Kermit my Green Mandarin

[Tim Olson]

It looks like Kermit found a good home. I got my Mandarin about 4 months ago and so far he's doing well. I've had good luck with Nutramar Ova, which I target feed 3 times a day, to supplement the copepods in my tank. I'm still a newbie with Mandarins and I hope mine and Kermit do well.

 

[Gaines69]

It looks like Kermit found a good home. I got my Mandarin about 4 months ago and so far he's doing well. I've had good luck with Nutramar Ova, which I target feed 3 times a day, to supplement the copepods in my tank. I'm still a newbie with Mandarins and I hope mine and Kermit do well.

Member Paul B has written a couple of great articles about Mandarins. Really good reads. Look them up. If you can't find them let me know and I'll see if I can copy the links and send them to you.

 

[Tim Olson]

Thanks for the heads up ... Paul B really knows Mandarins. I've read some of his articles right before I got my Mandarin, but I should do a more thorough review now that I had mine for a little while.

All the best!

 

[Gaines69]

Just an update on Kermit. So far he's doing great. I target feed twice a day and I sit and watch him gobble up food before it ever hits the bottom. He will sit and eat in the back corner of the tank where I put the frozen food where it falls in a pile. He's still very active and isn't so shy any more. Going to pick up another bottle of live copepods this weekend to add to the tank and hob refugium. Wish I could get a good picture to show y'all. Every time he's up front he either swims off before I can take a picture ofr my little clownfish photo bombs the pic. Lol. One day I will get the picture.

 

[Tim Olson]

That's great news! He sure sounds like a lot of fun.

I finally have been able to get some shots of mine, since he's been out more.

 

[Gaines69]

That's great news! He sure sounds like a lot of fun.

I finally have been able to get some shots of mine, since he's been out more.

Wow. He's beautiful. Here are a couple of pictures I took today. Not the best but .....

 

[Tim Olson]

Cool! I'm glad the feeding is going will with Kermit. Mine doesn't seem to like the Nutramar Ova anymore, since I think he's been finding enough copepods. I hope he doesn't deplete the population.

All the best!

 

[Tim Olson]

BTW, another thing I noticed the other day was him flying right on the sand with enough force to kick up the sand. I wonder if it's a mating ritual or something. Maybe he needs a mate? I wish I had a video of it, since it was pretty neat.

 

[Paul B]

Kermit put on some weight and it looks good on him. Nice fish

 

[Harris3005]

I love mandarins and have a breeding pair. They are long lived, very beautiful fish that I have been keeping for many years but there is no reason to go broke feeding them as they are a pretty easy fish to take care of but require different methods than most fish.
Kermit is a little thin and IMO you are not feeding him correctly. I know you are spending more to feed him then your spouse but they can and will live fine on New Born Brine shrimp. But you can't just throw them in the water, you need to make a feeder. I would also eliminate those pellets and you can eliminate the Nutrimar if you feed correctly.
A mandarin needs to eat every few seconds and although Nutrimar is an excellent food, your mandarin will digest it in a few minutes and need something else.
I wrote a couple of articles on them if you are interested. Good luck, I love mandarins.
http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/?s=mandarin

http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/diy-target-feeder-mandarinfish-pipefish-2804/

And a video.

My pair eat pellets and frozen a couple of times a day, I don't feed any baby brine or add pods to the tank. They spawn all the time. Had them for a year now so nowhere near as long have been keeping them but I don't think you should discourage people from feeding them things such as pellets if they can get the mandarins to eat them. Surely even as supplementary feeding the more you can get them to eat the better?

 

[Paul B]

My pair eat pellets and frozen a couple of times a day, I don't feed any baby brine or add pods to the tank. They spawn all the time. Had them for a year now so nowhere near as long have been keeping them but I don't think you should discourage people from feeding them things such as pellets if they can get the mandarins to eat them. Surely even as supplementary feeding the more you can get them to eat the better?

