My mandarin goby's new home: a 100-gallon tank

[sweetie_22]

Him in new home, fts, and friends.

[talonix]

i agree, personally i think mandarins need a lot of space to roam and forage, so keeping them in large tanks is a must for their feeding habits, yeh i would definitely put him in a bigger tank for his own good.

[rustyfox9]

Be careful with the anemone, they can swallow a slow-moving Mandarin without issue. Keep an eye on him around the Lionfish too, if they can fit him in their mouths, he's at risk since he's not exactly speedy.

[sweetie_22]

Yeah, the lionfish might see him as a snack, but so would he see my cleaner shrimp - that thing's impossible to catch. I still think he'd be safer in the 100 gallon, away from the lionfish and anemone. I'm really stuck on what to do here.

[rustyfox9]

The nem's size, how well-fed it is, and its placement in the tank will all play a role. Is it a bubble tip or a different type? Since mandarins tend to feed near the ground and around lower rockwork, I think the nem's type will be the deciding factor. Lionfish are a bigger concern for me, to be honest.

[sweetie_22]

my tank's 2 ft high and the nem's at the top, it's a caribbean pink tipped anemone
the lion tends to hang out up there too, he's always trying to get to the food first

[sweetie_22]

idk what to do

[Flynxide]

I'd put it in mate, if you're feeding your nem properly it should leave it be. I highly doubt fuzzy lions could take down a mandarin, they're just not aggressive enough.

[sweetie_22]

yeah i think he could be at risk, he's slow and the lion's got a decent size mouth, plus he could get the cleaner shrimp too

[Fable81]

I'd give it a go, mate. I think the mandarin's got a good instinct for danger, it'll likely keep its distance. The tank's got plenty of space, I'm sure it'll find a sweet spot to hang out.