mandarin, directly into d/t or q/t for a while?

[desertrat505]

I feed my 2 Mandys and other fish a concoction of frozen mysis, brine shrimp, R.O.E. and roti feast by reefnutrition, cyclop-eeze, and blood worms.

 

[Art13]

I guess i'll be trying most of what you listed there as well, he arrives today.

 

[Neptune 555]

so I am trying to supplement my mandarin's diet with the methods above. I placed a small jar in the tank... and when I went back instead of seeing my mandarin eating.. the jar was filled with 3 hermits... instead. I will keep trying..? I honestly can't figure out how you would ever keep the hermits out and the mandarin in? They are same size?

Neptune

 

[Flashy Fins]

Has anyone had any problems with diseases/parasites after adding a mandarin directly to the d/t?

Yes, I have experience there. Added a mandarin directly to my tank, and two days later, she was dead from what looked like brooklynella and had shared it with other fish in the tank. I used display tank water for water changes in my pod cultures before I realized she was sick, thereby contaminated those, too. It was a sad and costly mistake. I recommend QT. Bonus, you'll be able to see exactly which foods the fish will take to before you add it to your tank.

Side note, I've discontinued the practice of using old tank water in my pod cultures. I mention this in case you are planning to culture pods, as well.

 

[Art13]

Well, I wound up adding him right to the display after watching him in a tank for a day, I didn't see anything on him, though a day plenty could be missed I decided to chance it. He's not fat but he's decent. I tried a few days of just a single type of frozen food without much luck and decided to try another way. He's been choking down on pods so I wasn't too worried, so for the last few days I've been mixing frozen mysis, brine, cyclops, and bloodworms together and waing for him to be on the sand bed. I turned off all the pumps and would just squirt a mess of food around him. Didn't care at first, yesterday he seemed to be pecking at it and today I watched him start eating the frozen bloodworms. Too early to know if it's going to work out but it's a good start in my opinion.

 

[Art13]

well, just an update, he's now eating any type of frozen foods i squirt near him, mysid, brine, bloodworms, and seems to be doing really well. Only at the 1 month mark so by no means would i consider it a success yet but i think that was a huge step to get though.