getting a mandarin to eat

[George]

Sorry about the loss.
Also remember that these fish don't come directly from the ocean to our tanks. They go from the ocean to divers to collection stations to distributors to wholesalers to stores. There maybe even multiple stops within each layers (like a store also wholesales live stock and sells to other stores). I don't think many of these places feed the fish or make sure the fish eat. We don't know how long the fish has left the ocean and in transit.
The best advice I can give is that the old recommendation of seeing a fish eating in the store is still a golden recommendation. As long as you are not looking for a super rare fish, the same type of fish will show up sooner or later. Buy the fish that is eating in the store.

[reeferious]

I mean those orangy capelin herring or whatever fish eggs they put on sushi. they sink to bottom and under water motion roll, frolick around very much like pods and with their natural fishy odor no mandarin can refuse them

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by George

Sorry about the loss.
Also remember that these fish don't come directly from the ocean to our tanks. They go from the ocean to divers to collection stations to distributors to wholesalers to stores. There maybe even multiple stops within each layers (like a store also wholesales live stock and sells to other stores). I don't think many of these places feed the fish or make sure the fish eat. We don't know how long the fish has left the ocean and in transit.
The best advice I can give is that the old recommendation of seeing a fish eating in the store is still a golden recommendation. As long as you are not looking for a super rare fish, the same type of fish will show up sooner or later. Buy the fish that is eating in the store.

Yah this guy came in on an order from Indonesia. I've looked in to some of the huge Indonesian exporters in the past, and from the sounds of it most of them source from all over the coral triangle. None of their websites talk about collection methods, just how fish are treated at their facilities, but I would imagine that their supply networks encompass everything from a couple of guys with a dingy to truly 'professional' outfits. There's really no way of knowing how long a fish was on the collection boat, how it was collected, how long it was at the facility, or what happened to it in between the exporter and the store.

I'm usually really careful about buying fish, I went with this guy over the other ones because it's fins and colours were particularly outstanding. Placed next to the other 3 mandarins of the same species in the store and there really was no comparison. I let vanity beat out of over practicality.

[Myka]

Sorry to hear. I don't think it was your fault though. It sounds like he wasn't in good shape to begin with. Next time make sure you pick a very fat one. Je should seem oddly fat for his length - that's a healthy Mandy.

Sent from my Dungeon using mad Ninja Skillz.

[jason604]

Just got. Psychedelic green mandarin today. Tossed him in the DT. Making brine shrimp eggs. Hopes he eats

[asylumdown]

Well I couldn't resist and bought a second one. Same species and from the same order, but this time, I actually watched the little guy eat frozen PE mysis in the store. He (or she, not really sure how to sex them) is a lot smaller and not as flashy in the fins, but he's about 40 times more active than the last one, and actually moves around in the QT tank. He's still on what I'd call the skinny side compared to 'fat' mandarin photos I can find on the web, but he was in a small tank with a bunch of fire fish and some other gobies, so there wasn't much food hitting the floor for him. Over the course of the day he's eaten about half a frozen cube of mysis shrimp.

I've been paying careful attention to how much food actually hits the ground when I feed, and I'm pretty sure he'll be fine so long as my tank is producing as many pods as I think it is. At feeding time I kill the return pump and put all vortech's in feed mode, so probably 1/4 of the frozen food sinks straight to the sand bed. I'll extend the feed cycle from 5 to 10 minutes to give him extra time to graze.

In any case, the behaviour difference between this fish and the last one is literally night and day. The last one was so lethargic I could literally just reach down and scoop him up with my hand, while this guy is feisty as all get out. I'm feeling a lot more confident about it this time.

[jason604]

Damn half cube of mysis all to himself? I think all 7 of my fishes share half a cube when I actually feed them it.

[Myka]

Hey that's great! You can also make a little rubble pile in the corner of your display where pods can hide inside and breed in a place where the Mandarin can't get to them.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by jason604

Damn half cube of mysis all to himself? I think all 7 of my fishes share half a cube when I actually feed them it.

Well this was over the course of 10 hours. The QT tank is bare bottom and he's the only thing in it, so it can take it's time.

And between my 21 fish, every day I feed:
3 cubes of hikari mysis
2 cubes of PE mysis
1 cube of frozen adult brine
1 cube of spirulina brine
1 (sometimes 2) cube of ocean nutrition formula 1
A decent chunk (about 2 cubes worth) of Pacifica plankton
2 mantilla clams
2 or 3 sheets of nori
A healthy portion of crushed aegis flakes and freeze dried cyclopeeze via an auto-feeder

Clams in the morning, nori and flakes in the afternoon (if I'm not home I sometimes skip the nori), frozen in the evening.

My fish are fat. Hopefully the mandarin does well in the display.

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by Myka

Hey that's great! You can also make a little rubble pile in the corner of your display where pods can hide inside and breed in a place where the Mandarin can't get to them.

Yah I set one up in a corner after I bought the first one. It took the last of my rubble so I'll make it bigger when I get to smashing my last piece of Marco rock in to tiny pieces. It's crazy how white it is compared to the rest of my rocks! Over 2 years the Marco rock that's not covered in coralline, sponges or tube worms has turned dark grey. It's already got a dusting of brown and at night I can see bristle worms have moved in, so the pods won't be far behind. Hopefully the mysid shrimps that now live within the branches of my corals will move in as well.