What can I do to prevent my mandarin from starving?

[Paul B]

This is from a defunct forum that is not active any longer.

Paul B’s Unique Perspective on Keeping Mandarins

Hobby pioneer Paul “Paul B” Baldassano is not your grandfather’s reefkeeper (though he is old enough to be your grandfather!). In fact, Paul B’s perspective on just about any aspect of the marine a…

www.saltwatersmarts.com

 

[fishguy242]

hi welcome to the reef going to love it here!!
lots of fun/info/fun/help/fun....
i am sorry i am with rehoming until tank is mature best wishes ,either way you go ,also agree w random target feeding
if you keep ,

 

[NC122606]

Welcome to R2R! Sadly I would return it, copepods are expensive. But if you’d like to research how to feed it and everything. But of course mature your tank.

 

[IzzysPop]

Not sure anyone mentioned this, but if you want to keep him, you could sign up for the mandarin feeder kit or just a bottle of pods on algaebarn.com and do the auto shipment every week or so. Keep dropping in the pods at night and some will make their way into the rock work to start reproducing and be available to your mandarin. It’s an expensive way to go, but it will put a lot of live pods in front of him right away while also working to seed the tanks population.
I desperately want a mandarin and am watching my DT and sump glass (almost nightly) to make sure the pod population is growing and growing in anticipation of the day I can comfortably put one in there and know he’ll stay fat and happy!

 

[iambenfields]

Another vote for pods. Mine picks away all day at a very healthy pod population but even then I supplement with more tsibe pods every few months if I don't see as many on the glass when I clean. But you can grow pods too, and phyto if you really want to keep it and maintain an environment that helps keep it healthy.

 

[F i s h y]

Welcome to the party! I think you can reasonably and relatively cheaply set up a diy phytoplankton and pod culture if you have the space and be able to supplement with your own pods. You can also use the baby brine shrimp feeder in the above referenced article. The lfs doesn't care about who buys the fish 95% of the time, only in making money typically. I wish all fish stores were great, but sadly a lot of the chain stores have destroyed those. Research other alternatives before giving up. Get creative. A 5 gallon tank with some live rock macro algae, and phyto can make a great pod tank...

 

[jay06705]

Welcome to R2R!!

 

[samnaz]

I recommend returning to the LFS, or if that’s not ideal/possible, I’d try rehoming to a local hobbyist with an established proper system.

If you have your heart set on mandarins, the captive bred, tank raised and guaranteed to eat pellets is your best bet. Less demanding and costly long term, compared to supplemental pod feeding required with the non captive bred mandarin.

Blue Mandarin | Synchiropus splendidus | ORA | Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums

ORA Aquacultured Blue Mandarin Gobies eat frozen and pellet foods and are easier to care for than their wild counterparts.

www.orafarm.com

All of ORA’s captive bred mandarins will accept a variety of prepared frozen and dry foods.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Welcome to R2R!!

Sadly, I echo the others. See if the LFS or a friend or someone from a local reefing club can hold the little guy for ya.

Mandarin really needs an established tank with a healthy population of pods to feed it since they can be picky eaters and that is their favorite food. I believe they prefer copepods to amphipods as the amphipods can sometimes be too big of a bite.

If you can't get anyone to hold it, see if you can rush an order of pods from Algae Barn to give it something to eat so it doesn't starve. <3

Mandarin Feeder Kit™

Mandarin Feeder Kit™ Addressing the major short- and long-term challenges in providing adequate sustenance for dragonets, the Mandarin Feeder Kit is a true blessing for pet mandarin fishes everywhere. This select package includes NanoBrine, 5280 Pods and Pod Pate.

www.algaebarn.com

5280 Pods

Each 16oz portion of 5280 Pods contains 5280+ LIVE Tigriopus, Tisbe, and Apocyclops Copepods ranging from nauplii to adult sizes. 5280 Pods is great for seeding new tanks and refugiums, boosting existing populations, or feeding finicky fish & inverts such as Mandarins, Seahorses, Anthias...

www.algaebarn.com

This gif is awesome

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Welcome to R2R

 

[SPR1968]

Great advice already so Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[NashobaTek]

I have 3 mandrins in my tank and they eat newly hatched brine shrimp along with grated raw shrimp. I also have a huge pod population, but I have watched them eat the other.

However I have to go with everyone else, either rush a order of pods or get some brine shrimp hatched ASAP. They will starve to death otherwise.

 

[Reefnman2]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[NashobaTek]

I just wanted to add that you can make a mandrin target feeder. It's easy to make and helps keep the brine shrimp at the bottom for the mandrins. Several videos on how to make them on u tube.

 

[rodney]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Paul B]

 

[Crustaceon]

For perspective, I’ve QT’d way too many starving mandarins from fellow reefers. I feed them exclusively on either nutramar ova or live baby brine and manage to fatten them up without the addition of pods. My QT only has a few pvc pipes for shelter and a sponge filter. I always use a pipet to squirt little food on the bottom of the tank a few times per day. Mandarins have no problems catching baby brine even a few inches off of the bottom of the tank.

 

[K7BMG]

Yes Dragonetts are difficult to keep.
Your pod population MUST be massave.
When the folks here say established tank they are meaning a massave amount of pods.
I have seen a few podless tanks that were years old.
Many fish will pick at pods wrasse and others reducing pod numbers.
Its important to know the care and feeding habits before you buy.

There are so many fish in this hobby that die when they dont need to.

I have not faired well with Algae Barn and honestly most everything I have purchased from them is dead. My luck I guess but I will not buy from them anymore.

But with Dragonetts you must first become successful with growing pod cultures. Then and inly then can you successfully keep them.

I agree with the one or two people who say going back to the LFS will also be a death sentence. The fish is in a weakend state already and the transfer will probably do him in.
LFS dont manage or grow pods, they dont supplement the tanks with pods. Most only scarcely feed the fish in the first place. So the idea of returning the fish is a means of thinking we did the right thing.
Sorry I know this is harsh but at some point it has to be said.
The right thing to do is know what you want, and then do what it takes to properly care for the fish, coral, or other livestock.
BEFORE you get it.


Just because its a LFS does not mean their tanks are pod populated as well.

 

[NashobaTek]

I have had great success with pod your reef. Every shipment of pods arrive in 2 days and very alive and full of pods. They're in Texas

 

[boacvh]

Feed him live baby brine shrimp. Look for PaulB's feeder above and use that. I made an easy version of it on my build thread. Mine flocked to it within minutes, it really worked for me.