Do you have a Mandarin?

[s.tan]

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 (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.

[Cal_stir]

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

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Originally Posted by s.tan

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 (its like fishing with bait!).

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

[Nano]

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.

[jtbadco]

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

[whatcaneyedo]

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?

[marie]

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

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

[Doug]

The male I had that is one of the pair in Mikes tank, must at least 6 or 7 yrs. old now. The female, that I bought from another member when he moved, is less.

As posted on another thread, besides mysis or bloodworms, they loved to eat the small Ocean Nutrition Formula One Marine Pellets. She would actually watch me put them in the water and head to the spot in the tank where they collected on the bottom in the current.