HELP! Mandarin pellet feeding

[bazmackem]

I've just introduced a mandarin to my new setup. I bought the tank with rock, coral and sand along with water and have had it running a month. There is a lot of life including small blue shrimp and pods. The mandarin has been picking the pods, along with some I bought with it and popped in the tank... But I've read they can clear a tank of pods in no time. The LFS sold me some very fine pellets to supplement... Anyone have good advice on how to train the fish to eat them? I've also looked at a couple of pod cultivation kits which would be my next resort if I can't get it to eat the pellets. Any advice gratefully received!!

Cheers
Baz

 

[sacktheqb65]

Mandarins should be kept in a "mature tank" People on here say the tank should have been running with pods repopulating for about a year before a mandarin is added. You may need to consider the cultivation kit that you mentioned. Mandarins are constantly feeding and need food all the time. Good luck!

 

[StevesLEDs]

I have attempted mandarins several times in the past 18 years, and not once have I ever seen them eat a pellet. The closest I have seen is them putting a frozen brine shrimp in their mouth, but then they spit it back out. I've never found them to be beneficial to an aquarium since they do eat all the copepods relatively quickly, then ask for seconds, and then they get skinny and die.

Best of luck to you.

 

[bazmackem]

Yeah - the tank had been running a long time before I bought it and should have brought all the goodies with it I'd think. There are loads of hitchhikers in there so hopefully the pods are replenishing themselves. Just hoping he also starts to take the pellets to give him an extra source. I will Also look at trying brine shrimp. I have changed the skimmer in the back section so quite a bit of space in there, daft question but is there anyway to breed pods in there!??!?!

 

[StevesLEDs]

The best way to breed pods is in a refugium or dedicated aquarium, in my opinion. This is free of predators and they get everything they need with minimal competition. They do well breeding in macro algae such as chaetomorpha. Bear in mind that Mandarins are always swimming, always burning energy, and can eat a ton of pods. I think it would take a huge supply of pods to support one small mandarin.

The way I see it, pods are more beneficial to maintaining a clean aquarium because they are eating the tiny remnants of food all the other fish miss, where as all the mandarins do is swim around and look cute. If you like the tiny pretty fish, I have found some very amazing tiny gobies out there that have just as much personality.

Jeff

 

[bazmackem]

The best way to breed pods is in a refugium or dedicated aquarium, in my opinion. This is free of predators and they get everything they need with minimal competition. They do well breeding in macro algae such as chaetomorpha. Bear in mind that Mandarins are always swimming, always burning energy, and can eat a ton of pods. I think it would take a huge supply of pods to support one small mandarin.

The way I see it, pods are more beneficial to maintaining a clean aquarium because they are eating the tiny remnants of food all the other fish miss, where as all the mandarins do is swim around and look cute. If you like the tiny pretty fish, I have found some very amazing tiny gobies out there that have just as much personality.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff!

I really hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew with the mandarin!!
I was looking at this... http://www.reefphyto.co.uk/all-products/copepod-culture-pack.html
Hopefully that will keep me stocked up??! In the meantime I need to work on getting it to eat something else!

 

[StevesLEDs]

That is awesome, I've never even heard of something like that in the USA. Please let us know how it works out, it appears to be the real deal. Don't forget to put some chaeto in the brooding container to accelerate the breeding.

Jeff

 

[bazmackem]

That is awesome, I've never even heard of something like that in the USA. Please let us know how it works out, it appears to be the real deal. Don't forget to put some chaeto in the brooding container to accelerate the breeding.

Jeff

Yeah I thought it seemed an option to keep topping up the pods in the tank. I added some live pods (2 packets) yesterday when I added the fish so hopefully that has topped up the stocks! There is also this one which doesn't even need a pump. http://www.phytoplus.co.uk/#!product/prd1/1518513015/live-copepods-culture-kit-d

Does anyone have experience of these kits?

 

[DaveK]

You need about a 50 gal or larger tank and have nothing else competing with the mandarin for pods to keep the fish going. Often you can get them to take foods like live black worms or frozen blood worms, but there is no guarantee.

Since you have a newly setup tank that is not yet mature, your best course of action is to return the mandarin to your LFS. Later on, once you have all the requirements met you can get another.

 

[bazmackem]

You need about a 50 gal or larger tank and have nothing else competing with the mandarin for pods to keep the fish going. Often you can get them to take foods like live black worms or frozen blood worms, but there is no guarantee.

Since you have a newly setup tank that is not yet mature, your best course of action is to return the mandarin to your LFS. Later on, once you have all the requirements met you can get another.

Really?! He seems to be feeding well so far. Was hoping if I can either lure him onto something else, or top up the pod population he would be ok?

