PDA

View Full Version : Mandarin sluggish and not eating, Help!


Vagabond
06-28-2005, 11:22 PM
As the title says, my Mandarin, as of two days ago, has become very sluggish and isn't eating.

Normally he is very active; constantly hunting for pods in the LR, always racing to be front and center when anybody approaches the tank, and eating mysis voraciously when I feed.

For the past couple of days he has been hanging around the back of the tank on the sand bed, not venturing very far, and has no interest in eating.

His color is still good, he does not appear to be having any respiratory problems, fins and gills all look fine.

I have not added any other tank mates and my clowns and firefish are doing great. All of my corals are very happy as well as all inverts.

Water parameters as of today and after a 15% water change yesterday are:
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates <1
PH 8.1
S.G. 1.025
Temp 79-81

:confused: I am about ready to feed the little guy some prozac!

Any ideas out there or something I may be not testing for, or seeing please fire away with questions.


I do have 2 BTA's in the tank Is it possible he got into it with one of them?They have never bothered each other before.

danny zubot
06-29-2005, 02:16 PM
How's his stomach looking? Sunkin or plump? I think the anemone theory is valid, it could also be a bristle worm sting.

Vagabond
06-29-2005, 05:14 PM
Danny - He is still nice and plump, however this is going on the 4th day of this behavior and I am quite concerned for my favorite fish :frown: .

If the little guy was stung by the anemone anybody have an idea how long it might take for him to recover?

As of today his colouring is still excellent and he is alert but just doesn't move around much and still won't eat. Perhaps I will soak his mysis in garlic to see if that will entice him to start eating again.

Any other ideas to help him recover are welcomed.

SeaHorse_Fanatic
06-29-2005, 09:34 PM
Do you have cyclopeeze? Mine like that stuff alot.

Anthony

Vagabond
06-29-2005, 10:05 PM
Anthony - I feed cyclopeeze and its like "fish crack" to everyone in the tank, except for the mandarin, he's never even looked twice at it.

OCDP
06-29-2005, 10:09 PM
Hahaha it really is like crack for fish.

Your mandarin might not be interested in it because he can't get at it.. mandarins will eat what is underneath their face, and I am not sure if a mandarin would swim to the top of the tank to get soem cyclopeeze.

Try this.. ( i have NO idea if it will work ) i seen it on RC somewhere.
Get an empty container of jam, put pellets, frozen foods (whatever he eats...) and set it on the bottom of the tank (assuming none of your other fish are big enough to get in the jar) ... hopefully the food will stay in the jar, thast why pellets work best (try what you can it wont hurt anything)

The objective is to setup a "diner" for the Mandarin, allowing him to enter the jar and eat without having to compete for food. Just make sure your mandarin notices the jar ....

I honestly don't know if it will work..... just trying to help

Good luck

*edit* doesn't HAVE to be a jam jar... just some type of jar with a small opening , or big enough for the mandarin to get through, and to keep out any other fish (assuming your tankmates are biggers)

EmilyB
06-29-2005, 10:11 PM
Maybe he's lonely.... :razz:

You using the PE mysis?

I have some homemade you could try, my mandarins are nuts for that stuff.

forde_11
06-29-2005, 10:14 PM
Here is the article that descrides that way of feeding if it is an issue of him not being able to eat, check it out http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-02/nftt/index.htm I hope he recovers for you.

OCDP
06-29-2005, 11:47 PM
well then. that would have been easier :confused:

Bob I
06-30-2005, 12:30 AM
I honestly don't know if a lot is known about Mandarin feeding habits, but I know mine has been around for far more than one year. I pay very little attention to him, but I know he likes mysis. He roams around the tank doing his thing. Aside from that I can offer little advice. :eek:

danny zubot
06-30-2005, 02:12 PM
Marine Fish and Reef Magazine 2005 profiles the manderine and it's feeding habits. You can pick up this mag at petcetera and other LFS, really is a good read. It mensions that manderines like to hunt for food at dawn and dusk, if yours is sluggish during the day it could be a sign that it feeds well at night, and doesn't need any further food during the day. It also mensions that they will accept small prepared foods such as mysis and cyclopeze etc. After reading the article I agree that the jar method might work, not because the fish will eat the food though. I think the food will attract the various pods and worms the manderin eats into the jar, where the fish can eat buffet style. I would put the food in the jar, and then place the jar mouth right up to the rocks with only an opening large enough for the manderin to get into.

Vagabond
06-30-2005, 06:37 PM
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, much appreciated.

I wouldn't be so confused by his behavior if I just got him, but I have had him for over 8 months and from day one he ate Mysis like a pig. It is his sudden lack of appetite that concerns me and his shy behavior where before he had been very outgoing.

I usually feed him with a 3/4" clear piece of aquarium tubing. Until a few days ago as soon as the tube went into the water he would rush over waiting for his meal to descend upon him. It was even to the point where he would swim up the tube and dine. Now, when I put the feeding tube in the water he just swims away from it.

The jar method sounds like a great idea, however, my 2 cleaner shrimp and my peppermint shrimp would quickly find there way to the trough and bully the Mandarin out of the way. As it stands now the only thing keeping them away from the tube when I feed are my 2 clowns, whom also feed from the tube and protect it from the intruding shrimp (Quite comical actually, as the clowns will charge them or when they get the chance grab the shrimp by the tail and shake them until they run for cover).

TrailFish
06-30-2005, 08:29 PM
The jar method sounds like a great idea, however, my 2 cleaner shrimp and my peppermint shrimp would quickly find there way to the trough and bully the Mandarin out of the way. As it stands now the only thing keeping them away from the tube when I feed are my 2 clowns, whom also feed from the tube and protect it from the intruding shrimp (Quite comical actually, as the clowns will charge them or when they get the chance grab the shrimp by the tail and shake them until they run for cover).


Now that I would like to see! :lol:

megatron_55
06-30-2005, 10:07 PM
Here is the article that descrides that way of feeding if it is an issue of him not being able to eat, check it out http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-02/nftt/index.htm I hope he recovers for you.

cool dude but what kind of pellets are those?? . . . (are they for mandarins or just any pellets) . . . Let me know!! I just bought my mandarin . . . oh and a small bottle :mrgreen:

Vagabond
07-06-2005, 06:16 AM
Well my Mandarin did not make it. :sad:

I found him this evening when I got home. He was so healthy and lively for over 8 months then less than a week... gone.

A sad day he was my favorite fish.

danny zubot
07-06-2005, 03:33 PM
Sorry to hear about your loss. It's strange that those little guys do so well for so long and then all of the sudden they stop eating. I lost mine after I moved and my pod population died off. He ate mysis before too, but I guess the stress was enough to turn off his appitite.