Mandarin Dragonet

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 12, 2016

I was at a LFS i haven't been to in a long time, their fish selection isn't the best, but their birds are really cool to look at, plus they always have something like axotls, I even saw a banjo catfish today. Anyways, i was looking at a display tank that was maybe 40 gallons, few pieces of rock, 1 lonely mushroom coral that was probably an accident, a wrasse, a damsel, a few I can't remeber and a mandarin. I looked around and there were clearly zero copepods or any other live foods, there was nothing to sustain them or guard them either. The owner thought it had perished months ago (two more signs of no live food, both not thinking there was live food and the fact that it had been in there for months, which even if it had had a massive population, they would definitely be gone by now). She had only been feeding the tank fish pellets and the occasional frozen brine shrimp and mysis. Apparently the little guy lived off of this. I had to buy him. He looks so healthy and its very rare that you have the opportunity to buy a non-live food eating mandarin. He is in the acclamation tank now. Will put him in the tank in 50 minutes from now. I know they need to eat frequently, I think the owner did maybe once a day with occasional breaks. I'm going to try to do once in the morning when lights go on, and once when lights go off, is this too much, or too little. I currently have rods algae sheets, instant ocean herbivore pellets, freeze dried mysis, frozen brine shrimp, and microvert food, plus a few copepods I've seen swimming around. His tank will be a biocube 14 (for now, he will move to the upcoming 30 gallon later), he shares it with some corals, 2 feather dusters, snails, a shrimp, an emerald crab, and maybe 4 hermits. The fish in the tank are a false percula and a firefish. There is good filtration in the tank plus weekly 2 gallon water changes. Fingers crossed that all goes well.

Oksana Kudina · Feb 12, 2016

Well, if he survived at LFS means he was eating some food he was given. My mandarin does not take any food at all

. I bought tigger pods and use refuge for breeding them. Sometimes I can get live brine shrimp at LFS. This is not the most nutritious food but the only one he takes. Good luck with him. Beautiful and fun fish to have

jetmaker · Feb 12, 2016

Smart mandarin eat like that you got lucky. I feed 3 times a day but I have a larger tank but I totally suggest that if you're system can handle the biolode

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 12, 2016

I just added him to the tank, my gosh he is amazing.

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 12, 2016

I fed the tank some frozen brine shrimp and pellets, he didn't eat any...

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 12, 2016

Will hopefully pick up copepods and frozen mysis in under 3 days time. I booked tomorrow and the day after, but after that I probably can. Will also add some algae sheets. Also I want to try feeding at night will powerhead and filter off, maybe then some food can reach the bottom where he can get it.

jetmaker · Feb 12, 2016

See what the lfs was feeding and get that.

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 12, 2016

frozen mysis shrimp, "fish flakes," and frozen brine shrimp. I'll try all three, the biggest thing is making it so that the clownfish doesn't get the food before the dragonet.

jetmaker · Feb 12, 2016

Feed hearty you be fine

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 12, 2016

Hoping so, also I've heard that if you create a small rubble pile in the aquarium and insert copepods there it gives the copepods somewhere to breed and not get eaten, any stories of success? Will probably have to add refugium to the 30 gallon when he moves.

WindeyD · Feb 13, 2016

I just got a mandarin myself and have lucked out; this guy was immediately eating frozen mysis and Rods food served directly to him via pipette. When feeding I turn off all wavemakers and the skimmer, feed the rest of my tank to keep the other critters busy (especially my cleaner shrimp who gets a nice piece of krill), and fill the pipette with a slurry of mysis and Rods, and reach into the tank to deposit the food right in front of him; thankfully he gobbles it all up!!

saltyfilmfolks · Feb 13, 2016

ArowanaLover1902 said:
I was at a LFS i haven't been to in a long time, their fish selection isn't the best, but their birds are really cool to look at, plus they always have something like axotls, I even saw a banjo catfish today. Anyways, i was looking at a display tank that was maybe 40 gallons, few pieces of rock, 1 lonely mushroom coral that was probably an accident, a wrasse, a damsel, a few I can't remeber and a mandarin. I looked around and there were clearly zero copepods or any other live foods, there was nothing to sustain them or guard them either. The owner thought it had perished months ago (two more signs of no live food, both not thinking there was live food and the fact that it had been in there for months, which even if it had had a massive population, they would definitely be gone by now). She had only been feeding the tank fish pellets and the occasional frozen brine shrimp and mysis. Apparently the little guy lived off of this. I had to buy him. He looks so healthy and its very rare that you have the opportunity to buy a non-live food eating mandarin. He is in the acclamation tank now. Will put him in the tank in 50 minutes from now. I know they need to eat frequently, I think the owner did maybe once a day with occasional breaks. I'm going to try to do once in the morning when lights go on, and once when lights go off, is this too much, or too little. I currently have rods algae sheets, instant ocean herbivore pellets, freeze dried mysis, frozen brine shrimp, and microvert food, plus a few copepods I've seen swimming around. His tank will be a biocube 14 (for now, he will move to the upcoming 30 gallon later), he shares it with some corals, 2 feather dusters, snails, a shrimp, an emerald crab, and maybe 4 hermits. The fish in the tank are a false percula and a firefish. There is good filtration in the tank plus weekly 2 gallon water changes. Fingers crossed that all goes well.

He will be fine. Order some pods online an get the tank going. Frozen baby brine works. Google paul b and brine shrimp feeder. is a good easy supplement.

here is a great recent thread.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/can-i-get-a-mandarin.227817/

PS hob refugium.

MikeyAl · Feb 13, 2016

ArowanaLover1902 said:
frozen mysis shrimp, "fish flakes," and frozen brine shrimp. I'll try all three, the biggest thing is making it so that the clownfish doesn't get the food before the dragonet.

Hatch some baby brine shrimp. He might go for it. Also try cyclop-eeze.

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 14, 2016

I haven't seen him eat yet, but he shows zero signs of hunger and is actually quite stout. I love this fish, I plan on going to LFS tomorrow to stock up on copepods, for which I am setting up a aquarium for breeding them. Hopefully this all works out...

MikeyAl · Feb 14, 2016

Hatch some bbs

superbluetang · Feb 16, 2016

I always ask the LFS to feed the fish to see if they are eating before I buy them.

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 16, 2016

Copepods and such come tomorrow if shipping is correct. Also mandarin is back to a healthy weight, he must have eaten at night.

MikeyAl · Feb 16, 2016

What did you feed him?

ArowanaLover1902 · Feb 16, 2016

Also i've heard some say to feed phyto and some say you dont have to. Will it kill them if i dont, if so can i get away with feeding them Kent's microvert?