as: Mandarinfish, Picture Dragonet, Psychedelic Mandarin

The Synchiropus picturatus grows up to 3 inches. The Mandarin, Spotted prefers a tank of at least 20 gallons with plenty of places to hide & swim. The Synchiropus picturatus is a carnivore and likes to eat variety of foods, especially brine shrimp, worms, flakes. The Mandarin, Spotted is a high maintenance fish and may act peacefully toward other fish. It doesn't get along with other conspecifics. This is a fairly hardy fish. Able to breed. Reef-safe. Gobies may sometimes attempt jump out. Needs places to burrow. Prefer presence of substrate. It can only be kept singly or in male/female pairs. Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F). The Mandarin, Spotted is commonly collected from the Indian Ocean

Hi Cleartank,

Which online source did the information comes from, quite comprehensive.

Can PM me the website? Or if convenient maybe can post it here so that everyone can benefit.

Thanks.

[Cleartank]

Hi Cleartank,

Which online source did the information comes from, quite comprehensive.

Can PM me the website? Or if convenient maybe can post it here so that everyone can benefit.

Thanks.

Halo, in fact if you do a search, most if not all online vendors provide very good info on fishes, inverts and corals!

The source!

[Shinguuji]

actually, i read up on most fishes even b4 i set up my tank, i read that mandrin fishes need many KGs of live rock to graze on etc. and initially didn't want to keep it 'cos of high maintainence, but after what my LFS told me, they convinced me to book one and get one, so i just did it......

ok, from my POV, it seems that the main problem by mandrin fishes is that they can't get to the food as fast as other fishes can right? and since i'm only keeping a clownfish, goby and mandrin fish, this should not be much of a problem right??? and i can sacrifice the goby since the one i booked jumped out of the tank in my LFS and died, so that leaves a minimum of 2 fishes(but i plan to keep 3 still....), so i should be able to keep the mandrin right? pls correct me if i'm wrong... actually, i'm willing to keep ONLY the mandrin fish, this sounds a little crazy, but i'm the type of person that won't keep a tank unless the fish in it are rare and/or unusual...i know marine tanks by itself is rare enough...but still....

pls advise me fast enough b4 my LFS gets it and i have no choice but to buy it, i dun want to kill anything, even if its just fishes....thanks

[Tanzy]

Mandarin fish, not mandrin fish.

[NormanH]

My Mandarin do take frozen brine shrimp, but it is always too slow to get to the food. IMO, even you intend to keep only 2 other fishes, they will still out-compete the mandarin for food, unless you fed abundantly, which may create other problems. If you really can't part with mandarin, you can target feed them but that's very siong, consider you have to do that everyday.