Video: The Mandarin Diner

[melev]

Years ago, I came up with a solution to feed my mandarins in a busy 280g reef. I just located the original video footage from 2005, and put together this clip tonight.


@revhtree

 

[DLHDesign]

Thanks for the video! Certainly a creative solution to the problem of feeding mandarins in a crowded tank. I'd love to get one of these fish, but the challenges of feeding them have kept me from it. Perhaps there's a solution here, though...

 

[melev]

Thanks for the video! Certainly a creative solution to the problem of feeding mandarins in a crowded tank. I'd love to get one of these fish, but the challenges of feeding them have kept me from it. Perhaps there's a solution here, though...

Here's my original write up: http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_diner.html

 

[75galOCD]

Thats a great idea! I always believed mandrins would eat live food only. I hope to one day have a pair in my 75gal. I could supplement with the pellets! I love it
Thanks for sharing!

 

[DLHDesign]

Here's my original write up: http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_diner.html

Very interesting - thanks again!

Due to several seedings into my sump (and patience of course - can't overrate that), my tank is flush with pods. I often find them inside my seaweed grazers and think nothing about flushing them down the sink when cleaning filter socks. Every time I have something like that happen, I think to myself, "perhaps it's time to try a mandarin again?" I had one for a short bit, but it became malnourished and didn't last long - despite much target feeding of live brine, ova, etc. I think it was just the movement and distraction of everything it took to get food in front of his face; he spooked and wouldn't eat.

I'm thinking that with this kind of Diner, I could cut up some of the sponges I keep in my sump (which are my "pod hotels", basically) and swap those in and out of such a jar - supplementing with pellets and/or frozen as well... Hm...

 

[75galOCD]

This is a diner I through together.

 

[Dsnakes]

@melev that's fantastic!

This is a diner I through together.

Tube to drop food in so no removing every time to refill? Looks great!

 

[Dsnakes]

This is a diner I through together.

Ah I see it is suction cup for lowering. I didn't look close enough the first time!

 

[75galOCD]

The refill drop is all you! Not sure it would work. It will be water bound.
You could blow the food down?

 

[75galOCD]

Still good yea?

 

[Dsnakes]

The refill drop is all you! Not sure it would work. It will be water bound.
You could blow the food down?

Ha! Perhaps a hard tube siliconed through a hole in the jar. Sinking pellets may eventually make it down if dropped slowly.

 

[melev]

I like the idea. If nothing else and you want dry hands, you might be able to do something with fishing line and be the puppet master.

 

[Zack K]

@PaulB made something similar for his mandarins and pipefish. Great right up @melev!