ORA Mandarin Dragonets!!!!!

[Beaun]

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Found this on reef builders today, cool little video at the ORA facility.

 

[kaiboshi]

The ORA guy DID say they were eating like pigs at the facility.

 

[melanotaenia]

If that video is supposed to show them eating like pigs, I don't see the connection. They are eating, sure, but they are not voraciously tearing that food up at all. A lot of them do not even seem that interested.

 

[lcs]

I think the ones that don't look interested are eating what fell to the bottom of the container.

Feeding them like that in a small, shallow container is fine, but how will they fair in a large display?

 

[Ben34105]

I had the guy at my LFS call ORA today and talk to them. They referred him to the video. He called the supplier about OVA and they said it was prawn eggs and it's not exactly cheap. OVA is a far cry from pellets.

Some good news, the other mandarin at the fish store that hasn't sold yet started eating live brine today. I'll try again to see if mine will eat the brine.

 

[Cerebral Fish]

Ova are just an intermediate step for weaning them back onto pellets, not a long term food.

 

[Beaun]

If that video is supposed to show them eating like pigs, I don't see the connection. They are eating, sure, but they are not voraciously tearing that food up at all. A lot of them do not even seem that interested.

If you are expecting mandarins to attack food like clownfish then you are always going to be unimpressed.

 

[velvetelvis]

If they told me the part about the DT and eating pods I would have told them to refund me the difference in price between a WC and their designer CB!

Captive-bred and "designer" aren't the same thing. These fish have been bred and raised in captivity, but they're not an artificially created color morph or pattern.

 

[auem]

i think either ORA hyped it or hobbyists overhyped it themself....
this captive raise mandarins perhaps much more hardy and sustainable in aquaria and may in the long run chose more variety of foods than WC one..but it seems they won't take up pellet and flakes any soon,as some people expected...

 

[kaiboshi]

If you are expecting mandarins to attack food like clownfish then you are always going to be unimpressed.

I never expected them to respond like clowns, however, I DID expect a response in general. It's clear from the video that they know what is what I just have yet to see any response like that from my mandarin.

I threw mine in my DT like was suggested and if he survives (which I assume he will) then I am happy that I didn't take another mandarin off a reef somewhere.

 

[angelsil]

I'm waiting to see what happens before I get one of these because if they can't survive on prepared foods, I don't want to keep one in my current setup. I've very successfully kept pairs in larger tanks but I only have a 35g currently and there just isn't enough live food.

It'll be a real shame if these CB mandarins don't take to pellets and frozen. While it's great to reduce the pressure on the wild population, if the CB fish are still doomed to starve that's just shifting the tragedy.

 

[snorvich]

When you buy a fish and keep an aquarium, do you do so because you can have that fish survive? Or do you attempt to simulate the natural environment within which that fish lives? Remember, in a display tank, unless there are no competitors, almost all fish will out compete a mandarin for food. So, are you going to overfeed so the mandarin will get some? Do you really want your fish sitting around waiting for the next meal?

 

[Ben34105]

Captive-bred and "designer" aren't the same thing. These fish have been bred and raised in captivity, but they're not an artificially created color morph or pattern.

They allegedly altered what they typically eat for food. In my book that's designer.

As for mine, tried more live brine yesterday along with cut up blood worms and pellets. It's in a tank on my desk and I've watched him for hours on end. Haven't seen him eat yet. Anyone else having luck?

 

[snorvich]

They allegedly altered what they typically eat for food. In my book that's designer.

As for mine, tried more live brine yesterday along with cut up blood worms and pellets. It's in a tank on my desk and I've watched him for hours on end. Haven't seen him eat yet. Anyone else having luck?

My WC eats mysis, you might consider that.

 

[Cerebral Fish]

When you buy a fish and keep an aquarium, do you do so because you can have that fish survive? Or do you attempt to simulate the natural environment within which that fish lives? Remember, in a display tank, unless there are no competitors, almost all fish will out compete a mandarin for food. So, are you going to overfeed so the mandarin will get some? Do you really want your fish sitting around waiting for the next meal?

Many fish will out compete a mandarin for food regardless of being WC or CB. That's why careful tankmate selection is important, even for the CB fish. And if you didn't then you can still construct something like a mandarin diner, but only if your fish accepts prepared foods that will stay inside.

They allegedly altered what they typically eat for food. In my book that's designer.

It's not designer, it's just training. Wild caught fish can be trained to eat prepared foods as well - not all of them will so you might have to kill a few before you get one that does.

 

[melanotaenia]

If you are expecting mandarins to attack food like clownfish then you are always going to be unimpressed.

I would not expect clownfish feeding behavior. But I have seen healthy long term mandarins during feeding time and the term eating like pigs is associated with much more lively feeding when compared to the babies in the video. I do see that they are feeding and know that there is food there, but the term eating like pigs is not really appropriate. I hope people who keep these guys realize that their genes are the same as WC specimens, and thus some of their natural feeding habits will remain regardless of their place of breeding/rearing.

They are by no means easy fish.

 

[DFason]

Here's mine. He is eating the Nutramar Ova just like the little guys in the video above. I think people need to remember that they are stressed out and may take a few days to eat. Mine took 4-5 days before it would take anything.

Video : Little guy in the middle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpssOElTbqk

Hope you enjoy!

-Dave

 

[angelsil]

That's excellent Dave! You have a similar size tank as me, so its good to see yours has settled in.

 

[DFason]

Thanks angelsil. Everyone just needs to give it some time. They will come around!

-Dave

 

[velvetelvis]

:thumbsup: Good news!