Mandarin....Feeding??

[9supratt4]

I know that manadrins eat copepods and that you need to have a constant over abundance of them to keep these fish alive. My question is, do they also eat isopods or flatworms or any other type of "pod?"

 

[al mc]

Originally Posted by 9supratt4
http:///forum/post/3116252
I know that manadrins eat copepods and that you need to have a constant over abundance of them to keep these fish alive. My question is, do they also eat isopods or flatworms or any other type of "pod?"
Mine have eaten frozen mysis and brine (luckily) along with copepods and isopods...My daughter's tank had a flatworm problem at one time and I never
saw the mandarin go near them. Just my experience.

 

[nissan577]

mandarin eat any pods, or live brine.

 

[crypt keeper]

set up a fuge and you will be fine. Id seed it one time with copepods and it will sustain the little guy for life

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/3116275
set up a fuge and you will be fine. Id seed it one time with copepods and it will sustain the little guy for life
That's my plan....to set up a fuge, not only for pods, but to get my nitrates in check. As it stand right now....when I look in my tank at night, I have tons of isopods running around on all the rocks and the sand. Looks like the rocks and sand are moving. I also have a nice amount in my sump. So adding a fuge would probably make it even better and I most likely won't need to seed it.

 

[crypt keeper]

isopods are good but I would get some copepods. They breed very very very fast. A single mandarin can eat more than you would ever believe. How big is your tank again?

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/3116294
isopods are good but I would get some copepods. They breed very very very fast. A single mandarin can eat more than you would ever believe. How big is your tank again?
My DT is 180. Fuge is going to be 10

 

[crypt keeper]

is that all you can fit?

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/3116345
is that all you can fit?
Yeah....I have a 30-40 Gallon Sump under there already. I want to keep everything underneath within the stand. I tried to fit a 15 but it wouldn't fit. A 10 will fit no problem. Concerns??

 

[truperc]

Mine eats frozen blood worms. If they do not take frozen blood worms, I was told live black worms are a good transition to frozen blood worms.

 

[nycbob]

a 10 gallon fuge is enough to seed pods.

 

[crypt keeper]

a 10 gallon fuge is enough to seed pods but thats not his only concern. Will it help yes. IMO a 10 gallon fuge on a 180 gallon tank isnt big enough. Id load that thing up with cheato. Grow till it cant grow anymore then cut it and grow it more.

 

[9supratt4]

Originally Posted by crypt keeper
http:///forum/post/3116660
a 10 gallon fuge is enough to seed pods but thats not his only concern. Will it help yes. IMO a 10 gallon fuge on a 180 gallon tank isnt big enough. Id load that thing up with cheato. Grow till it cant grow anymore then cut it and grow it more.

That's my plan!! To have cheato stuffed to the brim!!

 

[smoothie]

Trim away so it doesn't die off and polute your tank.
check out melevsreef.com for a sweet mandarin feeding trick/tool.
Also garf.org

 

[nuro]

i have had a mandarin in my 55 for over a year. i've got a 5 galon sump and a small HOB filter i converted to a fuge, with some mangroves in it.

 

[audgirl]

I had one for over a year feeding on copepds and frozen shrimp. He really liked the shrimp.

 

[fatcats]

a 10 gal fuge is good for pods and all but it wont do anything to get your nitrates in check. In order to be effective they need to be at least half the size of the tank so 90gal.

 

[rlablan]

My mandarin has never eaten anything except tigger pods. He doesn't like anything else, but my clows eat the other things. My mandarin won't even eat live brine.

 

[hlcroghan]

I always read these threads and realize how lucky I am. I have a 29 gallon with no sump or anything and my mandarin eats almost everything I put in there except flake and seaweed. I still see a pod now and then but they were long ago eaten. He eats brine, plankton, krill, emerald diet, cyclops......on and on. Idk how I was so lucky but he is nice and fat and will eat right from my hand. I also use garlic, vitamins, and mix it all with coral food into a soup of sorts. Maybe that is why he is fat and happy. Good nutrition? I have had him for about 5 months now.

 

[rlablan]

Some people say that you can get the trained, or train them to eat other things like frozen or krill. I never tried. My mandy is skidish and doesn't like people close to the tank. He stays in the rocks and grazes on pods all day long. I never worry about my pods because there is a sump, fuge, and over 150 lbs of LR in my tank. They are breeding juuuusssttt fine.
And fyi, for every 1 pod you see, there are 100 that you don't see that are elsewhere in the tank.