 

[Talon33]

I had a mandarin that would eat frozen mysis and he still died after a couple of month. He couldn't compete with the other fish during feeding and even when I target fed him other fish and shrimp would swoop in and steal the food. Would't recommend them to anyone unless your system is large with a nice sized fuge and you were specifically targeting the setup of the aquarium to the mandarin's needs. They are a beautiful fish and I loved mine. Maybe if you can get him with some munnid isopods and start feeding frozen mysis as well he may eat that. That is how I did it

 

[bazmackem]

I had a mandarin that would eat frozen mysis and he still died after a couple of month. He couldn't compete with the other fish during feeding and even when I target fed him other fish and shrimp would swoop in and steal the food. Would't recommend them to anyone unless your system is large with a nice sized fuge and you were specifically targeting the setup of the aquarium to the mandarin's needs. They are a beautiful fish and I loved mine. Maybe if you can get him with some munnid isopods and start feeding frozen mysis as well he may eat that. That is how I did it

Thanks I'll def look into that, what are the munnid Isopods?

 

[NJ Reefer]

I have had my mandarin for for about 1 and half years. When I picked him up at the LFS, I watched them feed frozen mysis to make sure I could supplement his pod appetite. To my surprise, I noticed that he was also eating the pellets I was providing the other inhabitants. Today, he eats just about anything I through in and I have not added pods in over a year to my DT. I'm not sure about training them; not sure it's possible. But my advice to anyone considering a mandarin would be to make sure you witness them eat mysis at the store. Best of luck with yours Baz.

 

[DaveK]

Really?! He seems to be feeding well so far. Was hoping if I can either lure him onto something else, or top up the pod population he would be ok?

You might got very very lucky, and the fish survives and does well, but the deck is really stacked against you.

This is why your better off returning the fish. I know they are fantastic fish, and very desirable. I don't blame you for wanting one, and I'm not saying never get one. Just don't press your luck when you don't need to.

 

[bazmackem]

Think I will ring LFS up tomor and see what they suggest... seems very content at the minute, moving round a lot picking invisible pods off. Seems to be even more colourful than when he was bought, and bigger (prob my wishful thinking!). I tried pellets again and didn't seem interested. I think I may try some frozen Mysis and see if it takes it? Any other suggestions gratefully received!

 

[Talon33]

https://www.google.com/search?q=mun..._AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=606#imgrc=vsUevYzd0xb-sM:

They look like that. They are actually quite large. A lot bigger than copepods , More comparable to amphipods. My fuge was loaded with them so I would move my mandarin down there and let him go to town. I would also feed the mysis in the fuge and he loved it but he never would really eat it out of the water column. He loved picking it out of the big ball of chaeto I had growing in there

 

[bazmackem]

https://www.google.com/search?q=munnid+isopod&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS444US444&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=jFKcVdvzIsG8sAXht6ugDg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=606#imgrc=vsUevYzd0xb-sM:

They look like that. They are actually quite large. A lot bigger than copepods , More comparable to amphipods. My fuge was loaded with them so I would move my mandarin down there and let him go to town. I would also feed the mysis in the fuge and he loved it but he never would really eat it out of the water column. He loved picking it out of the big ball of chaeto I had growing in there

Thanks for that - I take it it is better to try him on live Mysis first then if successful move on to frozen? Ive seen Paul B suggest whiteworms, you can buy a culture of these and just have them in a box with soil and no light... may give them a try!

 

[DianaKay]

You might also read through this thread....
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/mandarin-help.94458/#post-1293200

 

[bazmackem]

Thanks Diana, I've just reread the thread and things seem to be making more sense after my 2 day intensive research!! I'm stressed out reading so many negative threads - so will see how it goes over the next couple of days and go from there! On your post you mentioned a pod hotel - would this be either a bottle, or netting with chaeto (can you buy this from LFS?) - and then add some live pods to this to start it off... hoping they breed/move out onto rocks? Also have you heard much about pod culture kits (links above?

 

[DianaKay]

You're Welcome for any help from me
Try not to stress, I know how hard it is to not tho....been there and decided it wasn't worth it to me. Sometimes the Mandarin Dragonet is a survivor and sometimes not: Don't blame yourself for trying!!
Sometimes the LFS will have Chaeto. ASK THEM....sometimes it's not out where you can see it but they will sell you some if they have it. You don't need very much because it grows fast once it gets started. A baseball size bunch is plenty. If the LFS doesn't have any, ask them if they can get some. I donate lots to the semi-LFS here just to keep from tossing it out in my yard.
The pods will hide & thrive in the "pod hotel" where the Mandarin can catch pods coming & going into it. That's the idea anyway. Copepods like chaeto.
Good Luck with your mandarin & your stress level