Official Mandarin and Dragonet Show off thread

[Zia]

This thread will come in very handy for my mandy

This one just got dropped in my lap after another reefer realized his new tank couldn't support it. He/She is only eating live atm. My tank has plenty for now, but i expect the population to wiped out in no time. Time to learn on training them for frozen

 

 

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[Tamberav]

how often are you guys feeding your mandy's? I was doing three times a day but she didnt seem to interested when the feedings were so often. I'm doing twice a day now.

I feed mine 1-2 times a day. Mine is the same way.. if you feed too much he goes "meh, not hungry". They may eat pods constantly but the larger food they don't really have to do much work for.. I don't think its a problem if they only eat 1-2 times a day. Two times is most likely better if you don't have a lot of pods.

[JoeDigiorgio]

I've found splendidus to be that way. They get 'full' more easily, right? Picturatus on the other hand, I cannot feed enough. If I fill them up on mysis at 3pm, they would take another whole meal of it at 4pm and again at 6pm without a problem!

[metrokat]

She's doing it again!

Bella is back to terrorizing Draco, h's hanging out at the front of the tank again avoiding her.

I've noticed she does this on the days her belly looks empty. A fat happy mandarin she is not today.

[xzeror]

lucy was looking very stressed out from being in the breeder box in the back of my fuge. she went from eating like a champ to ignoring everything and turning very pale.

 

I decided to put her in the main tank. I believe I have plenty of pods as i see them all over my glass, and in the fuge and at night they are every where on the rocks and moving all over.

 

Im still going to spot feed but i hope see gets better.

[Based]

Wow! You guys got some beautys . I just recently purchased and probably saved this Target Mandarin from the store i work at. He started to accept hikari mysis right off the bat, and im going to give him some chopped bloodworms every 3 days as a treat. I decided to name him Bullseye . I hope he lives a happy and full life in my 28g Nano Cube with my 2 Fancy Snowflakes and my Yasha Haze Goby. I'm thinking about adding either a Pink-Streaked Wrasse or a Flameback Angel as the last addition. I will update with new pics once he starts eating out of a "Diner. Well here he is :

 

[metrokat]

Wow! You guys got some beautys . I just recently purchased and probably saved this Target Mandarin from the store i work at. He started to accept hikari mysis right off the bat, and im going to give him some chopped bloodworms every 3 days as a treat. I decided to name him Bullseye . I hope he lives a happy and full life in my 28g Nano Cube with my 2 Fancy Snowflakes and my Yasha Haze Goby. I'm thinking about adding either a Pink-Streaked Wrasse or a Flameback Angel as the last addition. I will update with new pics once he starts eating out of a "Diner. Well here he is :

 

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Hi again. The wrasse will compete for pods with Bull. And because mandarins are slow feeders and gentle fish, that many co-habitants with him might make him shy in the tank. I'm sure you've put a lot of thought into it but I would re-consider your last 2 fish additions if I were you.

[Based]

Hi again. The wrasse will compete for pods with Bull. And because mandarins are slow feeders and gentle fish, that many co-habitants with him might make him shy in the tank. I'm sure you've put a lot of thought into it but I would re-consider your last 2 fish additions if I were you.

Yea ik, i might just throw a clown goby or cardinal instead. Even know he is eating frozen imma buy pods in bulk every now and then for he can display his natural hunting instinct in my aquarium.

[JoeDigiorgio]

He's a cutie. And another picturatus that took to frozen mysis right away. I love that.

[Based]

I was so happy that i ran to get my dad lol. He always wanted a mandarin in his 90, but they were so hard to keep alive in the 80s and 90s, and plus they were rare.

[Mstansbery]

Some really awesome pics in this thread!! I love my Mandarines!!

[metrokat]

Caught them just sitting together. That was a first.

[Based]

I dont know why, well i probably do, everytime i shut my tanks lights off Bullseye trys to jump and ends up hitting the splash guard multiple times. JBJ should of thought about make the cf-quad dimmable, i wonder if i could mod it to make it dimmable since my rainbow rbta hates it to and just deflates.

[metrokat]

I have moonlights on the tank. It might be cheaper and easier to just get a moonlight 3 bulb light which is about $15

[Tamberav]

+1 Kat, I wouldn't add a pod hunter. For now I would get to know your fish and their personality around the other fish. Mine doesn't mind other fish at all (they are all very peaceful though) and feeding time turns into a "dog pile" in the mandarins corner. My cleaner shrimp and goby will be crawling all over the mandarin and all the other fish hovering around and he doesn't flinch.. just keeps on eating.

