Tempted by the ORA Mandarins...

[Kris 2020]

I know I shouldn’t...I do have an established tank with a crap-ton of pods. They are supposed to eat frozen etc. But I’ve just seen them as an impossible fish for so long, like, I’m afraid to pull the trigger. Anyone have experience with a captive bred mandarin?

 

[Uncle99]

I had no luck, they were very small, about 1/2”.
Always had great luck with wild caught, about 2”, provided it has PODS.
4 years now and he never ever touched anything but PODS.
Wild caught are hunters, they don’t like dead stuff that floats by.
Easiest fish I have ever kept........provided it has PODS..........
Also, I do not keep any other exclusive POD eaters.

 

[HockeyRooster]

Mine is doing great after about 3 months. Dosed lots of pods a few different times before getting her. I’ve been hatching live brine shrimp to feed her and just recently started culturing pods as well. I have about 110 gallons total so I don’t know if I need to add either but I’ve yet to see her eat frozen so I’ll keep doing it. If you quarantine and ensure it is eating frozen or dry food you should be good to go. I didn’t do that so I’ll keep adding live food.
She’s so cute and I often watch the tank until she comes out which is more and more as she settles in. Be prepared that it will be the smallest fish ever if you do get one!! Get one!!!!!

 

[reefer024]

I have one, he's wild caught and was tiny when I got him. The picture is when I got him this year June 25. And video was just a few minutes ago. He ate frozen spirulina brine shrimp from day one. I put one bottle of tigger pods in when I got him and haven't since. To get used to the food I just used my coral spot feeder syringe and he knows that's where the food comes from, he's very smart. But now I can just pour the food in.

 

[sunken3]

i have never had an ora, but i have never had problem keeping the green or red.. i currently have a tiny red in a tank that i started up 1 month before i put him in.. he's been fine for 6 months so far... i feed frozen, mysis, brine, and calanus to the tank... he eats the calanus mostly, when they get bigger frozen mysis.

 

[sunken3]

I know I shouldn’t...I do have an established tank with a crap-ton of pods. They are supposed to eat frozen etc. But I’ve just seen them as an impossible fish for so long, like, I’m afraid to pull the trigger. Anyone have experience with a captive bred mandarin?

definitely NOT an impossible fish

 

[jordan9095]

if you have established tank, get one from the LFS and see how it does. mine learned to eat pellets with no training and hunts for pods.

 

[lumpadelic]

I got one in august and it is doing well in a one+ year old tank. Definitely pods breeding in tank, but I don’t supplement live ones. He has tripled in size since we got him. We hardly ever see him, but it’s awesome when we catch a glimpse!

 

[argiBK]

I’ve got two Biotas in my 80G. A female for the last 2.5 years and a male for the last 6 months. Both are fat and healthy and my pod population is healthy and quite apparent on the glass.

They still eat pods, but also scavenge leftover food in the substrate and rockwork.

 

[Maximus]

I just received a pair of tiny Biota mandarins today and hope they do well. I saw the smaller one eat tdo pellets today but haven’t seen the other one eat. I plan on feeding live baby brine tomorrow as soon as they hatch. Did your Biota raised mandarins eat right away or did it take time?

 

[argiBK]

Did your Biota raised mandarins eat right away or did it take time?

I fed the female Nutramar Ova when it was still available, and she took it pretty quickly.

The male disappeared for a couple weeks after I added him, but in an 80 gallon, it'd be impossible to keep track of him since they come in so tiny (I had a 30 gallon when I added the female), now he's out and about more than female who is 3x his size. I've seen him take frozen cyclops.

 

[hart24601]

I got a tiny biota one a couple years ago and he is all grown up now. I never have added pods to my 70g, I assume he must eat pellets as that is all I feed, the smallest size you can find.