Unique Nano Reef Fish

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Even on prepared foods you need to put some effort into variety. It would seem those who bought their weaned mandarins did not put effort into variety, nor did they do their research. But the point is, if you do it right, prepared foods are a much better option than relying on the productivity of tiny, live crustaceans in a large tank.

Sorry, but this is just wrong. You cannot replace the natural live prey of these fish with occasional feedings. They hunt constantly. Some may adapt to prepared foods, but many many more will starve in that situation. Not because the people who buy the fish were dumb or lazy or didn't do their research or didn't try hard enough. We can't really count on totally replacing their natural food supply with prepared foods. The best we can hope for is to supplement their natural diets. The OP may find that rare mandarin or scooter blenny that will do well, but the odds are not good.

Not only that, but culturing copepods has come a long way. It is possible to culture enough pods to feed a mandarin every day.

In a large enough refugium, maybe. Pouring pods from a bottle, not so much. You just can't replace them faster than the fish can eat them. I know you can set up separate systems to culture them, but I don't think that's what you're talking about, and I doubt that's what the OP has in mind.

If anything, a smaller tank would provide a higher density, thus you could use less copepods, with minimal waste..

That's interesting logic.

Look, I don't mean to be a scold, and people can do what they want. However, I just don't think we do anyone any favors by sugar coating the odds and advising them to do something that will probably not work out. Watching an animal in your care starve to death despite your best efforts is a terrible thing. There are just so many better choices for a nano tank.

 

[Meus]

Sorry, but this is just wrong. You cannot replace the natural live prey of these fish with occasional feedings. They hunt constantly. Some may adapt to prepared foods, but many many more will starve in that situation. Not because the people who buy the fish were dumb or lazy or didn't do their research or didn't try hard enough. We can't really count on totally replacing their natural food supply with prepared foods. The best we can hope for is to supplement their natural diets. The OP may find that rare mandarin or scooter blenny that will do well, but the odds are not good.

Did you read any of my links? If anything go to melev's site, he has a feeding setup that provides a continuous source of prepared foods. I'm not saying prepared foods will work for anyone, you do have to put effort into it. But IMO, I believe it is safer to have a fish eating frozen and pellets. A good majority of ORA mandarins live off of prepared foods. I personally know people who only feed them prepared foods, and who have great success doing so. I remember talking to a parrot owner once, about the subject of them flying for miles in search of food. He was talking about how in captivity, when they are handed food, they are about as lazy as it gets, often preferring to walk across the room to flying. Perhaps mandarins only continuously eat, because they have to. Seahorses have extremely small stomach tracks and in the wild eat continuosly. However, seahorse keepers do just fine with feeding them 2-3 times per day. The point is, it has been done, it can be done, and it has brought about extremely good results(i.e. the captive breeding of these fish). But tell me this, What happens when something happens that wipes out the entire pod population in a tank? The mandarin will starve, unless there is an alternate food source


In a large enough refugium, maybe. Pouring pods from a bottle, not so much. You just can't replace them faster than the fish can eat them. I know you can set up separate systems to culture them, but I don't think that's what you're talking about, and I doubt that's what the OP has in mind.

Are you so condescending that you believe me ignorant? That's exactly what I'm talking about. A small culturing setup can yield thousands of pods per day. A good place to start is with Tigriopus californicus(Tiger Pods).

That's interesting logic.

Read Alisa Abott's book

Look, I don't mean to be a scold, and people can do what they want. However, I just don't think we do anyone any favors by sugar coating the odds and advising them to do something that will probably not work out. Watching an animal in your care starve to death despite your best efforts is a terrible thing. There are just so many better choices for a nano tank.

We post on forums to spread information. I don't feel like I've been scolded, I feel like we are exchanging opinions(Which are like skimmers, everyone has one, and they all stink:lol2. If anyone told me I could put one of my favorite fish in the tank I have now, I'd jump on the opportunity and see what it would take. We know nothing about the OP, maybe s/he is prepared to go an extra mile for their fish, maybe not. But I have presented my opinion, based on what I've seen, and you've presented yours. I'm not going to argue my side anymore. This has been said thousands of times, but what works in one persons tank, will not always work in another's.

 

[SushiGirl]

Here's a great thread on culturing pods: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2030920

 

[jason12345]

Idk if you guys missed it but, like i said it will be fed live baby brine throught the day with paul b's feeder.

 

[Meus]

Idk if you guys missed it but, like i said it will be fed live baby brine throught the day with paul b's feeder.

"un-enriched Brine shrimp(even artemia(babies)) lack DHA's and any DHA's that they have when born are rapidly converted to EPA's. As a whole, brine shrimp are convenient, but by not enriching you will slowly starve out whatever you're feeding them to. It would be much better to wean any fish onto prepared foods."

Continuous feeding will give the brine time to expel their guts, so you can't gut load them. And baby brine quickly lose their nutritious value, so only the first few would actually be worth much.

 

[united417]

Smith's Blenny

 

[Fish Biscuit]

You can't beat a tailspot blenny. They have the best personality, cute little inquisitive fish. Mine will sit all over the tank & hang out. For the longest time he would come over & sit on the mag float watching me work.