Help My Mandarin

[NateHanson]

I'd go for a few ounces . . . of either

 

[Casino]

Thank you all for your help. Ok. I will have to see if I can find it. Couldnt hurt to spice up my manderins diet so he has something else to eat.

 

[shawn]

I "trained" ours to eat thawed mysis. First, feed the other fish, and turn the pumps off in the tank. Then put a cube of frozen mysis in a turkey baster, fill it with tank water, and wait for it to thaw. Wait until your mandarin is near a surface where the mysis can settle, and gently blow them toward the mandarin so that they slowly settle down to the surface. Hopefully it will notice the motion, and snap them up after they settle (never seen mine ever take anything out of the water column).

Good luck!

 

[JBendel]

Mail order pods:

http://floridapets.com/

http://www.inlandaquatics.com/prod/products.html




...

 

[Piscevore]

Shawn--
My daily routine includes mixing frozen food and tank water in a glass, and then sucking up with a turkey baster Just wanted to point out it might be neater and cleaner to defrost in something -other- than the baster

heheheh

 

[denvig]

Shawn--
My daily routine includes mixing frozen food and tank water in a glass, and then sucking up with a turkey baster Just wanted to point out it might be neater and cleaner to defrost in something -other- than the baster

heheheh

I do the same thing.

 

[Matt L.]

Tobiko is readily available in the Boston Metro area -- I used to buy mine from an asian supermarket on Prospect St. under one block up from Central Sq. in the direction of Inman Sq. It is flying fish roe.

All my fish absolutely loved it as a special treat. Get the small eggs, though. Only my larger fish could handle the big ones, which I think are another type of roe anyhow.

It is not very dense, so a quarter pound was a large volume and lasted me for months and months. It is also not that expensive. I think I paid just a few dollars. It apparently does not go bad either when kept refrigerated. I never noticed a foul smell over the months of using it.

Matt

 

[Matt L.]

Mandarins

A "Mandarin is starving" thread would not be complete unless it included a cautionary note to those looking to buy these beautiful fish.

While I have never (been able to have) owned one, and for good reason, hanging around on these boards over the past few years (has it really been four?!?) has taught me that you must have a sufficiently large and established system before you buy the Mandarin:

• The smallest acceptable tank volume I have ever heard of a single Mandarin being kept in is 55gal. I have also heard more conservative estimates of 90gal and 125gal as the bare minimum.
• There must be a thriving pod population. I always inferred that having a refugium helps get away with keeping the fish in a smaller tank volume.
• Once a Mandarin begins to starve, it is unfortunately doomed. Like many delicate fish, once their health begins to head South, they cannot be righted.
• It is completely hit or miss as to which Mandarins will be convinced to take prepared foods. A Mandarin that (for whatever reason) refuses over time to take prepared foods cannot be trained otherwise. Act like it is in their genes. You either get a Mandarin that eats prepared foods, or one that doesn't, and both kinds look the same
• When buying a Mandarin, you must not hope that you get lucky at the LFS and get a Mandarin that will take prepared foods -- you must be fully prepared to have a system that generates sufficient pod population.
• You have to wonder about the intelligence of a fish that will starve itself to death while its brother will eat the food available. Talk about being picky!

I hope this helps anyone who is looking to buy one of these fish. Also, any insight or corrections to the points listed above are invited,

Matt

 

[Jim Tansey]

I want to thank all for your help, my web connection has been down for most of the last two days but thanks again. I went down to Cape Maid Farms this morning and got some live brine, so far they have been swimming right by his noise and he will not touch them, I'll keep trying. Matt I resisted buying a Mandarin for the last year and a half for all the reasons you stated, I guess I got caught up in the success of others, thanks it's a good post.

Jim

 

[Rays]

Jim, I've had very good luck with frozen mysis, P.E. to be specific. When I feed I shut down all filtration and just leave a couple of ph's running for circulation. I hope you get the little one eating, also I have had better success with females adjusting to the mysis.

Ray