Desparately need live shrimp - where to buy locally?

[scolley]

Folks,

I've got a spectacular male Mandarin that I got a couple of weeks ago. He came very fat, but is wasting away. Will not touch any frozen food. I had planned on weaning him onto frozen by mixing with live, but the local LFS that had live food - Norwalk Aquarium - appears to be out of business. Should have checked before I bought the Mandarin.

Does anyone know where I can get either adult live brine, or Mysis shrimp?

Thanks in advance.

PS - I do have lots of pods in my little tank, but clearly not enough. Which is why I was planning on training it to take frozen...

 

[SaltWater226]

http://www.reefs2go.com/category/promotional.live_food/

 

[scolley]

Thanks for the link. But those are breeder shrimp - larger than a Mandarin would eat. And the copepods are described as 1-3mm. But in my experience with Reefs2Go, it's more like "many will approach 1mm, and a few might even get to 2-3mm". This Mandarin (if it decides to eat) would make a meal out of a single order (if he found them all).

I appreciate the link. Thank you. But I was hoping to find Mysis or Brine shrimp locally.

PS - I've modified the thread name to include "locally". Thanks.

 

[behlke]

I know they are not copepods, I am told Blake's Aqua Den in Meriden has live black worms. All Pets Club usually has blackworms as well.

If you get really desperate, you can get pods from the sound. Take a bucket to the beach at low tide, put seawater in it, and swish fist sized rocks in the water. After a little bit the pods will settle down to the bottom of the bucket and you can drain off the excess water. May not be the best option, but it will give you pods.

 

[peter15]

Westport Aquarium doesn't have?

Alan

 

[SaltWater226]

np just trying to help I wish you the best luck in finding them.

 

[scolley]

I know they are not copepods, I am told Blake's Aqua Den in Meriden has live black worms. All Pets Club usually has blackworms as well.

If you get really desperate, you can get pods from the sound. Take a bucket to the beach at low tide, put seawater in it, and swish fist sized rocks in the water. After a little bit the pods will settle down to the bottom of the bucket and you can drain off the excess water. May not be the best option, but it will give you pods.

Two GREAT suggestions. And one of them is an excuse to dust off my waders. LOL. Thanks!

Westport Aquarium doesn't have?

Alan

Nope. Thanks. I checked there as soon as I found out Norwalk Aquarium was no longer there...

np just trying to help I wish you the best luck in finding them.

Thanks. If I get truly desparate (it won't eat blackworm, there are no local places with small shrimp, and I can't find pods in the Sound, I'll giver Reef2Go a shot!

 

[peter15]

Is NY Aquatic worth the drive? They sell mandarins so should have live food.

Alan

 

[scolley]

Definitely worth the drive. Have left a message to see if they carry them. They don't have them on their website. Thanks.

And I've called Blakes Aqua Den. And while they do have some blackworms in, they also will have live adult brine shrimp in Friday morning. That's my preference, because it gives me a chance to mix frozen and live, and get the mandarin used to eating frozen. If I have to give it blackworms (as a last resort), that would be just to get its strength up so that I could safely transfer it to a home with LOTs more pods.

Thanks!

 

[thefuz]

Mandarin's are awesome - I miss mine!!

Fish Bowl in Stamford on Hope Street almost always has both live brine and black worms (plug - I used to work there way back when!!). I've had great success with black worms also and they seem to keep amazingly well in the fridge.

Have you tried feeding it with a baster? Siphon out some food right into its face. This was something I regrettably only tried on the day before mine died (he started wasting away just after I killed off my pod population as a result of the great peroxide experiment of 2013). My mandarin sucked up food immediately when presented in that way. Maybe their visual acuity is based upon movement just like T-Rex.

Good luck!

 

[thefuz]

Pets Place II in Rockland County carries live food also and their portions/prices are generous (if you're ever in the neighborhood - I have family out there so it's often "on the way" which the wife always loves so much).

 

[dudemeister]

Our's eats the tiny dried Hakari stuff you can get at Westport Aquarium but as was mentioned you need to use a baster to put it right in front of them. It seems their eyesight isn't very good. When I bought mine from House of Fins I had them show me it would eat stuff other than pods. It ate mysis but has since moved on to the dried tiny pellets. I am out in the city but call me if you need some from my house.

 

[scolley]

Mandarin's are awesome - I miss mine!!

Fish Bowl in Stamford on Hope Street almost always has both live brine and black worms (plug - I used to work there way back when!!). I've had great success with black worms also and they seem to keep amazingly well in the fridge.

