Mandarin Dragonet getting slimmer

[IE Reefer]

Hey everyone,
I've been having this Dragonet for a while and I can notice that it's starting to slim down a bit from him picking at the pods in my DT for so long. I've had to replenish the pods about 4 or so months ago and it seems that I have to do it again. What should I do in the meantime while I'm trying to get the best deal on pods? Should I put him in my sump on the return pump side (I can see plenty of pods hanging out on that side)? Or should I do something else?

 

[blaxsun]

He's starving. An adult mandarin can consume a bottle of pods in leas than 48 hours, so every 4 months isn't going to cut it. You need to replenish probably every 2-3 weeks at a minimum.

 

[IE Reefer]

He's starving. An adult mandarin can consume a bottle of pods in leas than 48 hours, so every 4 months isn't going to cut it. You need to replenish probably every 2-3 weeks at a minimum.

Oh dang, well what should I do? I've been thinking about cultivating but I've been putting it off because of the total cost and because I know that I'll need to culture phyto to feed the pods and my wife doesn't want the phyto in the house since it will stink the house up.

 

[Lavey29]

Oh dang, well what should I do? I've been thinking about cultivating but I've been putting it off because of the total cost and because I know that I'll need to culture phyto to feed the pods and my wife doesn't want the phyto in the house since it will stink the house up.

I think you are out by me. Pisces fish and corals usually has jars of pods in stock. Call and ask them so you can feed him.

 

[MontrealReefer]

Hey everyone,
I've been having this Dragonet for a while and I can notice that it's starting to slim down a bit from him picking at the pods in my DT for so long. I've had to replenish the pods about 4 or so months ago and it seems that I have to do it again. What should I do in the meantime while I'm trying to get the best deal on pods? Should I put him in my sump on the return pump side (I can see plenty of pods hanging out on that side)? Or should I do something else?

You should diversify the type of pods you have but make sure you add a pod hotel. It will be easy for you to take it apart to cast feed live pods of your own culture.

 

[MaxTremors]

Start a refugium. If your tank isn’t that big or if you haven’t seeded it with real live rock, you’re going to have a tough time sustaining a decent population. Bottled pods are temperate species that don’t reproduce very well at tropical tanks, add a predator, and the population gets diminished quickly. I would start a refugium, seed it with some real live rock, it will give tropical pods a predator free place to breed and constantly replenish the DT. And a couple times a week you can take a clump of chaeto and shake it out into the DT.

You can also culture white worms (just need some Tupperware and a cool place to keep them). They are nutritionally sound, mandarins love them, and they will wriggle around in saltwater for a couple hours before dying.

Seriously though, a few pounds of real live rock will seed your tank with tons of microfauna that your mandarin will eat.

 

[IE Reefer]

Start a refugium. If your tank isn’t that big or if you haven’t seeded it with real live rock, you’re going to have a tough time sustaining a decent population. Bottled pods are temperate species that don’t reproduce very well at tropical tanks, add a predator, and the population gets diminished quickly. I would start a refugium, seed it with some real live rock, it will give tropical pods a predator free place to breed and constantly replenish the DT. And a couple times a week you can take a clump of chaeto and shake it out into the DT.

You can also culture white worms (just need some Tupperware and a cool place to keep them). They are nutritionally sound, mandarins love them, and they will wriggle around in saltwater for a couple hours before dying.

Seriously though, a few pounds of real live rock will seed your tank with tons of microfauna that your mandarin will eat.

I have a sump with a refugium running since I started, I kind of ruled out shaking the cheato in the DT since it's a detritus magnet, but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and deal with the cloudiness. I'll have to post a picture of my refugium to show what I have and make adjustments if i have to do so. I do like the white worms idea but the wife didn't so that idea went down the drain.

 

[IE Reefer]

You should diversify the type of pods you have but make sure you add a pod hotel. It will be easy for you to take it apart to cast feed live pods of your own culture.

That's a great idea, ill look into it, seems fairly easy to harvest from what you're saying

 

[IE Reefer]

I think you are out by me. Pisces fish and corals usually has jars of pods in stock. Call and ask them so you can feed him.

Yeah, I remember seeing some, but I think it will be more convenient for me to get the 16oz containers from PetWorld in San Bernardino, though it might be more expensive. I'll have to call around and ask for prices tmr.

 

[PeterEde]

Hey everyone,
I've been having this Dragonet for a while and I can notice that it's starting to slim down a bit from him picking at the pods in my DT for so long. I've had to replenish the pods about 4 or so months ago and it seems that I have to do it again. What should I do in the meantime while I'm trying to get the best deal on pods? Should I put him in my sump on the return pump side (I can see plenty of pods hanging out on that side)? Or should I do something else?

I feed mine frozen brine from a pipette. She's putting on weight visibly. I still add pods/phyto weekly

 

[damsels are not mean]

I have a sump with a refugium running since I started, I kind of ruled out shaking the cheato in the DT since it's a detritus magnet, but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and deal with the cloudiness.

I do this every day, and it's a feast for my whole tank. There is not a single "coral food" product I have tried that elicits the same voracious feeding response from every coral in the tank as shaking out my chaeto. Detritus in my mind is either food or dust. If it's food why not see if I can get it eaten and if it's dust it's not a worry.

 

[Kmst80]

Check this out, Paul B's Diy target feeder. Won't replace copepods but might supplement your mandarins diet.

DIY Target Feeder for Mandarinfish (and Pipefish) | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

We as aquarists tend to keep all sorts of creatures in our tanks, and some of them present a challenge to feed. We know what fish eat, and we know how fish eat, but sometimes the fish’s schedule does…

reefbuilders.com

 

[LiamPM]

Most stores will sell "frozen lobster eggs" in the blister packs we get brine etc in.

Im yet to find a Dragonet that can resist them - Flow off and pipette some in the area and they always go to town on them. One of the best foods to give and train a dragonet into eating prepared foods in my opinion.

Give that a try whilst adding plenty more pods - dont wait for any bargains on pods - They are cheap as is and pretty vital to your Mandarin right now.