Skinny scooter dragonet

[Dixie_reefer]

So I bought my scooter from my lfs a few days before it closed and she is a bit skinny. I've been feeding the tank a mixture of mysis and cyclop-eez. She seems gets really active when I feed and seems to munch down the cyclop-eez. She has also rid the tank of flat worms. I have had her about 2 weeks and I haven't seen any real improvement in her weight. How long does it usually take them to fill out?

 

[Dixie_reefer]

These pics were taken the day I got her.

 

[Dixie_reefer]

bump

 

[_Alex_]

get some of the small fish new life spectrum pellets. then get a babyfood jar (empty one) put the pellets in the jar and add a little bit of tank water and make the pellets sink to the bottom of it.. then after they ahve soaked for a bit in the water slowly lower the jar into the tank to a spot where you see the scooter hunting around a lot.. hopefully it will go in the jar and try some of the pellets.. if it wont go in the jar at all, just leave the jar in the tank with no pellets for a week, once you see it start entering the jar then add pellets again. can also be done with mysis, brine and other frozen food but have to be carefull how fast you lower it in becuase water coming in wil stir it up.

ive got 2 mandarin to start eatign pellets this way!

another tip to get pods population to grow is, any empty hermit/snail shells you have, pile them all up in a back corner with some broken up rock rubble. this will give the pods a place to hide and breed. will give the scooter plenty of natural food this way. but if you can get it to eat from the jar you will be golden

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

It could take a few weeks to see a visible improvement. I would seed the tank periodically with pods to ensure the scooter has plenty of food to hunt. The baby food jar is an awesome idea.

 

[3Twinklets]

Oh my! Sometimes the food is eaten long before it has a chance to get to where she is living. +1 with Alex on the above information. Also, you may try to feed at night since they are pretty vigilant in the evening hours. Mine eats more when the lights are in twilight mode. As SeahorseKeeper said, it may take her awhile.

 

[_Alex_]

yes the baby food jars have worked great for getting bottom dwelling fish to eat prepared foods! i have had several local members do the same thing and get there mandarins and scooters eating from them!

also if you have access to some acrylic holllow rod you can make a feeding station you can put a small bowl on the end of it and some 1/8" to 1/4" screen over the bowl (shallower bowl the better) and you can dump food down the rod and it will stay in the bowl then the mandarin or scooter can just come to it and feed as needed... them having the longer straw like mouth as long as they can poke there head in a little ways they can suck the food up! havnt made one yet myself but have seen several other people on forums with them.

also helps to put a small funnel on the top of the rod to get the food down it

 

[Dixie_reefer]

Thank you! those are all good ideas. I bought another kind of frozen food (plankton) and I saw her eating a few pieces. I'm optimistic that she will gain the weight.

 

[Tabasco1]

+1 to the diner. Took my mandarin a little bit before it started to go in, I also attached some acrylic to the bottom so the the hermits couldn't get in. One food that would probably help to get it onto pellets is nutra ova mar. That stuff is what really turned the corner for my mandy. He wasn't interested in the pellets at all until I got him on the ova. Once it was on that it would start to try pellets and then mysis. Good luck!!