Suppliment feeding is fine as long as they get the chance to eat all day like they were built to eat. You are probably a very good mandarin keeper and your mandarin probably loves you. But many mandarins won't eat pellets or frozen. I am sure you also have plenty of pods in your tank because all those pellets and frozen you are adding feed the pods. I add pellets all the time, my fish don't eat them but I add them just to feed the pods. If you dive with mandarins and follow them in their natural habitat you will see them eating a pod almost continuously. That's the way a mandarin is supposed to eat. We can feed them other things because it is easier for us, but pellets IMO are not the proper diet for a fish like a mandarin or any fish.
The fact that yours is spawning is fantastic, but most won't on that diet.
As I said, he is also eating pods. Pods are in every tank if you want them or not.
But your mandarin certainly loves you.

 

[Harris3005]

Suppliment feeding is fine as long as they get the chance to eat all day like they were built to eat. You are probably a very good mandarin keeper and your mandarin probably loves you. But many mandarins won't eat pellets or frozen. I am sure you also have plenty of pods in your tank because all those pellets and frozen you are adding feed the pods. I add pellets all the time, my fish don't eat them but I add them just to feed the pods. If you dive with mandarins and follow them in their natural habitat you will see them eating a pod almost continuously. That's the way a mandarin is supposed to eat. We can feed them other things because it is easier for us, but pellets IMO are not the proper diet for a fish like a mandarin or any fish.
The fact that yours is spawning is fantastic, but most won't on that diet.
As I said, he is also eating pods. Pods are in every tank if you want them or not.
But your mandarin certainly loves you.

Yeah sorry, I didn't mean there were no pods in the tank I just don't add any.

I was in no way trying to prove you wrong or anything like that, I was just trying to show another way of doing it that's been working for me so far. I've seen you say on other threads that they should be spawning all the time if their feeding requirements and optimal living conditions are being met so I was just using that as a measurement of my success so far[emoji106]

I hope none of this is is sounding argumentative, I always enjoy your posts and reading about the success and longevity of your tank! It's just cool to have a forum that allows us mere mortals to discuss things like this with people who really know what they are doing!

 

[Paul B]

I hope none of this is is sounding argumentative,

Harris, it is totally impossible to hurt my feelings on a fish forum. You can call me bald, fat, ugly, stupid, un informed, or any other negative sounding thing you can think of. We are talking about fish, or what I usually call them, lunch.
We are unfortunately not curing cancer, acne, bad hair cuts or stopping certain people from wearing Speedo's, and you know who you are.
The vast majority of people on many forums disagree with everything I say and wish I would have a Supermodel stick me in the eye with a long spined sea urchin.
I don't care.
I am old, a combat Veteran, a Grand Father, twice, bald, and did I say, Old.
I still love you, don't worry about it at all.

 

[Gaines69]

I love R2R. Lol. I have learned so much. I never worry about asking dumb questions. I believe we all learn from each other. These discussions we have only benefit our fish. I sit and watch Kermit and he is always picking at the sand and live rock and I assume eating pods. I tend to be paranoid so I seed my tank every once in a while with live pods just to make sure my population can keep up. Paul B. I read your articles and not only did I laugh but I learned. My goal is to have a healthy tank with healthy and happy fish. I now need to get a camera so I can take pictures that do my fish justice. Lol. Thanks again for all of your advice. I don't ask questions and expect to be told only what I want to hear. I want to be told what I really need to do. I am a big girl and can take constructive criticism. It's how I learn. Lol

 

[NanoCrazed]

Thought you guys might be interested in a shot of some of mine...

1 spotted female, and a pair of green male/female rescues (emaciated at lfs) who are on their way to getting as fat as the spotted (there's also a visiting red ruby awaiting it's permanent home to be readied). They partake in the broadcast feeding I do for the rest of their mates in addition to pods sustained by the in tank pod hotel (filled with chaeto and lighted). Believe it or not, the spotted has a taste for krill...

Sadly, I just lost a pair of red mandarins due to an unfortunate cuke nuke incident in my other tank... but otherwise healthy as well...

 

[Gaines69]

Thought you guys might be interested in a shot of some of mine...

1 spotted female, and a pair of green male/female rescues (emaciated at lfs) who are on their way to getting as fat as the spotted (there's also a visiting red ruby awaiting it's permanent home to be readied). They partake in the broadcast feeding I do for the rest of their mates in addition to pods sustained by the in tank pod hotel (filled with chaeto and lighted). Believe it or not, the spotted has a taste for krill...

Sadly, I just lost a pair of red mandarins due to an unfortunate cuke nuke incident in my other tank... but otherwise healthy as well...

Beautiful.