 

When I first got him he was very skiddish but I have had him almost a year now and he knows the routine.

[oldSWseamomma]

+1 Kat, I wouldn't add a pod hunter. For now I would get to know your fish and their personality around the other fish. Mine doesn't mind other fish at all (they are all very peaceful though) and feeding time turns into a "dog pile" in the mandarins corner. My cleaner shrimp and goby will be crawling all over the mandarin and all the other fish hovering around and he doesn't flinch.. just keeps on eating.

 

When I first got him he was very skiddish but I have had him almost a year now and he knows the routine.

I agree with Kat & Tamberav - your mandarin should be the only pod hunter in the tank and it's so hard to keep up with just one. Also, I have to feed the other fish on one side of the tank and then feed my mandarin in her little spot while they are in the middle of their feeding frenzie. By the time they are onto her stash she is happily gobbling up what she needs. For some reason my clown (I only have the one) stays with my mandarin and when the Chromis even come close to that feeding spot the clown chases them away - it's kind of like it's protecting the mandarin.

[xzeror]

quick question and what brand of pods you guys use to add and seed? Ive used reefs2go and tigger pods. Looking to buy some more pods for extra security any suggestions?

[metrokat]

Reef cleaners $10 pack

[doppelganger]

any other really nutritional options other than mysis? I know bloodworms and brine aren't as nutritional. How about frozen cyclopeze or fish roe (tobiko)? Not sure about the nutrient content of the roe. I assume cyclopeze is pretty good but does anyone's mandarin eat it readily?

[metrokat]

Nutramar OVA is a favorite for all fish, fish roe would work just as well. Draco eats pretty mush anything except I've never seen him munching on mysis. You can try new life spectrum pellets, smallest size 0.5 that are sinking. Draco LOVES those.

[doppelganger]

unfortunately nutramar ova isn't available where I am. Mine's the same, he seems to enjoy bloodworms and brine but not so much the mysis. It's almost like it's too "chewy" for his tastes. Like he'll eat it and "chew" for a while then eventually spit something out... I don't know whether it's the whole piece or just the bits he's not interested in.

 

I'll try pellets and see how it goes!

[oldSWseamomma]

Nutramar OVA is a favorite for all fish, fish roe would work just as well. Draco eats pretty mush anything except I've never seen him munching on mysis. You can try new life spectrum pellets, smallest size 0.5 that are sinking. Draco LOVES those.

I agree with Kat - my mandarin Daenery loves Nutramar Ova, frozen baby brine shrimp and the small Spectrum pellets. Out of all that she loves the Ova the best and hoovers that up first and then goes after the rest. About every two weeks I put in a bottle of tisbe pods.

[JoeDigiorgio]

Mine have never really gone for cyclopeeze but what I've done to appeal to their love for brine shrimp is I've begun to enrich my own with Dan's Feed from seahorsesource. That stuff is awesome. You just blend it up, and pour it into the vessel with the live brine shrimp and let them feed for a few hours. Feed whatever the mandarins will take in one feeding live, then freeze the rest over dry ice. Works like a charm and its their favorite breakfast lol

 

Also, I know blood worms are more readily available but black worms are much more nutritious.

[oldSWseamomma]

unfortunately nutramar ova isn't available where I am. Mine's the same, he seems to enjoy bloodworms and brine but not so much the mysis. It's almost like it's too "chewy" for his tastes. Like he'll eat it and "chew" for a while then eventually spit something out... I don't know whether it's the whole piece or just the bits he's not interested in.

 

I'll try pellets and see how it goes!

You can order it from Marine Depot or Drs Foster & Smith and it will arrive the next day still frozen. My LFS doesn't sell it either so that is where I get it from - in fact I have an order arriving today. I am slowly talking my LFS owner into stocking these foods :0)

[doppelganger]

You can order it from Marine Depot or Drs Foster & Smith and it will arrive the next day still frozen. My LFS doesn't sell it either so that is where I get it from - in fact I have an order arriving today. I am slowly talking my LFS owner into stocking these foods :0)

 

I'm in vancouver canada so that's not really an option for me. Or else I would totally do it probably.