Can't get Panda Gobies to eat

Myka · Feb 21, 2018

Anyone have experience with Panda Gobies? They are "big" for Panda's - about 3/4". I have tried PE calanus, fine brine shrimp, fine mysis shrimp, live brine shrimp. No action. I'm going to try Ova tomorrow. Any other ideas?

hybridazn · Feb 21, 2018

Where did you get them from? Maybe ask them if they were eating and what? I would try some of the very small NLS pellets

Myka · Feb 21, 2018

hybridazn said:
Where did you get them from? Maybe ask them if they were eating and what? I would try some of the very small NLS pellets

They are freshly imported, not eating in captivity yet. I'll try NLS Grow pellets.

EmdeReef · Feb 21, 2018

Myka said:
Anyone have experience with Panda Gobies? They are "big" for Panda's - about 3/4". I have tried PE calanus, fine brine shrimp, fine mysis shrimp, live brine shrimp. No action. I'm going to try Ova tomorrow. Any other ideas?

When did you get it? Any bullies? Try soaking the food in garlic, sometimes can entice fish to eat. Could try some small TDO pellets too, masstick etc.

Myka · Feb 21, 2018

That Masstick stuff works? I think I have a sample of it...I'll go digging. Had them about a week. Only other fish in the tank is a Mandarin.

EmdeReef · Feb 21, 2018

Give it a try, had some luck with friend’s flagfin angel, in addition to other foods, but at least it went for it...

eatbreakfast · Feb 22, 2018

Fish eggs, calanoid copepods, such as PE Calanus or San Francisco Bay reef plankton are all smaller than what is currently being offered.

Daniel@R2R · Feb 22, 2018

hybridazn said:
Maybe ask them if they were eating and what?

Ok...I know it's early, but I read "them" as the panda gobies. So...how does one ask the panda gobies "if they were eating and what"?

#fishwhisperer

miyags · Feb 22, 2018

Let us know if the mastic works.I just order some mastic to try.I'm going to buy some new fish soon, and try it for finicky eaters.

Myka · Feb 22, 2018

eatbreakfast said:
Fish eggs, calanoid copepods, such as PE Calanus or San Francisco Bay reef plankton are all smaller than what is currently being offered.

Thanks for your input TJ, but I don't think you read much.

PE Calanus was one of the first offerings, and I'm going to try Ova today. When food is added to the tank there is no feeding response. They may never eat.

eatbreakfast · Feb 22, 2018

Myka said:
Thanks for your input TJ, but I don't think you read much. PE Calanus was one of the first offerings, and I'm going to try Ova today. When food is added to the tank there is no feeding response. They may never eat.

Eek, I read right over that, I saw the mysis and the brine, but skipped over the calanus...

lion king · Feb 22, 2018

Try live pods and even live brine shrimp, I'd also treat for internal parasires. Since they are not eating I'd do prazi pro. I've found many many times fish not eating is indicative of internal parasites. I follow up with metroplex/focus in food once they start eating.

Monte · Feb 22, 2018

I would keep trying live brine. You could try using Reef Bugs to give them some nutrition

Myka · Feb 22, 2018

Thanks for the ideas guys...keep them coming. No interest in Ova or Masstick today. I'll try live brine again tomorrow. Unfortunately, no access to live copepods other than what's in the tank.

code4 · Feb 23, 2018

This might seem crazy....I bought two black mollies and acclimated them into my quarantine tank. Some finicky eaters in there. A yellow belly regal angel among them. Mollies are always wanting to eat. I gave them flake food since they were reared on it. I was surprised when all the other fish started copying them. Monkey see monkey do.

Shelley

mort · Feb 23, 2018

From experience with these you are not likely to see a feeding response from them but that doesn't mean they aren't eating. I'd echo the baby brine shrimp feeding as they will be used to live foods.
I looked after a few for a couple of years and never once saw them eat. They were with zostera seahorses who got fed baby brine daily and I think this is what sustained them. The trouble is they are very cryptic and designed to be undetected and when we feed we tend to poke around them a little, so they stay still.
I'd give them some time and make sure there is a range of foods available a few times a day.

