Yet another mandarin question

[Matt spivey]

Hi all, is there a thread on here anyone could point me to that is bustling with mandarin info? I had planned a long time to get one so read about training etc but I still want more information now that I have one.

In the LFS I saw him eat frozen food, he even swam up to eat it as it went in and the guy didn't have to use a pipette. I'm struggling though, he seems happy and healthy and I often see him pecking at the rock and he's all over the tank so not shy. I've tried mixing in a little tub some gamma liquid food (Copepods etc) with some frozen food and cyclopeeze, tried this with the lights on and off and with/without a pipette and with flow on and off. I also tried putting some on the rocks for him to find later. He sometimes nips at some of the things but looks to spit it out mainly. As I say he was eating just fine in the shop. Will be a shame to lose him but he still looks healthy at the moment to me

Thanks

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[Snid]

Do you know the exact food he was eating at the LFS? Could they share that information with you? Perhaps you should start with identical food recipes.

 

[reefle]

Buy a bag of live pods as well. If he's still not eating it might be due to stress of moving. Still if he's out and about and pecking around, I think he'll be ok

 

[reefer gladness]

Both good pieces of advice Snid and reefle. Mandarins like to hunt for their food and typically take awhile studying it before they make their move so the tank behavior is normal.

IMO feeding frozen should be considered a backup or supplement if you're lucky enough to have a mandarin that will eat frozen. Otherwise you're tank needs to be capable of producing a steady supply of pods for the mandy to eat. Usually a 50-60g tank is considered the minimum size to have enough live rock to support enough pods. Many reefers add refugiums to their systems to provide a safe habitat for pods to reproduce but speaking from experience it's a pain to do on one of those all-in-one tanks and you're not able to fit a very large sump in the RSM 130 cabinet.

To sum it up, I would go back to the LFS and find out what they were feeding. I've observed my mandy picking at frozen spirulina brine on occasion but brine shrimp don't have enough nutritional value as a sole food source. Get some live pods - as many different types as you can find in your area and add to the tank at night and hope they don't get hunted to extinction before they have a chance to reproduce.

PS - I also find feeding my tank phytoplankton on occasion helps the pods reproduce.

 

[StirCrayzy]

I don't like to see that line on its side, better find a food supplement quickly.

Most mandarins will take BBS, and if you squirt in some selcon for the BBS to become "Enriched", or "gut loaded" the nutritional value is much better.
Can't go wrong adding some live pods from your LFS .

 

[Kremlin]

Most of my fish didn't eat for a few days after I got them. I agree with Reefle that it might be moving stress.

 

[Matt spivey]

Ok thanks guys yes I've read all about fuges to support a pod population but I saw the mandarin eat frozen food so thought it'd be ok without. I will try mixing live pods with some pellets or cyclopeeze. My LFS guy is on holiday for another week so I can't ask him what he fed. He said when I moved the fish it may change eating habit.

I share all of your views I too am worried about the line but it has nice fat cheeks. Will sort a live copepod subscription until I can re-train him.

Thanks everyone


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[DianaKay]

Looking forward to updates as to how you do with this beautiful little fish.
I hope you share lots more pictures of him he plumps up in your tank.
VerY BEST WISHES!!