Mandarin Goby -

[G Santana]

I have my Mandarin now 9 months, it just eats pods. I never bought pods but I did buy a ball of chaeto from my LFS and BOOM the pods exploded in the tank.
You should be fine in a tank that old. You can always supplement with baby brine shrimp in an inexpensive feeder.

 

[design.maddie]

I personally have not kept a Mandorin and only using my knowledge of scooter blennies. I have never seen one just stop eating. They normally graze constantly. They stop to sleep and make their love dance. I would agree that tempting it with baby brine and garlic should be on the to do list. Getting them to eat prepared food in general is a long shot, but not a 100% failure rate. Congrats on the purchase. Buying a fish is such an amazing experience. Even more so the ones that comes with high demand in husbandry skills. Post some pics or video soon! I'm a sucker for these guys.

 

[reefnewb70]

I personally have not kept a Mandorin and only using my knowledge of scooter blennies. I have never seen one just stop eating. They normally graze constantly. They stop to sleep and make their love dance. I would agree that tempting it with baby brine and garlic should be on the to do list. Getting them to eat prepared food in general is a long shot, but not a 100% failure rate. Congrats on the purchase. Buying a fish is such an amazing experience. Even more so the ones that comes with high demand in husbandry skills. Post some pics or video soon! I'm a sucker for these guys.