Mandarin compatibility
- Thread starter Dissy
- Start date
Oooh. That assessor is preeeetttttyyyyy. And it wont bother my lil Mandy?
billyzbear
Active member
I've had a mandarin with many reef safe fish and non of them ever messed with them. A 29g is pretty small for a mandarin. How about a royal gramma I've never seen mine eat pods. Midas blenny?
Received a response back to an email sent to WetWebMedia.. Bob Fenner indicated that it's possible for one mandarin to teach another to eat frozen.
Anyone had any personal experience with this? He also indicated that if I were to stay with just the one mandarin that pipefish and/or cardinals make good tank mates. Anyone have any personal experience with this?
Anyone had any personal experience with this? He also indicated that if I were to stay with just the one mandarin that pipefish and/or cardinals make good tank mates. Anyone have any personal experience with this?
IME; most will eat this. As they get bigger, some will eventually eat brine, mysis, and even small enough pellets. But you have to "train them". This is what I used to train my pair (and allows for my Mandys to eat in peace
).Another interesting thing I've learned about Mandarins (and most other "bottom dwellers") is that larger, even aggressive fish, tend to ignore them. For example, my Mandys can scoot within inches of my BTA and Maroon clown pair, and the clowns act like the Mandys aren't even there. And I have a large, aggressive female Maroon clown. My wife jokes that the fem Maroon is like, "You don't exist in my world" to the Mandarins.
IME; most will eat this. As they get bigger, some will eventually eat brine, mysis, and even small enough pellets. But you have to "train them". This is what I used to train my pair (and allows for my Mandys to eat in peace
Another interesting thing I've learned about Mandarins (and most other "bottom dwellers") is that larger, even aggressive fish, tend to ignore them. For example, my Mandys can scoot within inches of my BTA and Maroon clown pair, and the clowns act like the Mandys aren't even there. And I have a large, aggressive female Maroon clown. My wife jokes that the fem Maroon is like, "You don't exist in my world" to the Mandarins.
She's a pellet snob. Won't touch them. But eats frozen spirulina brine, mysis, Rods Food, Marine Cuisine, and arcti-pods, and caviar, so I *think* she's getting a pretty varied diet..
Havent tried nutramar yet - will that offer her something she's not getting in what she does eat? Also thought about trying bloodworms occasionally, altho they're for FW fish..
nutramar ova is supposed to be really nutritious. live black worms are also considered nutritious. u just have to rinse out their water everyday. rinse till clear. they like cool dechlorinaded freshwater no more than half an inch above them. you can feed them a pellet every few days. they will live in saltwater for about a minute or so.
when fish see other fish eating something, this tells them that it is food. that's why bob says that one can help the other learn to eat frozen.
when fish see other fish eating something, this tells them that it is food. that's why bob says that one can help the other learn to eat frozen.
billyzbear
Active member
The mandarin that I have now eats mysis too, sometimes. I would not say that it's the only thing she eats because she hunts all day.
I would not recommend getting a pipefish or another fish that is hard to feed frozen and mainly eats pods.
Seriously, any fish that won't eat the mandarin or compete for pods will be fine.
Flasher or fairy wrasses, dwarf angels, anthias, blennies, gobies all fine.
I would not recommend getting a pipefish or another fish that is hard to feed frozen and mainly eats pods.
Seriously, any fish that won't eat the mandarin or compete for pods will be fine.
Flasher or fairy wrasses, dwarf angels, anthias, blennies, gobies all fine.
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