ORA Green Mandarin - not eating?

[small alien]

I'm on my second Ora target Mandy and its far form thriving. I do see it eat but it's not plump by any means. It just lacks vigor overall as did the other one I tried which didn't make it. This in a tank and with a feeding schedule that supports pipes, leopards and scooters. Ive heard of the "failure to thrive" syndrome in newborn human babies where they just don't want to eat. It reminds me of that watching my target. Hopefully, he'll up his efforts. I don't know that I'd try another. Quite ironic considering the excitement over these guys.

 

[idareefer]

ya as most have said, tons of pods, I only have experience with the spotted variety which talk sais they are a little more durable, mine came from LFS about 5 years ago, lives in a 300 mixed reef, 75 gallon sump / fuge and also a 75 gallon frag connected to main system, so tons of pods can = a fat fish, everyone who sees him thinks he's on steroids, fat, a little bossy and very healthy, also he loves New Life Spectrum, that may be the biggest reason he's so fat

 

[matt frizz]

I don't suppose you could supply a link to said article?

As this guy was still not eating very much we decided to return him to the lfs. They put him directly in a large display fuge so hopefully he eats his fill there. For whatever reason, he just didn't seem very interested in eating in our tank (my fiance thinks he was anorexic) no matter what we presented him. We may try again in the future with another ORA mandarin.

Good call man. Respectful decision. I bet he was so happy in that fuge. :celeb3:

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I have seen this a few times with the ORA mandarins (used to work at a fish store) - they dont take prepared foods well, and then, worse than wild caught, they don't eat natural foods supplied to them either. At least the healthy wild ones will go for live food. And in my experience, its not that hard to get an otherwise healthy wild mandarin onto frozen food for SUPPLEMENTAL feedings.

As much as I support aquaculture and want to support ORAs efforts, I'll be getting a wild mandarin for my new tank.

 

[snorvich]

I have seen this a few times with the ORA mandarins (used to work at a fish store) - they dont take prepared foods well, and then, worse than wild caught, they don't eat natural foods supplied to them either. At least the healthy wild ones will go for live food. And in my experience, its not that hard to get an otherwise healthy wild mandarin onto frozen food for SUPPLEMENTAL feedings.

As much as I support aquaculture and want to support ORAs efforts, I'll be getting a wild mandarin for my new tank.

Absolutely. The track record with ORA mandarins is simply too spotty and the track record with healthy wild caught in appropriate settings just too good.

 

[buck326]

I wonder what percentage of people who are getting the ORA captive breed mandarins are having luck getting them to eat prepared food?

 

[tmz]

I keep several in established reef tanks.( 3 Synchiropus splendidus( a pair and a single) and one picturatus . They are wild caught. I quarantine all new fish and treat via tank taranfer for ich. The mandarins wound up in a 10 g qt for about 12 days. They are not all competitive feeders.; some are deilberate and slow ,ime. While in the qt tank ,they can pick and choose in peace. They also like to hang out in the pvc resting places. A bubble up sponge filter tends to suck up some of the food and hold it on the surface; the mandarins tend to pick at it there.. I can usually get them started on small pieces of mysis , bloodworm( mosqito larvae) or cycloppeze ( either frozen or the gel); then it's on to the big leagues.

 

[snorvich]

I wonder what percentage of people who are getting the ORA captive breed mandarins are having luck getting them to eat prepared food?

My highly subjective opinion from reading the boards is 30% or less success rate. Like TMZ above, I have great success with wild caught, however.

 

[buck326]

From what I have been reading I would say that 30% would be accurate from the posts, but I wonder if many people with positve results post as people with negative results on these fish.

 

[snorvich]

From what I have been reading I would say that 30% would be accurate from the posts, but I wonder if many people with positve results post as people with negative results on these fish.

Actually, positive results are more often posted than negative results (not just with mandarins).

 

[tmz]

I think the ORA effort is noble. Aquaculture certainly limits collection from nature and is generally a positive. The problem is in overselling it for certain specimens to a point where folks expect more from pricier fish "trained to eat" certain things than is reasonable .When it's all said and done ,it's still a manadarin. Natural selction is harsher on those fry that wont feed readily in any case,imo.

 

[blufgan]

I have a wild caught pair and they eat everything but they love new life spectrum small fish pellets also Nutramar Ova (prawn eggs). I've also know a guy who has used a baby food jar puts prawn eggs in the jar and the mandarin goes inside the jar to eat and his is ORA. Im fortunate enough to have a huge refugium to supply pods like I said mine eat everything.