Can I get some help with my Mandarin Goby

[Mike628]

My manderin is starting to look skinny what should I do to help him eat.

 

[Dcmatranga]

How big is the tank you have him in, tank mates, how long has the system been established and how long have you had the mandarin?

 

[Mike628]

I've had him for about 2-3 weeks, he's with my firefish goby, he is in a 4 gall nuvo pico, and my tank has been established for 4 months

 

[NanaReefer]

Give him/her to someone with a much bigger, mature tank.

 

[Mike628]

I don't know anyone I spent $20 on him and I don't want to get rid of him. I'm just looking for something to feed him

 

[beadlocked450r]

Try live or frozen brine shrimp. Mine will eat both. I also over dosed my tank with tiger pods.

 

[saltyphish]

Good luck, they live on pods. Some can be quite challenging to get to eat prepared foods. That is why the above poster said give it back to the lfs. Most likely it will starve to death.

 

[MounteeFrag]

Mine eats cyclopeez. I also add pods from time to time. I would take him back, your tank is to small. I would stop shopping at that LFS also, they shouldn't of sold it to you.

 

[Mike628]

I put pods in though that's the thing

 

[MounteeFrag]

He'll go through them in a day or two.

 

[reefwiser]

PaulB on the forum made a great feeder for his mandarins and pipe fish.
DIY Target Feeder for Mandarinfish (and Pipefish)

This is a fish you buy when you have the time to cultivate the pods and develop a feeding system. Not for every hobbyist to have they are difficult fish to keep. But they can be kept just require a lot of planning to be successful.

 

[moulton712]

The LFS should have never sold it to you, nor should you have bought it. In that size tank pods will end up costing you a fortune. That mandrin will go through atleast a bottle a day if not more. It's better to give it away then to kill it. I'm fat, I would not want to starve to death.

 

[Mstanker]

If you could get your Goby to eat frozen foods you'll probably be ok with the little guy. But most ppl say its hard to get them to eat frozen foods. I have one in my 40g breeder and just about every 2-3weeks i spend $20-30 dollars in food;which i also think i have him eating brineshrimp now. SO.... I'd say you could keep one in your tank but its how much money do you want to spend for its food. Its kind of like keeping a tiger at the house that likes to eat hahah.

 

[kopaczjm]

does anybody have a good resource for researching how to establish a colony of pods in your tank before hand? i'm currently running a sump with no refugium. basically it just skims, filters through carbon, macro algae, and heaters. adding a media reactor soon...(besides the point) Can i start early with establishing some critters that can thrive in my tank so in a few months i can add a mandarin without worry?

 

[Humblefish]

My pair eats Nutramar ova, but it's getting harder to find.

 

[Mstanker]

I'M sure you could I have added 4 bottles of 1200-1700 tigger pods to my tank. I place them in at night with the lights off and after that i never see them anymore. For me idk if there numbers are growing or not. I also do have a refug. and thats my 2 cents lol

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

I would agree that it needs to be re homed. Always research the fish you want before buying.