mandarin goby/dragonet

[Myka]

Most mandarins are quite easy to wean onto frozen food, but it does take daily diligence. I have a breeding pair of Mandarins in a 20-gallon tank for over a year now. They are fat.

I wean mine all the same way. They seem to go for plain (not the Omega-3 or the spirulina) Brine Shrimp best. I place a small jar like a baby food jar or a small vase into the tank laying on its side somewhere out of flow where you can observe. Every morning add 2 little brine shrimp to the jar. In the evening siphon the brine shrimp out. Keep doing this everyday. It will take 1-3 weeks before the Mandarin will start to take the Brine Shrimp. You will notice the Brine Shrimp will start to disappear and then you will notice the Mandarin will start hanging out in the jar (they are pigs). When this happens you can start feeding him more.

You do need a very fat one in order for it to survive weaning because they need to become hungry, but not skinny in order to seek out "alternative" food stuffs. If they are already skinny they are often unwilling to seek alternative foods almost like they are in a state of panic.