Green Mandarin eating habits..

[LuckyReefer]

I bought a nice fat mandarin a few weeks ago, I don't often see her picking for food during the daylight hours. Well as compared to my red scooter dragonet that I owned a few years ago. Do they typically feed at night? Or is she eating when I turn my head? Maybe she doesn't like to eat while someone is watching...lol?

Thanks, Mark

 

[iandawson]

Mandarins are predatory hunters (mainly pods). If you are lucky they will eat prepared foods, but most only will eat live foods...for this reason they tend to eat at night when pods are out to play.

 

[LuckyReefer]

ahhh... I do know what they eat thats for sure. I wouldn't have bought one If I didn't do some research. However I had yet to find anything in writing on when they eat. Thanks!

 

[delta]

PE mysis shrimp
Tobiko, this is like mandarin crack
Reef nutritions arcti pods

The first two are definitely good for keeping your mandarin healthy. Not sure on the Arcti pods as my mandarin likes them, just not sure of how nutritious they are for him. But they do stimulate his appetite

 

[iandawson]

mine eats prepared foods. if you continue to feed the tank it will probably convert over eventually. i love my mandarin...definately one of my favorite fish.

 

[LuckyReefer]

cool thank guys.... yeah I have a million mysis living in my refugium.

 

[fulinn]

My new Mandrin, just two days in the tank, is eating / hunting all the time including daytime.

He is rather shy, hiding out in the back of the tank, but we love him.
I also feed live just hatched brine shrimp to the tank once a week or so and everyone loves them including the mandrin.

Bonnie

 

[delta]

cool thank guys.... yeah I have a million mysis living in my refugium.

PE Mysis is a frozen food, you can aslo soak it in selcon and or garlic
to keep him healthy

 

[randoma]

Mandarins are predatory hunters (mainly pods). If you are lucky they will eat prepared foods, but most only will eat live foods...for this reason they tend to eat at night when pods are out to play.

All of the mandarins we've had slept at night and hunted all day... To the best of my knowledge, that is the typical behavior. I always thought it was odd since the copepods are out at night...

 

[this is me]

Mandarins are one of the stupiest animals in the food chain. They're very picky to what they eat which is mainly live pods. They rather starve to death than eating whatever you feed them. If you don't have tons of healthy pods and the mandarin is not eating frozen from the start, good luck.