Need help feeding Mandarin Fish

[comycus]

Need some help on my cute mandarin I got from Henry's recently. Thanks to Henry, it's already feeding on frozen, and has a healthy appetite. tt's the good news.

The bad news is its a really slow eater. (duh!) and my mysis always gets chomped on by my anthias(es) and wrasses. I have absolutely no idea whether the mandarin gets any to fill his stomach. So I have recently resorted to target feeding him while I'm target feeding my rhizos.

That's how I know how big his appetite is. He actually chomps on quite alot of mysis whenever presented with the opportunity. I don't think this is a viable solution in the long term though. Any ideas on what I can do next? The nice part is he's starting to recognise my balloon stick thingy, so maybe can even try to wean him onto pellets? possible? Any thoughts?

[ReDDeviLs]

just got to flood your tank each time or remove the fast eating fishes.

[jackywongto]

Need some help on my cute mandarin I got from Henry's recently. Thanks to Henry, it's already feeding on frozen, and has a healthy appetite. tt's the good news.

The bad news is its a really slow eater. (duh!) and my mysis always gets chomped on by my anthias(es) and wrasses. I have absolutely no idea whether the mandarin gets any to fill his stomach. So I have recently resorted to target feeding him while I'm target feeding my rhizos.

That's how I know how big his appetite is. He actually chomps on quite alot of mysis whenever presented with the opportunity. I don't think this is a viable solution in the long term though. Any ideas on what I can do next? The nice part is he's starting to recognise my balloon stick thingy, so maybe can even try to wean him onto pellets? possible? Any thoughts?

Let me know if you are successful in getting him weaned onto pellets. I am getting a mandarin down the road.

I used to just float frozen food all over my FOWL tank in the hope that my mandarin will get to eat some of it missed by my fishes.

thoughts - just thinking aloud.

1) feed the fishes pellets 1st then mysis. hopefully they will be less interested

2) if you are trying to wean him, chop the pellets to finer bits and soak it with mysis. target feed him.

slowly increase the pellets and reduce the mysis. hopefully he migrates over.

3) grow chaeto in a corner?

[pokmingsheng]

Let me know if you are successful in getting him weaned onto pellets. I am getting a mandarin down the road.

I used to just float frozen food all over my FOWL tank in the hope that my mandarin will get to eat some of it missed by my fishes.

thoughts - just thinking aloud.

1) feed the fishes pellets 1st then mysis. hopefully they will be less interested

2) if you are trying to wean him, chop the pellets to finer bits and soak it with mysis. target feed him.

slowly increase the pellets and reduce the mysis. hopefully he migrates over.

3) grow chaeto in a corner?

i target feed my mandarins..

both feeding on frozen...

still waiting for a chance to get hold of balloon stick..

tiring to target feed,

although henry discourage that method when i spoke to him...

tried floating "extra" frozen food,

in the hope that the mandrains will pick up the left over,

doesnt work..

esp with both my super greedy shrimps around...

[jackywongto]

i target feed my mandarins..

both feeding on frozen...

still waiting for a chance to get hold of balloon stick..

tiring to target feed,

although henry discourage that method when i spoke to him...

tried floating "extra" frozen food,

in the hope that the mandrains will pick up the left over,

doesnt work..

esp with both my super greedy shrimps around...

yeah I hate shrimps for that reason and they cause the corals to close up.

esp Cleaner shrimps who doesn't clean anymore..... tsk tsk tsk.......

keep them occupied with krills before you float the frozen food.

[ReDDeviLs]

lemonlemon got a feeding on pellet mandarin.

[jackywongto]

lemonlemon got a feeding on pellet mandarin.

He got a pellet feeding one or did he wean one onto pellets?

[ReDDeviLs]

he trained it.

i only managed on a scooter.he did it on a mandarin. LOL

[comycus]

He got a pellet feeding one or did he wean one onto pellets?

he weaned it. starved the bugger for 6 months or something like tt before he finally took pellets. lol

no matter how i flood the wrasses and anthias will eat everything. 2 cubes of mysis plus like maybe 50+ pellets? the last time i tried tt everyone looked pregnant. Don't think it's a good idea... hahaa

Hopefully once he recognises my balloon stick as the hand of god tt feeds him, will eat anything out of it Then can try to soak mysis with garlic and powdered pellets, then garlic and pellets, then pellets... hahaa I dunno if I have so much patience to train him...

I'm just happy mine's feeding on frozen. Otherwise my new tank confirm cannot support him.

[jackywongto]

he trained it.

i only managed on a scooter.he did it on a mandarin. LOL

cool.... lemon, gotta let us know how you train that mandarin.

[jackywongto]

he weaned it. starved the bugger for 6 months or something like tt before he finally took pellets. lol

no matter how i flood the wrasses and anthias will eat everything. 2 cubes of mysis plus like maybe 50+ pellets? the last time i tried tt everyone looked pregnant. Don't think it's a good idea... hahaa

Hopefully once he recognises my balloon stick as the hand of god tt feeds him, will eat anything out of it Then can try to soak mysis with garlic and powdered pellets, then garlic and pellets, then pellets... hahaa I dunno if I have so much patience to train him...

I'm just happy mine's feeding on frozen. Otherwise my new tank confirm cannot support him.

Send your mandarin to "Lemon pellet - training school".

I need to enroll mine early too.

[comycus]

cool.... lemon, gotta let us know how you train that mandarin.

I wouldn't try his method la... the poor bugger was so skinny...

btw, I have a small 1 inch lyretail anthias tt's not doing too good in my tank. Jacky wanna adopt? It feeds only on frozen.