Myka · Feb 23, 2018

code4 said:
This might seem crazy....I bought two black mollies and acclimated them into my quarantine tank. Some finicky eaters in there. A yellow belly regal angel among them. Mollies are always wanting to eat. I gave them flake food since they were reared on it. I was surprised when all the other fish started copying them. Monkey see monkey do.

Shelley

That's not crazy at all Shelley. That's a great tactic, and one I use myself. I don't have any critters small enough to go in with the gobies though, they are only 3/4" including their tails. The LFS has some Green Banded Gobies, but they seem fairly aggressive, and might make the Pandas even more cryptic.

mort said:
From experience with these you are not likely to see a feeding response from them but that doesn't mean they aren't eating. I'd echo the baby brine shrimp feeding as they will be used to live foods.
I looked after a few for a couple of years and never once saw them eat. They were with zostera seahorses who got fed baby brine daily and I think this is what sustained them. The trouble is they are very cryptic and designed to be undetected and when we feed we tend to poke around them a little, so they stay still.
I'd give them some time and make sure there is a range of foods available a few times a day.

Thank you for chiming in! I was hoping someone with direct experience would post. That is very interesting that you never saw one eat. Thank you for this information. "Cryptic" is almost not a strong enough word. Haha! Did you have any corals with them? I bought a Poccilopora for them since that's their natural habitat, though I wonder if they're like Yellow/Green Clown gobies, and like to strip polyps. Ha!

mort · Feb 23, 2018

Myka said:
That's not crazy at all Shelley. That's a great tactic, and one I use myself. I don't have any critters small enough to go in with the gobies though, they are only 3/4" including their tails. The LFS has some Green Banded Gobies, but they seem fairly aggressive, and might make the Pandas even more cryptic.

Thank you for chiming in! I was hoping someone with direct experience would post. That is very interesting that you never saw one eat. Thank you for this information. "Cryptic" is almost not a strong enough word. Haha! Did you have any corals with them? I bought a Poccilopora for them since that's their natural habitat, though I wonder if they're like Yellow/Green Clown gobies, and like to strip polyps. Ha!

I had a pocillopora as well, plus a couple of small gorgonians and a few others. I didn't see much of them at all really and they didn't seem to spend anytime in the pocc. The tank was only a foot cube with two small rocks (it was more designed around the seahorses but should have been perfect for the pandas) but they still evaded me most of the time. There was also a flaming prawn goby which I saw the day it went in and the day I took the tank down, for the other 2 years I have no idea what it was doing.
I did add copepod that I cultured a few times a week and there colour was bright so I believe they were eating them. There was also a small population of mysids and I kept a small jar of rubble in my large refugium which I moved in and out of the little tank to boost the natural food.

Myka · Feb 24, 2018

mort said:
I had a pocillopora as well, plus a couple of small gorgonians and a few others. I didn't see much of them at all really and they didn't seem to spend anytime in the pocc. The tank was only a foot cube with two small rocks (it was more designed around the seahorses but should have been perfect for the pandas) but they still evaded me most of the time. There was also a flaming prawn goby which I saw the day it went in and the day I took the tank down, for the other 2 years I have no idea what it was doing.
I did add copepod that I cultured a few times a week and there colour was bright so I believe they were eating them. There was also a small population of mysids and I kept a small jar of rubble in my large refugium which I moved in and out of the little tank to boost the natural food.

Great! Thank you for this information.

I did know that Griessinger Gobies are horribly cryptic. I didn't think Pandas would be nearly as bad. I fed baby Brine Shrimp again today, and I watched very closely from a distance, and I think was able to see some feeding action. They don't look too skinny, so they must be eating something.

mort · Feb 24, 2018

Myka said:
Great! Thank you for this information. I did know that Griessinger Gobies are horribly cryptic. I didn't think Pandas would be nearly as bad. I fed baby Brine Shrimp again today, and I watched very closely from a distance, and I think was able to see some feeding action. They don't look too skinny, so they must be eating something.

That's encouraging. I don't think they need to eat a huge amount as they don't move much. I used to gut load larger brine and add them, which disappeared, so they might take larger foods in time. I think it was the copepods that I added and naturally grew in the tank that mainly sustained them.
I kinda miss their fuzzy little faces.