QT for mandarin??
- Thread starter manderz
- Start date
J
jstdv8
Guest
I QT'ed mine and he ate mysis the whole time he was in there. I did add a piece of LR to the QT (That I threw out afterwards) That I knew had a bunch of pods on it. but he ate them all pretty quickly and then went to the mysis.
the probelm with reef pods is they are so small that they will get eaten before they get big and won't offer much of a meal. Unless you had them hatching in the QT for a month or so before your purchase
the probelm with reef pods is they are so small that they will get eaten before they get big and won't offer much of a meal. Unless you had them hatching in the QT for a month or so before your purchase
manderz
Member
Thanks. I don't really have a lot of live rock as it is, so I'm not really comfortable taking a piece out only to throw it away after using it in the QT. I'm just concerned, as I have read about some mandarins being quite picky. It would be my luck to get one that refused to eat anything but copepods.
btldreef
Moderator
Mandarins is actually the only fish that I don't quarantine.
They have a slime coat on the skin that usually wards off most things such as ich. I've never had an issue with them. Some claim that if you QT them in a tank w/o pods that you can train them to eat other meaty foods such as mysis and brine much easier than in the DT, but I haven't tried it.
They have a slime coat on the skin that usually wards off most things such as ich. I've never had an issue with them. Some claim that if you QT them in a tank w/o pods that you can train them to eat other meaty foods such as mysis and brine much easier than in the DT, but I haven't tried it.
J
jstdv8
Guest
mine ate mysis at the store and so have all the ones ive seen at that store since
btldreef
Moderator
Originally Posted by Jstdv8
http:///forum/post/3274694
mine ate mysis at the store and so have all the ones ive seen at that store since
You are very lucky to have a LFS with mandarins that are trained to eat frozen. I'm seeing more and more in the hobby that are, but I've still yet to get one straight from the LFS's near me that is converted. My green target took almost a year to adapt to mysis and my blue took about 3-4 months, and he still won't touch anything but brine (or copepods).
Ideally, if you really want this mandarin, try to see if it's eating frozen at the store. And don't take their word for it, have it fed in front of you. (Also, don't fall for the "Oh, we just fed them, that's why he's not eating right now" garbage that LFS workers are famous for with finicky fish like mandarins)
http:///forum/post/3274694
mine ate mysis at the store and so have all the ones ive seen at that store since
You are very lucky to have a LFS with mandarins that are trained to eat frozen. I'm seeing more and more in the hobby that are, but I've still yet to get one straight from the LFS's near me that is converted. My green target took almost a year to adapt to mysis and my blue took about 3-4 months, and he still won't touch anything but brine (or copepods).
Ideally, if you really want this mandarin, try to see if it's eating frozen at the store. And don't take their word for it, have it fed in front of you. (Also, don't fall for the "Oh, we just fed them, that's why he's not eating right now" garbage that LFS workers are famous for with finicky fish like mandarins)
manderz
Member
I'm fairly new to the hobby. I have had my tank for about 3 months, but I sort of inherited it from a friend who was getting out of the hobby. I am unsure of how long it had been established before I got it. I know that there's a TON of copepods though, they are all over all the rocks, and climbing all over the glass. I have no intention of getting either fish for a while yet anyway, I just got a couple of new corals and a brittle star. The mandarin will be the last fish I add. I'm just a little bit of a control freak, and I like to have things extremely planned out. Thanks for all the help!
J
jstdv8
Guest
in almost every situation its best to have a refugium that is coupled witht eh display tank to grwo the pods in otherwise they will eventually get eradicated by the mandarin and any otehr fish that eats pods you decide to put in there. sixline wrasse, scooter blenny