Saving Mandarin Goby

sggavin

sggavin

Member
I picked up an orange manadrin from my LFS today, he was traded in and is pretty skinny. They didn't have the time/resources to bring him back to health so I decided to take the challenge.

He eats frozen/live brine shrimp, but I know this is not the ideal source of nutrition.
I want to start breeding pods for him, has anyone had success with this that could share some tricks?
After doing some research it looks like I should be using Tisbe biminiensis for my pods.
Here are some tank specs:
75G reef (not drilled)
Tank has been up and running for 1 1/2 years.
Canister filter, 2x powerheads
Elive LED lights
I currently have about 60# of live rock
Current fish:
Coral Beauty
Firefish goby
Bangaii cardinals
Oranage mandarin goby
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
I second jay0705's suggestion. I feed my mandie Nutramar prawn roe by using a pipette to deliver a small mound of it to the bottom of the tank, and the mandie buries her head in it and gorges. Lately she will even come up to the tip of the pipette and eat right from the source. She is fat and happy and has doubled in size from when I bought her.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi, this may sound kind of cruel....

Fish are not puppies or kittens...a sick fish can kill everything in the tank, there are nastier problems then ich that you could introduce into the system, and you didn't even quarantine it, but put it right into the display. The LFS may have had plenty of food for the fish, and it's just skinny because it's sick and can't eat....you don't know for sure. I would never "rescue" a fish, I always buy the best specimen possible.
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
While I agree w u for the most part. When it comes to draggonets in lfs there always under fed if fed at all. Its the only fish I try to buy rt after they come in. Now that said, I have 4. 3 mandys and a scooter. 3 of the 4 where iffy on weight. Now all are plump lol. I do qt them tho mainly so they get all the food I feed. Now the ones in my display go nose to nose w my fox and tang for food lol
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by jay0705 http:///t/397175/saving-mandarin-goby#post_3539286
While I agree w u for the most part. When it comes to draggonets in lfs there always under fed if fed at all. Its the only fish I try to buy rt after they come in. Now that said, I have 4. 3 mandys and a scooter. 3 of the 4 where iffy on weight. Now all are plump lol. I do qt them tho mainly so they get all the food I feed. Now the ones in my display go nose to nose w my fox and tang for food lol


If we buy sick fish...the LFS will never bother to supply the best care for the ones they sell, because it doesn't mater, they make their money. if I see a store with the brains of a billy goat on how to care for the critters, I don't purchase healthy or sick fish from their store, they lose my business.
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Ha ha ha I know when most of my lfs get fish in. On those days the majority of mandarins look fine. Give it a wk of lack of food, combined w people not being able to care for there dietary needs and thats why they have a rep as so hard to keep. I have 4 mandys well over what I "should" have yet all are plumb and healthy bc I did yhe research and found other healthy food options for them
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by jay0705 http:///t/397175/saving-mandarin-goby#post_3539383
Ha ha ha I know when most of my lfs get fish in. On those days the majority of mandarins look fine. Give it a wk of lack of food, combined w people not being able to care for there dietary needs and thats why they have a rep as so hard to keep. I have 4 mandys well over what I "should" have yet all are plumb and healthy bc I did yhe research and found other healthy food options for them


Hi,

Well that's my point...they keep buying them to sell, because even sick...they still sell. If people quit buying their sick fish, they will stop.
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
People will always buy mandarins. Just look on here, how many posts people say they have or want them.the demand is there so yes stores will stock them. Its bc us as consumers want these fish they are collected to begin w. Mandarins the fish are fairly disease resistant, even w ich. However there weakness is there diet. I agree w only buying healthy fish, but there is a difference between sick and under fed.
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Even when buying a mandarin, my first rule is that if it doesn't eat, it stays at the lfs. Fortunately, the owner of my favorite lfs is an outstanding aquariast, and he is quite good at getting his mandarins to eat. But, I always stay with the rule.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by jay0705 http:///t/397175/saving-mandarin-goby#post_3539391
People will always buy mandarins. Just look on here, how many posts people say they have or want them.the demand is there so yes stores will stock them. Its bc us as consumers want these fish they are collected to begin w. Mandarins the fish are fairly disease resistant, even w ich. However there weakness is there diet. I agree w only buying healthy fish, but there is a difference between sick and under fed.

Hi,

The problem is that we don't know if the fish is just hungry or not eating because it's sick...you just can't tell. Once you take the fish home, it's yours, and if it doesn't make it...oh well go back to that same store and get another one...the LFS made money...twice at least in my scenario. If they start losing money, the LFS will either stop ordering that fish, or figure out how to make sure it stays healthy. Nothing changes if we keep them in the black, whether they sell healthy or sick fish.

I had a sandsifting goby, unfortunately I didn't realize he didn't have enough food in the sand (it quickly depleted the fauna), and it began to get skinny...then no matter what I tried to do to fatten it up...it still remained thin, and eventually died. I was told that at a certain point of starvation, a fish can't eat.

Like GeriDoc said, if it isn't eating, leave it in the store to die. I stay with my rule too....Fish are not puppies and kittens, rescuing a fish is not wise, you don't really know WHY the fish isn't eating, be it not enough food or some other problem, and putting it immediately into the display is really dangerous for the other healthy fish you already have.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1050464812002756
 
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