Mandarin Primer

[rort]

Well, after shadowing this thread I figured I should post up my experience!

I have had a Female Mandarin in my 150g (190g total) DT, that has been set up for a year, for about a month now with no problems. I dont have the proper acclimation chamber to keep the fish in to try and get it started on prepared foods, and did not want to try and QT it either.


She was placed directly in the DT and over a week she became big and fat! After that month and I saw her doing well, I decided to pick up a Male Mandarin for her. He has been in there a week so far and he has already fattened up more.

My first question is, why do they not come out of the hidden rock work until the lights are very low/off?

My second, has anyone tried Melev's way of using a small olive jar and putting pellets in their to feed their dragonets?

 

[euromomtx]

Just a quick update on my Blue Zoo Spotteds:
I've had them for a week now and they both ate enriched bloodworms today - sucking them up like spaghetti actually.
The male also ate chopped up (PE Mysis seem so big) enriched frozen Mysis.
I wonder if they would have taken frozen right from the start if I had offered the frozen bloodworms first? In conclusion I am not sure if it took them 1 week to learn to eat frozen food or if it took me 1 week to learn they like bloodworms better than any other food.
I am really glad I went the training route though. I purchased massive amounts of super porous rock to really encourage a natural pod population but it makes me feel a whole lot safer to know that they are able to eat frozen food if/when pod population changes.
They also really seem to 'get it' that I'm the food lady. They're not afraid of the squirt thingy and they come to the front to look at me when I come to look at them.
Well worth the effort...

 

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15339625#post15339625 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by euromomtx
Just a quick update on my Blue Zoo Spotteds:
I've had them for a week now and they both ate enriched bloodworms today - sucking them up like spaghetti actually.
The male also ate chopped up (PE Mysis seem so big) enriched frozen Mysis.
.
They also really seem to 'get it' that I'm the food lady. They're not afraid of the squirt thingy and they come to the front to look at me when I come to look at them.
Well worth the effort...

Karin, we're going to have to start calling you the "Mandarin Whisperer"...

Congratulations on the success...

LL

 

[LOSTOZZY]

Hi all, quick link if your interested. Just an alternative to feeding your Mandarins.

http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=198145&highlight=mandarin+glass+house

Cheers LOSTOZZY

 

[euromomtx]

Lostozzy,
that looks great! I so want one. Let me know when you start commercial production! LOL

 

[Lightsluvr]

Outstanding!

Outstanding!

I'm going to build one of those for my new tank!

I have a female green mandarin in my 120G and a male in the 180G. They are both thriving... and I'm anxious to see how they get along in the new 350G.

The feeding station is a great idea!

Thanks for sharing the link!

LL

 

[eaglesrx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15340518#post15340518 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LOSTOZZY
Hi all, quick link if your interested. Just an alternative to feeding your Mandarins.

http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=198145&highlight=mandarin+glass+house

Cheers LOSTOZZY

Wow, I want one!!!

 

[Aqua Keepers]

Lostozzy, that's a great feeding station!

I had a mandarin that ate bloodworms with no prob. However, it still withered away. I don't know if the bloodworms were just not enough nutritionally, or if it was something else.

 

[euromomtx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15344158#post15344158 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Aqua Keepers
Lostozzy, that's a great feeding station!

I had a mandarin that ate bloodworms with no prob. However, it still withered away. I don't know if the bloodworms were just not enough nutritionally, or if it was something else.

Was it the only thing it ate?
I wonder if their surface doesn't let the selcon stick to it as easily as brine or mysis?

 

[Aqua Keepers]

Yes, the bloodworms were the only prepared food it would eat.

 

[euromomtx]

That's too bad. I am sorry it didn't make it.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

It was years ago, but thanks Karin. I just thought that I'd mention it.

 

[euromomtx]

Yes, definitely helpful. My male eats both mysis as well as bloodworms but my female is leaning much more towards bloodworms.
I'll be sure to not release them into the big tank until she's eating stuff other than bloodworms.
I figured if you can turn adult brine into something nutritious by enriching them it would be possible to do the same with worms. Maybe not.
Did your mandarin actually get skinnier or stay fat and then die (I am trying to figure out if it was a lack of calories or a lack of vitamins, etc.) so I know what to be aware of.
Thanks!

 

[Aqua Keepers]

Yes it did get skinny. I thought this was weird as it was still eating the bloodworms. Something worth mentioning is that I did not enrich the worms with any type of vitamins.

 

[LOSTOZZY]

Hi Guy's, your on the money IMO regarding the nutritional value of blood worms alone. I rotate my Mandarins feeding from mysis Shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, blood worms and flying fish roe "frozen fish eggs", I have found the fish roe has a greater HUFA value thus increasing the Mandarins weight. I feed all of the above in the mini glass house and my pair of Mandarins are about two years old, quite solid in stature and Spawning regularly.

Cheers LOSTOZZY

 

[euromomtx]

I can only think of the salted fish roe in the grocery store. Is there any other kind?

 

[euromomtx]

http://www.catalinaop.com/Original_Tobikko_500_g_p/sushi_roe_3c2.htm
i guess alt would be preferable to corn syrup and soy sauce though?! LOL

 

[Lightsluvr]

Getting to know you...

Getting to know you...

I had a female Mandarin in our 120G seahorse tank, and our old male Mandarin (Barry) in the 180G. When we combined the tanks (see build thread), we put both dragonets in the 350G.

Well, I witnessed them bumping into each other on the LR last night. Forunately, it was kind of' "oh who are you?" meeting. No aggression or posturing by the male, and no particular interest paid by the female...

I'll try to get a picture of them together when the opportunity arises...

LL

 

[euromomtx]

Hm fish eggs... I found a product that appears to be canned fish eggs (needs to be refrigerated after opening) that's made by Seachem and meant to be fed to aquarium fish.
Any thoughts on this?
Mine do like decapsulated brine shrimp eggs. I bet they would be all over fish eggs!

 

[LOSTOZZY]

That Seachem Roe sounds good Karin, just add small amounts to your existing feeds so your Mandarins get the taste of it, then continue feeding a mixed diet and maybe fish roe every third day. This should promote weight gain but don't feed them to much roe, my little guy's where looking like fat sausage dogs dressed in Mardigras costumes!!

Give me a couple of weeks and I'll see what I can come up with for your Mandarin feeding station!!

Cheers LOSTOZZY