Mandarin goby <<RMF>>, hlth. 1/19/11
Hey,
thanks for the help with the BGA in my tank but now I have a new problem.
<Welcome and uh-oh!>
I got this mandarin goby a couple of weeks ago and seemed to be doing real fine up until now.
About 30 minutes ago I noticed my goby just kind of floating around. Now its laying on the bottom not moving much and is really pale and is breathing very slow.
I don't know what the problem is I have a plethora of copepods and amphipods.
<Even if feeding were the problem it usually progresses much slower.>
I have a 55 gallon set up. I have 25lbs of LR and 25lbs of rock that I just added a couple of days ago.
<<Mmm, here's the likely problem>>
Could the new rock be the problem I also have a blue and yellow damsel and a Percula clownfish and they seem to be doing just fine I feed them frozen food.
<It is possible. Was this fresh live rock, uncured? Dry rock is no issue.>
So is my Mandarin sick should I take him down to the LFS where they can keep him in isolation until he gets better (if he's sick that is).
<There is something amiss here. Is he showing any other symptoms? I am by no means a fish disease expert, going to ask Bob to chime in if he has anything additional to offer. Even with a healthy mandarin, this is not the system for it! See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm>
sincerely,
Andrew
<Scott V.><<I do think the new rock in some fashion is at fault here... either something on/in it that poisoned, mal-affected the Mandarin, or the "curing" process itself. Or, maybe the BGA issue chatted up previously... Bob Fenner>>
Subject: red stuff in my tank 1/14
Hi,
<Hello.>
I got this saltwater aquarium off of craigslist a couple of weeks ago(it has been established for 2+ years prior to me getting it.) and about a week ago it started growing this red stuff on the sand. It usually almost covers up the whole bottom of the tank like a carpet with some bald spots, but I stir the sand up because I don't know whether or not if its good or bad.
<Not desirable.>
It makes little bubbles by the way if that at all helps you identify it. I have also attached a
picture of some of it.
sincerely,
Andrew
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm and the links at the top for more information and how to approach this stuff. Scott V.>
Re: Mandarin goby 1/20/11
Hey,
so I'll send you a pic of the tank.
The new rock I put in there is Marco (or Maco) rocks key largo rock.
<Really should not be an issue unless it somehow was contaminated.>
Also my mandarin is much better I don't know what was wrong with him (maybe a bad copepod LOL JK) but he's all better now.
<Ate a bad taco!>
I also have a dead (or dying) coral in there too.
<Will affect water quality! Scott V.>

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.>

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>