Alternative Dragonette Foods

Liquidangel22 · Feb 15, 2016

So I have this super adorable dragonette that was sold to me by the lfs as a red scooter blenny (probably why he was so cheap). I have a healthy pod population, but I would like to also get him accustomed to other foods instead of going from a great pod population to a struggling one as he gets bigger and eats constantly.

I've been reading for a week straight now and have read everything from frozen mysis, to bottom pellets but that they were all hit and miss. I was really excited when I saw lots of posts about Nutrimar Ova and how they went crazy for it....until I see that it's impossible to find due to supply/disease issues with the prawns...(insert burst bubble here)

I'd still like to try some type of roe, but what kind and where do I get it? He is still very very small (about 1.5 inches) and has a tiny little mouth so has to be a pretty small one.... ideas ???

clownfish chris · Feb 15, 2016

How big is your tank and does it have a refugium attached? If it is a relatively large system, you don't need any food at all. I have one in my 210 that is twice the length and three times as fat as when I got him. They feed on copopods and worms that are naturally in our systems. I know people supplement with live black worms and/or baby brine shrimp. Others culture copopods in a separate system.

Liquidangel22 · Feb 15, 2016

I have a 29g biocube but he and a clown are the only fish. He's only been in there about 2 weeks and the pods have gone down, but still sustaining, I have a lot of live rock and a good sand bed. No refugium yet, but I was actually just talking yesterday about turning the bioball chamber into one for him. So I know eventually unless I do swap it out it won't keep him fed without supplementing.

Kungpaoshizi · Feb 16, 2016

In addition to the decapped brine shrimp you can try uhh, can't recall the name, the dried pod stuff, like arctipods..

Psiber_Syn · Feb 16, 2016

I have one in like a gallon aquarium that is feed live brine 2- 3 times a day i mean literally thousands of them and this is not enough get it eating mysis immediately or it will eventually perish watch for sunken belly once it gets that far its too late good luck

Liquidangel22 · Feb 16, 2016

I got him started on brine shrimp yesterday and as long as I squirt them basically in his face he will eat it. I've got some extra pods on order already, and now that I know he will eat something other than pods I'll get some decapped shrimp eggs and some mysis. I also came up with an idea for a target feeding contraption that will help a lot. Thanks for the help I'll let you know how it goes !!

LostInTheDark · Feb 16, 2016

I been lucky enough to have my Red Scooter Blennies start eating frozen. I do have a 225 and a 75 gal fuge to keep them supplied with plenty to eat. They join right in with every other fish in picking both Rods food and LRS out of the water column.

Psiber_Syn · Feb 16, 2016

I used a glass spice bottle and airline tube on a syringe to put brine inside it simple easy although been been growing and feeding him brine and he still has not recovered from the sunken belly what i read is that the brine are like potato chips not very substantial i also read they will eat omega one pellets the small ones but mine has not so far

Liquidangel22 · Feb 17, 2016

Psiber_Syn said:
I used a glass spice bottle and airline tube on a syringe to put brine inside it simple easy although been been growing and feeding him brine and he still has not recovered from the sunken belly what i read is that the brine are like potato chips not very substantial i also read they will eat omega one pellets the small ones but mine has not so far

Smart, that's similar to what I want to do. I want to upside down a clear bowl and attach some plastic tubing to a hole in the top with a syringe plunger so basically I can just put it over him and "shower" the food around him without the stress of a pipette in his face following him around the tank lol.

I definitely wasn't a fan of the brine but it was what I had until my other stuff comes in. I'm going to the LFS today to get another chateo ball and some mysis. Pods should be in tomorrow, decapped eggs in by the end of the week. Fish buffet in 3....2...

Psiber_Syn · Feb 17, 2016

Sounds like your on the right track enjoy your beautiful fishy also fyi the dragonettes common name us scooter blenny so the lfs had it right thwy are surprisingly affordable fish the red one is one of my favs also but i went with the green or psychedelic one as was the only option i had

moulton1853 · Feb 17, 2016

Baby brine shrimp are good for them in the first 12 hrs as they still have there yolk sack. If you want to maintain them as nutritional feed the brine shrimp rotifers and they will live for about a week and be good for them. I can't get mine to eat anything but live food. :mad:

E048 · Feb 17, 2016

Try frozen cyclops...

Also live chopped up black worms seem to get them to eat

I used to have two target mandarins in my 90 with a low pod population they ate frozen mysis and brine even ate omega one pellets I lost them when I went out of town and the auto feeder stopped working

Liquidangel22 · Feb 17, 2016

E048 said:
Try frozen cyclops...

Also live chopped up black worms seem to get them to eat

I used to have two target mandarins in my 90 with a low pod population they ate frozen mysis and brine even ate omega one pellets I lost them when I went out of town and the auto feeder stopped working

I don't think I can chop up anything still moving lol but I'll definitely try the cyclops, thanks!

Gene S. · Feb 17, 2016

After reading this I feel pretty lucky. Mine eats pellets,mysis,some flake and brine. I just turn the pump off for a bit so it all settles good for him and he mows it down. He will eat bloodworms sometimes but not always.