I have 2 breeding pairs. One in my 90g the other in a 7g. Both pairs eat frozen foods and pellets

Yes, I have one in my 60g cube and another in my RSM130. Both were bought from Fantasy Aquatics on Kingsway and Slocan and had been in the store for over 2 months. They eat frzn foods and probably some NLS pellets if they find them. They live mostly with clowns and fairy/flasher wrasses.

I have a spotted female in a 14 gallon biocube, a regular green female in anothe BC 14 and a red scooter dragonet in a BC29. Besides the pods that live in the chaeto (I see them scooting around at night so obviously the mandarins have not eaten all the pods), I've always had great sucess feeding them frozen bloodworms. I think it has to do with the shape of the long bloodworms resembling one of their natural staple foods. When the spaghetti worms living in the sand get hold of the frozen bloodworms, they give them a life-like action that the mandarins cannot resist:biggrin: (its like fishing with bait!). Even without the spaghetti worms, as the mandarins approach with their large pectoral fins, they inadvertently fan the worms and give them a life-like action. I've never had much luck with frozen mysis or any pelleted foods although maybe as they pick at the sand and live rock, they may consume small particles. Hope this helps others who have had problems keeping mandarins and have not tried bloodworms to supplement the naturally occurring pods. :smile:

we have a psychedelic in a 90gal with a 80g sump and a 20g fuge
about 2 years now, eats brine shrimp and pods

I do have a video just have to find it :)

I also mix my mysis (PE for the big fish; Hikari for the small fish) with frzn bloodworms. Most of my fish love them.

I have a red scooter in a 16 gallon with an aquaclear 70 fuge. He eats any pods he can find but also has a daily meal of mysis/plankton have had him since the beginning of December and he is still fat and active. Which is nice cause it means I finally am doing somethi g right in the hobby.

Here's a vid with my pair dancing at the end. Unfortunately I lost the male in a tank crash but the female is still fat and happy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82rPEl0_mzo

I've had a couple in the past. But I've never had one live much more than 3 years. How long have anyone else's lasted?

I have a female mandarin that has been in my tank for 5 yrs now and the male has been there for 4.5 yrs