Tips on how to train mandarin goby to eat mysis?

[Fishkeeper44]

I got a mandarin goby from my lfs a few days ago and have been turning pumps off and shooting mysis from a baster in the same area as the fish. Am I going about this correctly or is there a better way to train a mandarin to eat frozen foods?

 

[laga77]

You will have better success getting them to eat live black worms or white worms first. Not only will they eat worms more often, they are better for the Mandy. After they eat the worms you can add mysis as variety. Nutrama Ova is available again. Another great food for Mandys. All 8 of my Dragonets eat them as well as the worms.

 

[snorvich]

Buying a mandarin in a tank inappropriate will not work long term. The mysis "strategy rarely if ever works.

 

[Nick_Northern]

I use a feeder made out of a small tupperware container with 2 holes drilled in it, one level with the sandbed and big enough for the mandarin to fit through, the other at the top and just big enough to fit a pipette into for feeding. I added live brine for a few days to get him to notice the feeder then once he started going in mixed in frozen and pellets. After about a fortnight he now knows to go in there for his pellets.

There are a few good threads on RC on other feeders and methods people have set up which is where I got the idea. Mine is captive bred so cottoned on pretty quickly but it seems as though the feeder method has worked for many people on wild caught also.

You will not be able to sustain it on target feeding alone so hopefully your tank is big enough to support a large pod population, mine is in a 90 and I add pods every fortnight, I personally would not be comfortable putting one in anything smaller, although I know some people do keep them successfully in smaller volumes.

Edit: I'm not suggesting you use brine as a main food source but it did the job getting mine to notice the feeder, tried live mysis but they escaped the feeder too quickly!

 

[Irishdolphin]

I use a feeder made out of a small tupperware container with 2 holes drilled in it, one level with the sandbed and big enough for the mandarin to fit through, the other at the top and just big enough to fit a pipette into for feeding. I added live brine for a few days to get him to notice the feeder then once he started going in mixed in frozen and pellets. After about a fortnight he now knows to go in there for his pellets.

There are a few good threads on RC on other feeders and methods people have set up which is where I got the idea. Mine is captive bred so cottoned on pretty quickly but it seems as though the feeder method has worked for many people on wild caught also.

You will not be able to sustain it on target feeding alone so hopefully your tank is big enough to support a large pod population, mine is in a 90 and I add pods every fortnight, I personally would not be comfortable putting one in anything smaller, although I know some people do keep them successfully in smaller volumes.

Edit: I'm not suggesting you use brine as a main food source but it did the job getting mine to notice the feeder, tried live mysis but they escaped the feeder too quickly!

This sounds very simple and effective. Could you post a photo? I assume he never struggles to find his way out?

 

[Nick_Northern]

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[Nick_Northern]

This sounds very simple and effective. Could you post a photo? I assume he never struggles to find his way out?

Pics above, he hasn't got himself stuck so far. I use the rock to weigh it down, i'm sure there is a more elegant solution to this but it works for me at the moment. I removed the clips from the lid and the rubber o-ring and just silicined the lid on to the pot. I think it may be better using a larger tupperware as the live food does escape a bit too quickly from this one. I also tried using some rigid acrylic tubing so I could add food to the feeder without getting my hands in and disturbing it but air would build up in the tube and it was more trouble than it was worth.