I haven't seen mine nip a single coral since I've had him. I bought him a year ago, if not longer.. I didn't have many corals in the tank when I got him. I think just the frogspawn and the Xenia. Maybe that has something to do with it. I'm not really sure. I have heard people say they are not reef friendly as well, but I haven't seen anyone post hard evidence of them doing serious damage either. I'm sure some do nip corals here and their, but I don't think the damage is really significant unless the frag is really tiny. Maybe I got lucky or maybe they just have a bad rap.. I'm not sure.. If he ever started to do damage to my corals, I'd just trade him in for something else..
The Mandarin is doing good so far. I've had him for about 2-3 months and haven't had to supplement any food. I still have a healthy supply of pods running around when I check my tank at night. I use a red flashlight so they don't take off and hide. I waited until my tank was a year old before looking at getting him for the fact that I was worried about the pod supply. I felt that it was established enough and picked him up.. I don't have a sump on this tank unfortunately. I keep a good eye on him though to make sure he looks in good health, I have supplemental food on standby if he ever looks like he's not getting enough food. So far the pods have been able to keep up with him though.
