[njfisherman]

Does any1 hav a mandarinfish because mine is kinda boring and it wont eat the brine i feed it?

[msbdiving]

I don't have one but have wanted to get one once my refugium is set up on the 60. Have you tried copopods? I know the mandarines are very picky eaters and you would be lucky to end up feeding them brine. Unfortunately most of these fish end up dying from starvation due to lack of available live foods.

[Taras1]

Mandarins need an established tank with lots of copepods. Your tank should be at least a year old with lots of live rock. A better bet would be to get frozen cyclops and see if it will eat those. They are vey shy and need lots of hiding places as well as places to qraze.

You can get live copepods on-line from Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I know a few lfs that sell live brine shrimp.The manderin might eat them if all the other fish dont get them first.And lets not foget to research those new critters BEFORE we but them.I would see if the lfs will take him back.

[Tonz of fun]

It is rare for a dragonet to eat frozen brine. They will starve themselfs and die in about 6 months without the proper conditions. If you were looking for a none boring fish the dragonet is not the way to go. The are very calm, peacful, majestic fish. They like hiding and eating. Thats all they do...

[Fishhead Junkie]

i've had 2 mandarins and they both died. 1 from jumping out of the tank, the other one i have no idea but my black bristle star thought he tasted really good.

steve

[gimmito]

I have a mandarin and I've been fortunate to get him to eat brine/mysis shrimp. Try live brine shrimp first and use some garlic extact to stimulate their appetite. Copepods are their main source of diet. Ive found aquaticentertainment to have the best deal on pods (1000+ for $38.99 and free shipping !). Give christina a call at 1-813-789-5294. If you don't have one already, a dedicated refugium to cultivate these guys is a must. Hope this helps.

[swansondan]

I have one and I think he is doing great. I bought a bottle of copepods when I first started my tank, then I bought another bottle about 2 months ago and put it in my tank, then I bought a mandarin and a bottle of 1000copepods and put that bottle in my refuigm and the mandarin in my display tank. So far he is doing great, but he does stay reclusive always hunting and eating food. But when he does comes out it makes it all the better!

Dan

[gimmito]

Has anybody spent more money on a $10 fish? I've spent at least 100bucks on pods since I've had one.

[swansondan]

Yeah, it's crazy how much these little guys cost to feed, but I love my mandarin..my favorite fish in the tank!

Dan

[gimmito]

Dan, Do you feed your pods ? I never use to (thinking macroalgae was enough), but the last place I bought my pods from said they feed their pods crushed formula 2/prime reef flake food. I've since done so and noticed the pod population does not dwindle down like before.

[swansondan]

I have never even thought of feeding my pods...that does make sense though, do you have a bunch of uneaten food lying around in your refugium though? I would not want to raise my nitrates etc....but the pods do need to eat....hmm

[gimmito]

You know I thought the same thing... but after I feed them in the morning I check on them when I get back from work and it's gone. Ive seen worms, snails, micro brittle stars come out and start chowing down !

[Tonz of fun]

I have a gabillion pods in my tank from my refugium. Will all those go away if I get a steralizer?

[gimmito]

If it goes in alive it ain't coming out alive. That's why I got rid of mine. I noticed my pod population plummet with a sterilizer. I would use one when quarantining a fish though in a separate tank

[Tonz of fun]

I just want clearer water. My tank is clouded with pods now days but I plain on getting a dragonet

[jimw369]

If you are dosing plankton or zooplex of some sort your pods will fed off that. I noticed a jump in pod population when I started doing this several mos ago.

If you dont have a pod producing fuge at least start some rubble piles in the DT. These will become pod hangouts as well as a place they are protected from fish.

I went through the same thing thinking I had a billion pods and would never run out. The fish just keep them cleaned out but the rubble piles helped.