wegotjs Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I am checking if anyone has ever had a mandarin that ate brine or other food besides just living on pods. I want to buy one only if it will live long term and almost all wild caught manderine die from starvation. If anyone has one they want to sell or knows of a possible breeder please let me know. Who on the boards has Mandarin and how long have you succesfully kept these amazing fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowpunk Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I know people have had some do it but mine wouldn't. I think it is just based on the individual fish really. Maybe ask the store to feed it brine and see if it goes for it. People have got them to eat it gradually but I wouldn't rely on it as a food source for it at all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Call the shops and see if they have had one for a while and if they have SEEN it eating other food than live pods. It may be hard to find someone with one that is eating. Especially from a member as no body would want to get rid of it eating a variety of foods. How big, old is your tank? Do you have pods? Do you have other pod eaters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonH Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Also, it's not just a matter of getting them to eat it - it's getting the food to them. They are very slow, graze feeders. They won't dart out into the water stream to grab a bite. So other, more active feeders, will gobble up all the brine shrimp/other food before the mandarin can get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Also' date=' it's not just a matter of getting them to eat it - it's getting the food to them. They are very slow, graze feeders. They won't dart out into the water stream to grab a bite. So other, more active feeders, will gobble up all the brine shrimp/other food before the mandarin can get to it.[/quote'] A good point .............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I have one for over a year in my 37 gallon and he eats brine and mysis shrimp. I have thought about trying my hand at breeding them. The first problem I would have is finding a female. My understanding is that the males are easy to catch in the wild because of there dorsal fin is larger and spiked at the top so when netting them the dorsal gets snagged in the mesh. I haven't seen a female mandarin yet in stores. As for finding one. It's tough. I sat and stared at the one I have for almost an hour at the LFS. I made sure he was fat and he was hunting for food. It's still a crap shoot. I hope you find one like mine. He is by far my favorite fish and in my opinion one of the most beautiful. To be completely honest I purchased two mandarins prior to that and they slowly starved. I told my wife no way will I buy another until I get a big reef built. Until I saw the one I have now... As for grazing I don't really agree. I would say they hunt for their food and they are quite quick. And yes you'll be hard pressed to find someone willing to give up a mandarin that eats frozen food. Just keep looking and definately do not buy one that is not eating. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf86123 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Check out melev, his mandarins, more than one in the tank, i wanna say its something ridiculous like 3 or 4, are all eating prepared food, not mysis or brine, but pellets and what not, he details how he did it as well, very well written deal and extremely informative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wegotjs Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share Posted December 22, 2009 Thanks guy's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I had one a couple years ago and it ate anything I fed the tank. I was told back then that if the store's know they eat like that they tend to be a little more $ cuz it's rare and makes them more suitable for any tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undrtkr_00 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 I've had one for a year + that I got from JasonH (how long did you have him before that?). Still my favorite fish, but he does not eat any prepared food as far as I have seen. He's pretty well fat and happy in my 110, but I don't have any real competition for the pods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.