Mandarin

[salty james]

I recently purchased a mandarin from SWF.com, and he is currently in my QT. He has not been eating, and I am worried about his health.
I have tried Omega One flake, Prime Reef & Brine Shrimp. I know that these guys love pods that are on the LR, but he is not in the main tank yet...
Any suggestions on what to feed him ? or suggestions on care ?
Thanks for your help,
SJ

 

[jacksonpt]

Occasionally you'll find mandarins that will eat frozen brine, but they are few and far between. Pods are the only certainty. If you've tried brine and he won't eat, then you've got to get him some pods. How long has he been in your QT? It's not uncommon for them not to eat period for a couple of days (until they get used to the new environment).

 

[jake22]

For mandarins to live, live rock is a must. My mandarin will sometimes eat live brine, but i usaully see him picking stuff off the rocks.

 

[m1rodrig]

I have read here some people say bloodworms.

 

[carrie1429]

Yeah mine loved to eat bloodworms and live brine. But if you just recently got him then its normal for them not to eat for the first couple of days.

 

[salty james]

Hi All,
Thanks for the replies, Much Appreciated :0)
He has been in my QT tank for one week exactly, and I have not seen him eat anything !
There is some 'old' live rock out of my trigger tank in there to try, and make him feel at home.
I know that pods are found on LR, but what do they look like ?
I love the little guy, and want to make sure he survives PLEASE HELP.
I was going to move the little guy to the main tank that has 80+ lbs of LR & DSB... I am nervous about this though ! oh, BTW, I squoshed my flame angel & my Perc got sucked into a condi... The only fish left in my 28 is a 'baby' (1-2") blue tang. I am planning on transferring all to my 55 (I know about the one tang per 75g thing..not a permanent thing) once the 125 finishes cycling.
Thanks allot
SJ

 

[carrie1429]

Probably one of the main reasons why these guys are hard to keep alive is because they a lot of times starve to death even when given food. You'll find coepods on the LR and LS. I always find pods in my LS and night, they look like tiny little bugs about the size of an ant, they kinda look like ants too only they are transparent or white.

 

[tykill]

Mandarin gobies shouldn't be introduce into a tank, unless the tank has been setup for atleast 6 months with live rock and sand. There main diet are copods, it usally takes 6 months to really make sure there is enough life to support one. Be patient.

 

[blondenaso1]

To add to that I think that Maderians should not be kept in a tank smaller than 70gal unlessed the tank is setup with a refugium. This is because usually there is not enought LR to provide a large enough pod population for their diet.
Salty, it seems like you have sufficient LR, but it is important that you learn how to identify pods and be able to keep an eye on the popluation. The best way is by using a red tinted flashlight in the middle of the night, or when the lights have been off for a good amount of time. You would be surprised on how fast a maderain can desimate a pod population. Also, I think two weeks is long enough in the QT. If he is not eating I would add him to the main tank before he starves to death. Good Luck!

 

[wrassecal]

Ihave a manderin in a 55 with 70 lbs lr and worry about the pods too. One thing I do is twice a week hatch some live brine and feed it to the tank turning any filters off for an hour so they can settle into the rocks. The mandarin(and other fish) love them. Bottom line is you have to provide the pods for them though. I agree 3 weeks in q is enough for the mandarin.

 

[striker]

I've had my mandarin for over 3 months in my 29 gallon. While my pod population has gone down(60 lbs lr) he has been eating frozen brine. Try to add live brine to the tank and when feeding the tank directing frozen brine to the area it populates. If you're lucky he might start eating it. I definitely disagree with the comment that a mandarin can only be kept in a 70gallon or larger unless equipped with a refugium. A smaller system can support this fish if it eats frozen or live brine and has enough lr. A buyer would do best to observe it's eating habits before buying. Online purchases are risky because you won't know the health of the fish.

 

[blondenaso1]

If you are having to supplement his diet with frozen and live brine then obviously your tank can not support him on its own pod population itself. Mandarins are very picky and it is hard to find one that will take frozen food. Live brine are also not very nutritous for any fish, kinda like drinking a beer, a lot of empty calories. If you had a refugium on a smaller tank you would not have to feed him prepared food. That is pretty much my point. Not everyone can get theirs to eat frozen food like yours, so congratulations.