My Mandarin only eats frozen Brineshrimp but

[1Clown]

I don't know how much to feed and how often. I only have a 12g nano so really don't want to over pollute the tank with tons of frozen, it doesn't eat copepods or calanus so it's frozen brineshrimp only for now.

 

[4FordFamily]

I don't know how much to feed and how often. I only have a 12g nano so really don't want to over pollute the tank with tons of frozen, it doesn't eat copepods or calanus so it's frozen brineshrimp only for now.

First of all, you're lucky most mandarins eat only pods.

Secondly, feed only what the fish will consume in day 5 minutes, which would be very very little.

Multiple very small feedings per day would be ideal.

 

[PetuniaTheCat]

I don't know how much to feed and how often. I only have a 12g nano so really don't want to over pollute the tank with tons of frozen, it doesn't eat copepods or calanus so it's frozen brineshrimp only for now.

Order some nutramar ova from Marine Depot. They are tiny prawn eggs that the mandarin will pick at like copepods. My mandarin won't touch anything but frozen brine and nutramar. What brand do you buy the brine from?

 

[1Clown]

First of all, you're lucky most mandarins eat only pods.

Secondly, feed only what the fish will consume in day 5 minutes, which would be very very little.

Multiple very small feedings per day would be ideal.

Currently I squirt frozen brine all around it and leave all pumps off for at 30 minutes to let it eat as much as it wants/can. Honestly it would become a chore doing that multiple times a day. Will see if he fattens up first on it's current feeding regimen, it arrived EXTRA skinny from the lfs I purchased from online.

 

[1Clown]

Order some nutramar ova from Marine Depot. They are tiny prawn eggs that the mandarin will pick at like copepods. My mandarin won't touch anything but frozen brine and nutramar. What brand do you buy the brine from?

I'm in the UK so I'm afraid those products aren't available to me. The frozen brineshrimp I feed is made by gamma: http://charterhouse-aquatics.com/sh...2/gamma-garlic-brine-shrimp-blister-pack-100g

 

[PetuniaTheCat]

I'm in the UK so I'm afraid those products aren't available to me. The frozen brineshrimp I feed is made by gamma: http://charterhouse-aquatics.com/sh...2/gamma-garlic-brine-shrimp-blister-pack-100g

Marine Depot says it ships internationally but I could be wrong. Premium Aquatics also sells easy reefs masstick, a food that sticks to rock like glue and my mandarin also has pecked at it before. The mandarin could pick at it all day so multiple feedings wouldn't be as much of an issue. Their website also says they ship internationally, but then again, I could be wrong. Hope everything works out, they are without a doubt my favorite fish even if their feeding requirements are so difficult to fullfill.

 

[1Clown]

Marine Depot says it ships internationally but I could be wrong. Premium Aquatics also sells easy reefs masstick, a food that sticks to rock like glue and my mandarin also has pecked at it before. The mandarin could pick at it all day so multiple feedings wouldn't be as much of an issue. Their website also says they ship internationally, but then again, I could be wrong. Hope everything works out, they are without a doubt my favorite fish even if their feeding requirements are so difficult to fullfill.

I actually have masstick, tried it prior to getting my mandarin and none of my 7-9 fish took interest in it, will try it again to see if the mandarin warms up to it or not.

 

[PetuniaTheCat]

Correct me I'm wrong...but you have 7-9 fish in your 12g? Or of the 7-9 fish you have ever kept in your 12g, none would eat the masstick? I think one of the main ingredients in masstick is frozen copepods so the mandarin should be interested.

 

[1Clown]

Correct me I'm wrong...but you have 7-9 fish in your 12g? Or of the 7-9 fish you have ever kept in your 12g, none would eat the masstick? I think one of the main ingredients in masstick is frozen copepods so the mandarin should be interested.

That was in my 55gal, I shut it down. In this tank I have a pair of clowns, a fire fish and the mandarin so 4 fish in total.

 

[PetuniaTheCat]

Alright, I was kinda worried if you had 9 fish in a 12g, lol. I don't have a firefish but my pair of clowns have eaten the masstick.

 

[1Clown]

Alright, I was kinda worried if you had 9 fish in a 12g, lol. I don't have a firefish but my pair of clowns have eaten the masstick.

Will try tomorrow and post in this thread whether the masstick was successful or not.

 

[1Clown]

Put in some masstick today and after a while the clowns finally realised it's food so they were the only fish eating it. The mandarin went right up to it but ignored it completely, typical. So I resorted to feeding frozen brine and mysis mixed together in hopes that it would also eat frozen mysis. My mandarin is so shy I don't even get to see the dang thing unless I look for it looking through the sides of the tank and it's only a 12g!

 

[Harris3005]

I'm in the UK so I'm afraid those products aren't available to me. The frozen brineshrimp I feed is made by gamma: http://charterhouse-aquatics.com/sh...2/gamma-garlic-brine-shrimp-blister-pack-100g

Hi mate, I'm in the uk too and my mandarin pair both love Vitalis Platinum XS pellets. The small tub is only about £6 from any Maidenhead Aquatics so might be worth a shot.

 

[1Clown]

Hi mate, I'm in the uk too and my mandarin pair both love Vitalis Platinum XS pellets. The small tub is only about £6 from any Maidenhead Aquatics so might be worth a shot.

Hi, how did you go about getting them to eat it?

 

[Harris3005]

Spot feeding in a secluded corner of the tank which is covered by a tall rock scape. Started off putting frozen brine and bags of pods there and slowly swapped in pellets. Now they go to the corner when they are hungry and swim up and down the glass until I drop in the pellets. Here's a video of the male eating the pellets, it's quite dark so apologies for that!

 

[1Clown]

Spot feeding in a secluded corner of the tank which is covered by a tall rock scape. Started off putting frozen brine and bags of pods there and slowly swapped in pellets. Now they go to the corner when they are hungry and swim up and down the glass until I drop in the pellets. Here's a video of the male eating the pellets, it's quite dark so apologies for that!

Thanks for that, I'll give it ago, already pretty much putting the food all in 1 corner so shouldn't take too long hopefully.

 

[Harris3005]

Thanks for that, I'll give it ago, already pretty much putting the food all in 1 corner so shouldn't take too long hopefully.

[emoji106]Make sure it's the extra small pellets you get. Let me know how you get on!

 

[Vaughn17]

Spot feeding in a secluded corner of the tank which is covered by a tall rock scape. Started off putting frozen brine and bags of pods there and slowly swapped in pellets. Now they go to the corner when they are hungry and swim up and down the glass until I drop in the pellets. Here's a video of the male eating the pellets, it's quite dark so apologies for that!

Very good, Harris! Are your mandarins aquacultured?

 

[Harris3005]

Very good, Harris! Are your mandarins aquacultured?

No, we don't have the luxury of aquaculture mandarins yet here in the UK!

 

[Vaughn17]

Those must be some pellets, then. I'm guessing it took a good deal of time and effort on your part as well.