Are CB Mandarins any easier?

[Zionas]

For those of you who keep CB Mandarin Dragonets, are they any easier than the wild ones when it comes to feeding? Do they take flake and pellet food like the sites claim? If they’re just as difficult / specialized as their wild counterparts I’d not consider one. Also can they be kept in a bare bottom or do they need sand?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

For those of you who keep CB Mandarin Dragonets, are they any easier than the wild ones when it comes to feeding? Do they take flake and pellet food like the sites claim? If they’re just as difficult / specialized as their wild counterparts I’d not consider one. Also can they be kept in a bare bottom or do they need sand?

Yes, much easier, they are much hardier, and most important, you're saving the wild population. They do not specifically need sand but will need a decent amount of rock if they're in a BB tank since they will still hunt copepods all day.

 

[blaxsun]

Sometimes they don't eat frozen food. It's not always a guarantee...

 

[Zionas]

I see. Have you had any success getting them onto both frozen and dry food?

 

[Zionas]

GG. If that’s the case, I’ll have to put it off for now. Going through some changes in my life and not sure if something with specialized care requirements will suit me.

 

[reeferguy3303]

I see. Have you had any success getting them onto both frozen and dry food?

Mine didn’t eat frozen, flakes, or pellets for the first week or so. Then started to eat everything I put into the tank
I would definitely seed the tank with pods before getting one though

 

[Zionas]

I see. Thanks for sharing your experience. I may consider a CB one down the line, for now though given my situation I would prefer sticking to more generalized feeders.

 

[hart24601]

I have bought 4 CB mandrian over the years. Mostly in BB tanks, I never had any losses nor had to feed anything than my normal small pellets or frozen. I ended up trading them to my friends for other fish or coral when they matured.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I see. Thanks for sharing your experience. I may consider a CB one down the line, for now though given my situation I would prefer sticking to more generalized feeders.

This is a very responsible decision

 

[MelancholyBlenny]

You can do what I did, everytime i went to my LFS I would ask them to feed the mandarins they had in stock. Never saw one eat but after a couple months of doing this they had one that was scarfing blood worms and mysis. Didn't hesitate to purchase her and she eats everything i throw in the tank to this day. You do have to remember though they are lazy fish and won't chase food. I have a coral food sticks to so when I feed I use a baster to stick food to the coral and she just picks it all off.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

You can do what I did, everytime i went to my LFS I would ask them to feed the mandarins they had in stock. Never saw one eat but after a couple months of doing this they had one that was scarfing blood worms and mysis. Didn't hesitate to purchase her and she eats everything i throw in the tank to this day.

This is a great point; depending on who has been keeping the fish, it may already be eating "prepared" foods (i.e. more than live pods) and at that point there's not much difference in how difficult they are to keep.
But to re-emphasize, all mandarins should be kept in a tank with a healthy pod population. Their digestive system and metabolism is such that they "nibble" all day long, so even if they are eating what you feed, having pods to snack on is in their best interest.

 

[steveschuerger]

My mandarin was WC but I’ve been thinking about getting a male companion for her, this time a CB most likely. I do occasionally add new pods to the tank but she’ll eat the frozen food now after it lands on the rocks/sand. Took about 6 months before she’d eat the fro food, and I spent a lot on pods , mainly cause it was a 30 gallon. In the 60 she seems happier, though I don’t see her as much as she’s mostly in and out of the rock work.

 

[Tamberav]

For those of you who keep CB Mandarin Dragonets, are they any easier than the wild ones when it comes to feeding? Do they take flake and pellet food like the sites claim? If they’re just as difficult / specialized as their wild counterparts I’d not consider one. Also can they be kept in a bare bottom or do they need sand?

Kept both, captive much easier for feeding prepared foods. They took to it just fine, just had to crush the pellets as they were tiny fish.

Bare bottom is fine. They won’t be able to snuggle in the sand but It makes it easy for them to find the pellets on the bottom.

 

[steveschuerger]

Sad news to report, my Mandy passed away tonight. She was scurrying amongst the rockwork this past afternoon, but when I came home found her floating and barely breathing in top left corner. I properly euthanized her in the freezer after saying goodbye.

 

[blaxsun]

I see. Have you had any success getting them onto both frozen and dry food?

Yes, I've got one wild caught that eats all manner of foods (not sure about pellets; there typically aren't any that get past the other 49 fish).

But mysis, brine, calanus - he eats all of those. Plus as many pods as he can shove down his little gullet!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Did you see the FB story i sent you of the shop that regularly gets wild mandarins in? They were gobbling up live Artemia in the video and i highly doubt he's been doing much training them...

 

[blaxsun]

You can do what I did, everytime i went to my LFS I would ask them to feed the mandarins they had in stock. Never saw one eat but after a couple months of doing this they had one that was scarfing blood worms and mysis. Didn't hesitate to purchase her and she eats everything i throw in the tank to this day. You do have to remember though they are lazy fish and won't chase food. I have a coral food sticks to so when I feed I use a baster to stick food to the coral and she just picks it all off.

Wild caught mandarins that eat frozen at your LFS are like unicorns (and usually priced accordingly, lol).

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

In case you missed it, check this out. I guarantee you these are wild caught and highly doubt he does much special to train them (I've actually met the guy at his shop/house). They're not expensive in the least...why not give one of these a shot?

 

[salty150]

Sometimes they don't eat frozen food. It's not always a guarantee...

I guess I am confused...

If they are CB (captive bred) - doesn't that mean that they are already eating prepared foods...?

According to Biota’s website:

Biota’s captive bred Mandarin Dragonets readily feed on prepared foods, making them an easier to keep and ethical alternative to difficult wild caught mandarins!

Our Biota captive bred Mandarins are sustainably and ethically raised on prepared commercial diets that are easily accessible and inexpensive to aquarium hobbyists. Biota Mandarins arrive to you already familiar with foods like Hikari frozen baby brine shrimp, Piscene Energetics frozen Calanus, Easy Reefs Masstick, and tiny pellets such as small Easy Reefs DKI pellets, TDO B2 pellet, and PE Hatchery pellet 400 μm.

 

[blaxsun]

I guess I am confused...

If they are CB (captive bred) - doesn't that mean that they are already eating prepared foods...?

According to Biota’s website:

Biota’s captive bred Mandarin Dragonets readily feed on prepared foods, making them an easier to keep and ethical alternative to difficult wild caught mandarins!

Our Biota captive bred Mandarins are sustainably and ethically raised on prepared commercial diets that are easily accessible and inexpensive to aquarium hobbyists. Biota Mandarins arrive to you already familiar with foods like Hikari frozen baby brine shrimp, Piscene Energetics frozen Calanus, Easy Reefs Masstick, and tiny pellets such as small Easy Reefs DKI pellets, TDO B2 pellet, and PE Hatchery pellet 400 μm.

YMMV, but if you search a bit you'll find that user experience with captive bred mandarins is about as hit and miss as it is with wild ones. In theory, yes - since they're sold as such. In practice (and from what I've been told by captive bred owners) - it's a crap shoot.