[jackywongto]

I wouldn't try his method la... the poor bugger was so skinny...

btw, I have a small 1 inch lyretail anthias tt's not doing too good in my tank. Jacky wanna adopt? It feeds only on frozen.

better not. he will die faster in my tank. I am getting a flame angel , royal gramma later.

+ my maroon clown ===> sure mayhem

thanks for the offer bro.

[ReDDeviLs]

he starve his mandarin? isit?

but how to starve mandarin? i tot they feed on pods?

at least my scooter and mandarin does that.

until 1 day my scooter decided to take pellets..and it was damn huge in size. LOL

[comycus]

he starve his mandarin? isit?

but how to starve mandarin? i tot they feed on pods?

at least my scooter and mandarin does that.

until 1 day my scooter decided to take pellets..and it was damn huge in size. LOL

Think his tank was still quite new then also. Not enough pods...

[comycus]

my next ambition....

successfully rear yellow clown goby... hahaha so sad right?

okie I'm gonna turn in first guys. for ure inputs!

[pokmingsheng]

just curious..

even if the mandrain is able to take pellets,

by the time we throw pellets into the main tank,

wouldnt all the other LS grab it before it can even have a chance to land on the sand bed?

even if it does land on the sand bed,

unless it lands somewhere near it,

i doubt that mandrain would swim all the way to get it right? haha...

[jackywongto]

just curious..

even if the mandrain is able to take pellets,

by the time we throw pellets into the main tank,

wouldnt all the other LS grab it before it can even have a chance to land on the sand bed?

even if it does land on the sand bed,

unless it lands somewhere near it,

i doubt that mandrain would swim all the way to get it right? haha...

As long as some lands on the sand bed, the mandarin will eat it sooner / later.

most of the fishes don't eat food on the sand bed.

[yikai]

hihi heard my name here haha!

ok some things to take note. i did not intentionally starve my mandarin lol. when i got it, it wasnt feeding on anything, like most mandarins. it survived in my then quite new tank, for awhile. slowly getting thinner and thinner. pods i had alot back then as my tank was quite fishless in the start up. but of course, being a new tank, pods were insufficient for it.

i believe once you release the mandarin into the main tank, there is no such thing as "training". as they are freaking slow movers and eaters, there is no way to train it once in the display. for all you know, it could already be a pellet feeding one, just that he has no chance since he is soo slow.

anyway, after around 5-6 months, my mandarin starting taking his first bite of pellet food. He was lucky i guess. the pellets floated to a small quiet corner and he took a bite. since then he has been eating pellets.

now this is the part which i have trained. my mandarin can eat around 60 pellets a day. at the right side of my tank where my elegance is, is a small quiet corner. i will throw pellets into my tank and let the fast feeding fishes fight for it. and then i will sprinkle some pellets on the low flow area and let them stay on the sand. then my mandarin will go to that area to eat the pellets at his own sweet time. all this while im throwing abit of pellets at the high flowing area so my other fishes get distracted. this is a good method. throw just enough for the fast feeding fish to finish feeding.

my mandarin fish is 1 year old now. and is fat like a cow. i believe i was just lucky to find one that took a liking to prepared food. but i did train him to eat from a given spot.

this is my blue mandarin. fat hor?

[yikai]

just curious..

even if the mandrain is able to take pellets,

by the time we throw pellets into the main tank,

wouldnt all the other LS grab it before it can even have a chance to land on the sand bed?

even if it does land on the sand bed,

unless it lands somewhere near it,

i doubt that mandrain would swim all the way to get it right? haha...

wrong my friend i have trained my mandarin to eat from a given spot on the sandbed.

[yikai]

a rare red variant mandarin fish. not with me anymore its living in a good place now haha.

[jackywongto]

wrong my friend i have trained my mandarin to eat from a given spot on the sandbed.

....... did you manage to train him to sit and rollover too? Gosh......

[comycus]

all my wrasses eat from sandbed in the morning. My morning feeding session before I go to work is too early for them so I just sprinkle some on my sandbed for them to eat when they wake up

hmm... maybe after my mandarin gets used to feeding from the balloon stick I will lure him out to an open area to feed. Always have to stick into the rocks to feed him now...

[yikai]

note that i did not starve my mandarin until soo jialat like you guys would imagine..... he was skinny yes, but not on the verge of death. otherwise he won't be here right now. during the initial period he got thinner. before eating pellets, he ate live brine, mysis, and henry's food. but i was not contented as it is hard to feed frozen to mandarins coz of their slow nature. and it will only pollute my tank, so it will not be feasable in the long run. good thing he ate pellets...otherwise not sure. i think im really lucky to get 1 feeding on pellets on my first try.

bro jacky, it doesnt rollover and sit. but it can make clicking noises when he eat pellets off the sand. i think it has something to do with the suction sound it makes when it sucks up the food.

[stevenkoh08]

i also have one which feed on pellet also first i got it seem funny doen't wanna feed on anything in my QT so i fish it out and put it in a betta tank floating and i put a clown together just not to let it bored to deaf but my clown love pellet so i feed it with pellet 2-3times a day leaving some left behind after a week long i discover all the left over pellet go missing after an hr time when feeding at first i thought the clown took it but then i try and feed it again the clown just swim and clown around the mandarin and like kissing it lol after which i saw my mandarin took the pellet it was a great time to celebrate but i droupt all mandarin will have the same character just like humans so u may try this but at your own risk

anyway for ur info the mandarin i got it from T95