Training a mandarin to eat frozen pods?

[Peach02]

So I've heard of people training their mandarin fish to eat frozen foods and or flakes, have any of you guys had success with doing so, if so do you have any advice or techniques that seem to work? (there are two mandarin fish I'm eying at my LFS but I'm not sure if they will eat frozen food). Yes I will ask to see them eat before buying them.

 

[LBReefer]

I have a Mandarin in quarantine right now that is eating Frozen and flake food. This is my fourth attempt. The others did not fair well.

A couple things to consider:

Are you in a position to feed them frozen 4 times per day or more during the light cycle? Mandarins are use to grazing throughout the day and eat thousands of pods per week.

Do you have a sizeable sump to maintain a stable amount of pods to subsidize the frozen feedings?

I saw in your other post that you are talking about a 30 gallon tank. I'd wait until you upgrade your tank and have it running for a year. It takes a long time for pods to build up breeding capacity.

Do you have any wrasses or other quick fish that will outcompete the Mandarin for pods? The mandarins are beautiful, but their fins seem more decorative than functional.

I'd recommend starting with one, not the two that you discussed in your other post.

What are you going to do when you go out of town?

My $.02

 

[Peach02]

I have a Mandarin in quarantine right now that is eating Frozen and flake food. This is my fourth attempt. The others did not fair well.

A couple things to consider:

Are you in a position to feed them frozen 4 times per day or more during the light cycle? Mandarins are use to grazing throughout the day and eat thousands of pods per week.

Do you have a sizeable sump to maintain a stable amount of pods to subsidize the frozen feedings?

I saw in your other post that you are talking about a 30 gallon tank. I'd wait until you upgrade your tank and have it running for a year. It takes a long time for pods to build up breeding capacity.

Do you have any wrasses or other quick fish that will outcompete the Mandarin for pods? The mandarins are beautiful, but their fins seem more decorative than functional.

I'd recommend starting with one, not the two that you discussed in your other post.

What are you going to do when you go out of town?

My $.02

1. I can feed them three times a day with ease I could do 4 on weekends but the 3 meals would have to be cramped on a weekday if I was to do 4 (3 meals between 4-9)

2. I've got 1 40L sump so probably

3. I've seen tons of pods around the tank but they are hiding now that there are more fish in there

4. fish I have are 2x dart fish 2x clownfish 1x bicolour blenny 1x coral beauty

5. if I was to get one from my LFS the ones they have are seemingly a pair so I don't want to seperate them

6. when I go out of town ill buy a auto feeder