landonthornton
New Member
My gobey doesn't ever come to the top for food - what does he eat?
mandarin gobey food?
- Thread starter landonthornton
- Start date
My gobey doesn't ever come to the top for food - what does he eat?
ckkihei
Member
Good question......I've been doing some research on Mandarin's since I'd LOVE to add one to my tank. They survive on what are called "copepods" or pods for short. It takes a pretty good population of pods to maintain even one mandarin. The best source for the pods is live rock. I currently have about 50 lbs of LR in my 55 ga tank and from what I've read, this is probably the minimum to sustain a mandarin. I believe that some LFS sell pods, but I've not seen them in my local store. From what I've read and been told, these fish can be a challenge because of their diet. They often starve due to a lack of sufficient pods. Hope this helps a bit.........Good Luck!!
twoods71
Active Member
Many will take to eating live brine but will not survive on live brine alone. Pods are the staple of thier diet.
Some will take to frozen brine which is nutrient fortified. If the yours will take to this type of food the chance of survival will be greatly improved.
One final comment, I would not reccomend a Mandarin and any other type of dragonet to anyone without the proper pod supply.
Some will take to frozen brine which is nutrient fortified. If the yours will take to this type of food the chance of survival will be greatly improved.
One final comment, I would not reccomend a Mandarin and any other type of dragonet to anyone without the proper pod supply.
marine fanatic
Member
twoods is absolutely correct..Mandarins are pretty tricky to care for. I received mine only because he was doomed in a LFS that had no clue whatsoever on how to care for him. I have been reading as much as possible on them and as stated above, copepods are the primary source for food. If you have a nice amount of live rock/live sand, you should be able to look at it during the night when your lights have been off for a couple hours and see them running around your rock/sand.
You can also buy culture kits for copepods from online stores such as
http://www.inlandaquatics.com/
But the best way to do it is to produce your own. I am NO expert on Mandarins but from what I have read, that is the best way to care for them. Also make sure you don't have other aggressive pod eating fish, Mandarins do not fare well against competing fish and may starve. I did read that if your Mandarin does take to brine, it can also mean that he is close to starvation and is just putting something in his stomach. You can also go to a LFS that sells live rock and ask them for some "rubble". That is the residue that falls from live rock and it is usually infested with copepods, drop some of that in there and hopefully there is enough to not only feed your Mandarin, but maybe seed your tank enough to maintain a supply of food for him down the road.
You can also buy culture kits for copepods from online stores such as
http://www.inlandaquatics.com/
But the best way to do it is to produce your own. I am NO expert on Mandarins but from what I have read, that is the best way to care for them. Also make sure you don't have other aggressive pod eating fish, Mandarins do not fare well against competing fish and may starve. I did read that if your Mandarin does take to brine, it can also mean that he is close to starvation and is just putting something in his stomach. You can also go to a LFS that sells live rock and ask them for some "rubble". That is the residue that falls from live rock and it is usually infested with copepods, drop some of that in there and hopefully there is enough to not only feed your Mandarin, but maybe seed your tank enough to maintain a supply of food for him down the road.
landonthornton
New Member
thank you everyone! My goby is getting pretty skinny - I'm going today to get some rubble and a in tank hatchery for my goby and anemone.