Mandarin?

[Dashin89]

Ok guys, I am seriously considering attempting a mandarin, and I am looking for opinions from people who have them. My tank is about a year old, info at the bottom. I have two blue damsels, two clowns, and a yellow tang (I know, please no lectures.) Fuge has tons of pods, the love the chaeto.

I really don't want to watch one slowly die, are there any tricks to keeping them fed? Would you suggest waiting longer, not getting one at all, go fry a chicken, etc...?

 

[Lynnmw1208]

Try getting them eating with a sea squirt by Kent. I used live brine shrimp enriched with phytoplan. eventually my mandarin understood that food comes out of that thing and would come out to eat. this got her nice and plump and now she just grazes on the pods in my tank I had to fill her out because she was pretty thin and small when I got her. Too bad she doesn't know I was secretly feeding her vitamins... haha I think you should be just fine with all that cheato and pods you have.

 

[small alien]

Maybe trade the tang out for a dwarf angel. Even with a good pod population, you'll want to try get the mandy on some prepared foods. I think you've got a reasonable shot at success if you can commit to taking the time for the food training. Try to get one that's fat to begin with. Good luck.

 

[Dashin89]

Wow, that Sea Squirt looks pretty handy. I have to get one! Does it hold mysis shrimp?

Alien, I would like to have a dwarf angel, but I can't really find one that is reef safe. From what I see it looks hit or miss.

 

[billyzbear]

I had a mandarin for almost six years. I had a fug above and behind the tank. He would eat mysis sometimes. You could always buy pods and add them when needed. Other fish leave them alone.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

Wow, that Sea Squirt looks pretty handy. I have to get one! Does it hold mysis shrimp?

Alien, I would like to have a dwarf angel, but I can't really find one that is reef safe. From what I see it looks hit or miss.

It kind of holds mysis but they tend to be really big. You can really suck them up and get it stuck in the end and still feed though. My mandarin will not eat it though. once or twice she took a bite but prefers live foods altogether.