Breeding Mandarin Food

[pegasus]

My tank's still in its first 6 months so algae isn't the biggest of my concerns, as for the levels, the nitrates are fine and I don't test for phosphates as it's fish only. Plus, when it's swaying in the water flow it looks stunning

Oh, I didn't say it isn't pretty, but its beauty is only skin deep. Hair algae is extremely invasive, and will completely over run you tank if it's not kept in check. It's the #1 cause for tank teardowns for a good reason. It's very hard to get rid of once it has spread over a good area. I've been battling it in two tanks for over six months, have extremely low nitrate and phosphate levels, pluck it out as much as possible, and yet it persists. All I manage to accomplish is to keep it "contained".

 

[Connorer]

Oh, I didn't say it isn't pretty, but its beauty is only skin deep. Hair algae is extremely invasive, and will completely over run you tank if it's not kept in check. It's the #1 cause for tank teardowns for a good reason. It's very hard to get rid of once it has spread over a good area. I've been battling it in two tanks for over six months, have extremely low nitrate and phosphate levels, pluck it out as much as possible, and yet it persists. All I manage to accomplish is to keep it "contained".

Ah right, I never realised it was so bad. my LFS has a 'rent a sea hare service' for £5, so I may go for that again, it got rid of it in a couple of days last time, and I took it back once it had finished so that it didn't die of starvation

 

[pegasus]

Ah right, I never realised it was so bad. my LFS has a 'rent a sea hare service' for £5, so I may go for that again, it got rid of it in a couple of days last time, and I took it back once it had finished so that it didn't die of starvation

It's nice that you can rent a sea hare. I bought one awhile back and put it in my small tank, and it was doing a great job of eating the hair algae. My intention was to let it clean the small tank first, and then I'd move it to my larger tank. Unfortunately, it disappeared after a couple of weeks, so I presume it died. I have a pair of engineer gobies in the small tank, and they move mountains of sand every day. I suspect they buried it under the sand and it suffocated. I may try to buy another and put it in my bigger tank, and hope my fish don't harass it to death. My neon dottyback and six line wrasses don't like newcomers...

 

[jay0705]

Only fish of mine that goes nuts when I add pods is my royal gramma. The others pay no attention

 

[pegasus]

Only fish of mine that goes nuts when I add pods is my royal gramma. The others pay no attention

None of my fish even noticed when I add copepods, as they're nearly invisible. Amphipods are a different story. All the fish go nuts when I add amphipods! It becomes a feeding frenzy... lol! Fortunately, I haven't had to add either of those pods lately. Between the large amount of rocks in the tank and the sanctuary of my refugium, they breed enough to keep a good population. I see lots of copepods crawling on the glass, and amphipods scurry all over the tank after lights out. Amphipods are a great addition to the menu for carnivores and omnivores, as well as an excellent addition to the clean up crew...

 

[geridoc]

Just look up how to culture copepods on the internet. They are actually easy to grow in sufficient numbers to sustain a mandarin dragonet. It can be done in a 3L soda bottle.

 

[reefkeeperZ]

You can also build a mandarin feeding station (basically a glass jar just big enough for the mandarin to get into so the faster eating fish dont get the food. you can use various tiny pellet foods like spectrum, to feed the madarin as well as various fish eggs, it may take time for the mandarin to recognize the pellets and eggs as food but it is possible. then you wouldn't be so reliant on finding/breeding 'pods.

just google mandarin feeding station you'll find various set ups.

 

[timcrussell]

Did anyone catch the golden ticket here??....his mand as run is eating frozen.

That's a godsend by itself. If I ever found a mandarin to eat frozen, he would have a new home.

 

[jay0705]

Did anyone catch the golden ticket here??....his mand as run is eating frozen.

That's a godsend by itself. If I ever found a mandarin to eat frozen, he would have a new home.

Lol I have a pair of greens, a pair of spotted, and 3 scooters all eat frozen. Get them healthy to start and start them from day 1 on frozen. I mean in the bag while they float day 1

 

[Kristin1234]

Lol I have a pair of greens, a pair of spotted, and 3 scooters all eat frozen. Get them healthy to start and start them from day 1 on frozen. I mean in the bag while they float day 1

I'm still waiting on you to come to Texas, find me a Mandarin and bag feed train him for me. I want one, damn it!!

 

[jay0705]

Lol come to ny and I will give you one. Honestly if u want to try it I'll walk u threw it. Its not terribly hard

 

[Kristin1234]

Lol come to ny and I will give you one. Honestly if u want to try it I'll walk u threw it. Its not terribly hard

Would it be just as easy with a pair of bonded mandarins?

 

[jay0705]

If u get a pair of healthy mandys yes