Have you tried feeding it with a baster? Siphon out some food right into its face. This was something I regrettably only tried on the day before mine died (he started wasting away just after I killed off my pod population as a result of the great peroxide experiment of 2013). My mandarin sucked up food immediately when presented in that way. Maybe their visual acuity is based upon movement just like T-Rex.

Good luck!

Cool! Fish Bowl has Blackworms now, and will have adult brine shrimp on Thursday. What I need, and close! Perfect! However, see below...

Oh... I've tried cutting off the pumps and putting food RIGHT in the things face. Will not take anything I've offered, and I've offered PLENTY.

Pets Place II in Rockland County carries live food also and their portions/prices are generous (if you're ever in the neighborhood - I have family out there so it's often "on the way" which the wife always loves so much).

I called them and they were really, really helpful. Thanks. The gent I spoke too said they wean all of theirs onto Nutrimar Ovum. Said they will definitely eat them, especially if mixed with bloodworms. I told him I've tried bloodworms, that he would not eat them. The guy said that changes when you mixt them with Nutrimar Ovum. So I've got to get that.

Anyone know anyone local that has that? Shipping frozen food is BRUTAL.

Thanks!

 

[scolley]

Our's eats the tiny dried Hakari stuff you can get at Westport Aquarium but as was mentioned you need to use a baster to put it right in front of them. It seems their eyesight isn't very good.

I've done that. Not Hakari, but darn near everything else. With a turkey baster. With pumps off. No luck.

That's why I'm looking for live, just to get it eating again. And can hopefully introduce some dry/frozen with it. Thanks.

 

[behlke]

I expect rotifers are too small, but sassawrasse (I think that is how it is spelled) gave a presentation on breeding clownfish at the last CTARS meeting. As part of it, she told us how she breeds her own rotifers to feed to the babies. She might be willing to part with some of them if you asked.

Otherwise, brine shrimp hatch in a day or two. I've read about people that feed brine shrimp napuli to their mandarianfish.

 

[scolley]

Thanks Adam. Hatching brine shrimp is a PITA. Plus they are TINY. That's why I was looking for adults. And it appears that Fish Bowl in Stamford will have them Thursday. So I'll pick up some then, and see if he'll eat 'em.

If not, I've go an order of frozen Nutrimar Ovum on the way.

Thanks!

 

[thefuz]

Sorry I missed ya before you ordered the ova - I have some to spare (that I got from my last trip to Pets Place II, incidentally ). I do recall my mandarin chowing on those also. Ova certainly did the trick with a Sunburst Anthias I bought a few months back - that thing eats almost everything now. Ova is magic.

So was this Reef Caviar from H2OLife: http://www.marinedepot.com/Cube_Trays-H2O_Life_Aquarium_Foods-HL01240-FIFDFZFSCF-HL01240-vi.html

The local places stopped carrying it and I haven't wanted to pull the trigger since Ova is relatively plentiful locally (or it was, at least). IRRC, fish went just as crazy for the Caviar. It's the same as Masago/Tobiko you get at a sushi restaurant but without all the bad additives (MSG, food coloring, etc.).

 

[scolley]

Thanks for the great tip on the Reef Caviar. And thanks for the offer on the Ova. And I'm surprised that Pets Place II has it. I spoke to one of their guys for a while on the phone. I should have asked if they sold it. Silly of me. However, I do recall thinking as he spoke, "This guy's really recommending Ova, so if they sell it, he's sure to mention that... " Bad assumption apparently. Well, that was a $40 mistake.

Will see how it works out, and get some brine shrimp from them if it doesn't.

Thanks to everyone for all the help!

 

[scolley]

Nevermind!

I just checked on the status of my order to Drs F&S, and saw that it was cancelled! That's actually good news, 'cuz now I can either chase thefuz for a little Ova to try, or buy it tomorrow at Pets Place II.

Not sure why it was cancelled - used PayPal. Everything looks to be in order. But not going to sweat it. I'm glad I can get it much cheaper now!

 

[scolley]

Two updates...

First, I'm afraid this was likely a moot point. The mandarin appears to be gone. I don't know if it went off behind a rock to die, or jumped and the cat ate the evidence. I'd say the former is more likely. I'm bummed. I thought there was more time. He was SO plump when I got him, and was only starting to look thin. I feel awful about it.

Second, a box of frozen Nutrimar Ovum from Drs Foster and Smith showed up at my house today. And that's bizarre because - as I mentioned previously - the PayPal transaction was mysteriously "cancelled". I was never debited for the transaction. Thus, the order was completely free. Bizarre.