How do I tell if my Mandarin is getting enough to eat?

[Kit with Cat]

I've been told Mandarin dragonets can devastate an entire population of pods in a few days. How do I know if this has happened? I have a refugium as well, but I don't know if that will be enough to feed him? Also, I've been looking for pictures on the net of how a well fed Mandarin should look like and what a starving Mandarin looks like, but I can't find any. Any help would be awesome...thanks so much!
Kit

[paddyob]

As with any fish...

A concave stomach is bad. Meaning it's empty. If the tummy looks fat it's ok.

How big is the tank? Any other competition?

I have a mandarin in a 20g with a HOB fuge. Doing well.

[Kit with Cat]

My tank is 90G, HOB fuge, the rest of the tank mates are:

Bicolor Dottyback (do they eat pods too?)
Hippo Tang
2 x False Perculas
Diamond Goby

I can't say he looks fat so far..but he's doesn't look sickly thin? I've been thinking about getting a melanurus wrasse (to get rid of red planaria..which I was told the Mandarin might also eat)...is this advisable?

[lastlight]

melanarus will go to town on your pods be warned.

[paddyob]

Spotted mandarin will eat flatworms. I have not seen a lot on greens eating them.

[daniella3d]

I have 2 mandarins in my 75 gallons and tons of pods. I see them everywhere but the mandarins do not only eat pods. I give them live white worms and they go nuts for these. I feed them white worms each day or every other day. They are fat and happy.

Feeding live white worms is a good way to make sure your mandarin is not going to go thin or be short on pods.

I have been feeding my copperband butterfly with white worms for a year and he's fat and heathy and he does not eat much else. I add Selcon to the bread I feed the worms, so that enrich them with good nutritious UFA. If you can get a culture and start your own production, it is easy to care for and you would always have a source of live food for your fish.

I don't see my mandarins eat flatworms, but I am sure they eat some because I hardly see any now. I used to have a lot of them. I don't have a wrasse so the only ones that could be eating the flatworms are the mandarins.

[bkelly]

where do yo buy them?I have 2 mandarins in my 75 gallons and tons of pods. I see them everywhere but the mandarins do not only eat pods. I give them live white worms and they go nuts for these. I feed them white worms each day or every other day. They are fat and happy.

Feeding live white worms is a good way to make sure your mandarin is not going to go thin or be short on pods.

I have been feeding my copperband butterfly with white worms for a year and he's fat and heathy and he does not eat much else. I add Selcon to the bread I feed the worms, so that enrich them with good nutritious UFA. If you can get a culture and start your own production, it is easy to care for and you would always have a source of live food for your fish.

I don't see my mandarins eat flatworms, but I am sure they eat some because I hardly see any now. I used to have a lot of them. I don't have a wrasse so the only ones that could be eating the flatworms are the mandarins.

[daniella3d]

you can usually find them from someone who has a culture. I bought them from mail order but it is not the right time of the year to ship them by mail now.

If you know someone locally it is best at this time of the year. Otherwise you can have some shipped to you in spring. Sometime it is possible to send them by bus (Expedibus) with an insulated box with a heat pad. It is delicate because if it is too hot they will die as well.

I received my first culture about 2 years ago by mail. I don't know what area you live in, but if you put a message in this forum you have good chances to find someone in your area what have some and can you a culture to start.

where do yo buy them?