Dragonet goby and frozen food

[Juniorh2r]

I've seen some of the dragonet gobys larger ones eating frozen food my question is are there any sites that sale them already eating frozen food instead of copepods?

 

[mmw64]

Algaebarn has them every once in a while. They are tiny and much more expensive but not having to feed them pods saves lots of money in the long run.

 

[Fishbird]

You can buy captive bred mandarins and/or dragonets from AlgaeBarn (bred by biota) or LiveAquaria (bred by ORA). You might be able to get your LFS to bring in one for you too (mine gets fish both from Biota and ORA). Fish from either place should be eating some sort of prepared food.

That said, their physiology is such that they need to eat many times a day because their digestive tract is short and inefficient. There are also many stories of people who got the captive bred mandarins/dragonets and once those fish realized that they could eat copepods, they stopped eating prepared food. If I was going to get a dragonet I would definitely get a captive bred one and I'd be prepared to have to provide it pods even so.

 

[Juniorh2r]

I'm running a refrugium in the sump I have copepods down there but I never see any In my display tank

 

[Juniorh2r]

Would love to find a place where they have the ones that eat frozen food that would be much easier

 

[Uncle99]

The best, easiest, cheapest way to keep a mandarin is through natural PODS found in a mature, rock and sand environment. When this is the only POD eater in the tank, natural reproduction of PODS will keep him fat.
They are hunters. They want live food.
This guy years old now.
Never added PODS once.
Won’t touch anything floating (dead)

 

[Juniorh2r]

I'm gonna order some more copepods to add to my dt which do you recommend and which phyto or what brand or kind o feed the copepods?

 

[PilotOfSubmarines]

I'm gonna order some more copepods to add to my dt which do you recommend and which phyto or what brand or kind o feed the copepods?

Ohio - Copepods FS - $15

I culture Tigriopus genus copepods for my system and prefer feeding them over flake or frozen. Every several months my staggered cultures sync and produce more than I need so time to clear them out! I have 8 oz bottles LOADED with hundreds of copepods for $15 per bottle. Shipping is USPS...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Juniorh2r]

Ohio - Copepods FS - $15

I culture Tigriopus genus copepods for my system and prefer feeding them over flake or frozen. Every several months my staggered cultures sync and produce more than I need so time to clear them out! I have 8 oz bottles LOADED with hundreds of copepods for $15 per bottle. Shipping is USPS...

www.reef2reef.com

Do I have to add any food for them

 

[PilotOfSubmarines]

Do I have to add any food for them

I have never fed them directly by adding phyto in my tank. You can add any brand Phytoplankton if you'd like.

 

[Uncle99]

Sorry, I have never added PODS in 30 years.
I just waited for 8 months until my tank was full of PODS before adding the Mandy.
He is the only exclusive POD eater in the tank.
I dose 15ml once per week of Seachem phyto, but that’s a treat for my clams.
Mandarin is the easiest fish I have ever kept.

I can’t believe how much money people spend on keeping PODS, lots of rock and good old time will mean you never buy PODS again......unless you keep multiple exclusive POD eaters.