need advise
- Thread starter skinnyjoe1976
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waterfaller1
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Frozen brine has little to no nutritional value. Try giving him frozen Piscine brand mysis shrimp. Regardless whether mandarins eat prepared food, it is not enough to sustain them. If you don't already have one, please consider the addition of a refugium and add some live copepods. Keep the copepods fed with live phytoplankton. LR will often come in with amphipods, isopods, & sometimes mysis..but rarely copepods.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10448318#post10448318 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Swirlygig
I guess I got lucky...I just bought one and to my surprise, he eats FROZEN BRINE!!!
Joe, sorry you were misled. Perhaps you could set up an aquaclear with a small light & make a fuge for the tank. Mandarin dragonets as well as scooter dragonets are unfortunately too inexpensive in the hobby IMO. Many die due to being kept without the proper conditions.They are mislabeled as well...referred to as a goby & a blenny, instead of dragonets which is what they are. They really should have an established tank with plenty of LR, and preferably an attached refugium. A refugium can also be seperate, but the copepods would have to be caught & fed to the tank.
I can't believe they told you to buy another to get the first to eat..
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skinnyjoe1976
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bump
waterfaller1
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Phytoplankton is for feather dusters and filter feeders such as this. It should never be frozen, but kept refridgerated.
Not sure what you mean by zoo, zooplankton?
You could use Kent Zoe{vitamins} & some Selcon{amino acids} on alternate days until you use it up. Then buy some frozen mysis instead. You can also try frozen cyclop-eeze, just a tiny tiny bit!
I would not defrost and refreeze the food, bacteria might find it's way in it.
Not sure what you mean by zoo, zooplankton?
You could use Kent Zoe{vitamins} & some Selcon{amino acids} on alternate days until you use it up. Then buy some frozen mysis instead. You can also try frozen cyclop-eeze, just a tiny tiny bit!
I would not defrost and refreeze the food, bacteria might find it's way in it.
cowboyswife
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Hey Joe, did you get those guys to eat yet?
skinnyjoe1976
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i think so. i went down to the river and caught what i think are pods. they are still alive
waterfaller1
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:eek1: Copepods are what you want, they cannot be found in a river. You can purchase them live at your LFS.
skinnyjoe1976
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if they look like pods and taste like pods they must be pods
waterfaller1
New member
Hmm..according to this they can be found in all bodies of water.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copepod
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copepod
waterfaller1
New member
Then I would wonder..are all copepods created equal? Perhaps the ones in the inland waterways and the ocean would have the same gut content, but ones from strictly fw habitats might have something else. So would they both have the same value nutritionally? Cool I guess if you can collect food for your fish. They might even be healthier than the aquacultured ones. Or on the other hand, could you introduce a pathogen that your fish cannot handle this way? I'm pretty sure even copepods can carry parasites. Just some things to think about...
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