Feeding Mandarin's live brine shrimp

[D_treezy]

I had a look around and have seen a lot about feeding Madarins pods, anyone tried supplementing pods with live brine shrimp.

Is brine shrimp too big?? Too unrelated to pods??? Just wondering as I am thinking of getting one in a few months.

thanks :rollface:

 

[Retired Reefer]

I used to hatch brine shrimp eggs for them. The newly hatched babies are an excellent food for them.

 

[Devaji108]

i AM interested in this as well. will bbs along with pods keep them alive long term?

 

[Retired Reefer]

Yes they will but your going to have to set up a BBS hatchery and stick to it. I have a DIY made out of 2 large soda bottles. Cut the bottoms out and flip upside down. I then drilled a hole in the caps for the airline witch I sealed using aquarium grade silicon. With 2 bottles you can start a new batch every day. They are best used soon after hatching as the egg yolk is still attached and full.

 

[Paul B]

I have enough pods to keep a few mandarins but I suppliment the tank every day with new born brine for the pipefish. The mandarins and al the other fish enjoy the baby brine.
I built this feeder for them. I also built the brine shrimp hatchery and use it every day.

Here is also a video of it working.

 

[rssjsb]

Paul, what kind of pipefish is that?

 

[Paul B]

She's a blue stripeed pipefish

 

[D_treezy]

Yes they will but your going to have to set up a BBS hatchery and stick to it. I have a DIY made out of 2 large soda bottles. Cut the bottoms out and flip upside down. I then drilled a hole in the caps for the airline witch I sealed using aquarium grade silicon. With 2 bottles you can start a new batch every day. They are best used soon after hatching as the egg yolk is still attached and full.

Thanks for the advise, much appreciated.

I'd be interested to see pics of that working, sounds like a great plan.

 

[D_treezy]

I have enough pods to keep a few mandarins but I suppliment the tank every day with new born brine for the pipefish. The mandarins and al the other fish enjoy the baby brine.
I built this feeder for them. I also built the brine shrimp hatchery and use it every day.

Here is also a video of it working.

Awesome, great to see it in action, though I can't quite make out how it works :headwallblue: Is it a container with holes drilled into it?

 

[Paul B]

There is a thread about it
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2166449

 

[D_treezy]

There is a thread about it
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2166449

Thanks, I'll check it out :fun5:

 

[tao chuan fa]

They do eat full grown brine as well,but man do they eat!I second the hatchery.Make sure you have a refugium well stocked with pods as well.Good luck.

 

[D_treezy]

Thanks again everyone.

What a great feeder, that's exactly what I was after. My sump/refugium is loaded with amphipods, but i don't see many copepods, though I hear they're a lot smaller. So I was a little worried

I went down to two LFS yesterday and of course they're both out of brine shrimp eggs, apparently no one has them in stock.

I'll start with the feeder tonight or tomorrow though.

 

[Paul B]

I went down to two LFS yesterday and of course they're both out of brine shrimp eggs, apparently no one has them in stock.

I don't know the supply of brine shrimp eggs in Wollongong Australia but in the states they are very common. I would imagine you copuld get them online

 

[Jeff000]

I've had a few mandarins, had a pair that was great for 6 months, a pair of green spots after that for 6 months. But despite them eating whatever frozen food I put in the tank they never make it past the 6 month mark.

 

[Paul B]

I don't have to feed them anything and they live for years. I don't think I ever lost one except from an accident. But I like to watch them at this feeder.
They think it's like an amusement park.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

just be sure to feed the brine shrimp some phytoplan for extra nutrients. I fed my mandarin this for a long time. I got one of those sea squirters to directly shoot some at my mandarin which she recognized. She lived only a year though sadly so who knows. She died fat so I have no clue the cause of death.

 

[Paul B]

The brine shrimp I feed are newborns and they have a yoke sack so they don't need to be fed and they can't feed.

 

[D_treezy]

Brine shrimp eggs are normally available, I've seen them dozens of time, just so happens that when I want them they're out of stock

It's all good though, they're on order.