Mandarin dragonet food?

[marinegeek101]

What do mandarins prefer, Copepods or tiger pods?

 

[charlesr1958]

I would imagine copepods would be just fine. For a great deal of info about mandarins, this site is set up really nice.

http://home.alltel.net/teakiebarber/

Chuck

 

[marinegeek101]

Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[Passinetti2007]

copepods I read it somewhere

 

[Cwazy Clown]

yes copods 100%

 

[Blood Shrimp]

Copepods. Make sure you have a big enough tank with enough live rock and/or a refugium because they WILL deplete your supply.

 

[marinegeek101]

Thanks everyone. Just ordered them tonight. So excited!

 

[btuck]

Ok so maybe I'm just not informed but aren't they both the same thing just different species of copepods. I think the tiger pods are just larger. I would think that a larger species would cause the mandarin to eat less but I'm not really sure, just a theory.

 

[marinegeek101]

Yes they both are copepods. But different species. And yes, the tiger pods are larger, they are better for feeding seahorses. Thanks everyone for your input! Very appreciated

 

[SueT]

is there enough live rock to support the pods so they can reproduce and keep the supply going??

 

[btuck]

Yes they both are copepods. But different species. And yes, the tiger pods are larger, they are better for feeding seahorses. Thanks everyone for your input! Very appreciated

Perhaps I shall get some for my little horses

 

[marinegeek101]

I have 65 pounds of live rock

 

[SueT]

thats not that much when you're talking about keeping a mandarin...for any length of time.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Sue is right, Ive seen them starve with more rock than that. If you have already ordered the mandarin, make sure you also have a fuge going. Occasionally they can be trained to eat brine shrimp and other small foods like Cyclopeze, but best to count on it's natural foods. Mine won't touch anything else besides pods...

 

[SueT]

mine too.. It has to have it's continous live supply of pods and I worry with 200# of live rock. I keep thinking maybe I could add another 50-75#.

 

[angelfish]

lot of live rocks & matured sandbed was the key of success :doubt:

i'm having a pair of them in my reef tank for years. i offer them thawn frozen brine shrimp 2~3 times daily for few weeks when introduced

now days i soak some pallet food with Kent Marine Zoe and Garlic Extreme b4 hand and offer them as supplementary food once in the evening.

 

[SueT]

after thinking about this thread so much yesterday I was watching as I fed my tank last night. I always try to find exactly where my mandarin is and put food right there. Thankfully mine will eat frozen foods, like PE mysis shrimp and enriched brine shrimp but this is totally not the norm. These fish are so hard to keep with everything going in the right direction. I wouldn't suggest them for anything less than a 100g tank chock full of live rock. Pods crawling everywhere and one that will eat food other than pods. They are such an awesome fish and it's just to hard to think of one starving to death due to not enough food or simply due to someone not caring enough to know better.

Angelfish, awesome pair!!!

 

[mavgi]

I have pair in my 120 they eat frozen food and i have a luck they are very fat.

i also feed my tank twice a day.

 

[angelfish]

after thinking about this thread so much yesterday I was watching as I fed my tank last night. I always try to find exactly where my mandarin is and put food right there. Thankfully mine will eat frozen foods, like PE mysis shrimp and enriched brine shrimp but this is totally not the norm. These fish are so hard to keep with everything going in the right direction. I wouldn't suggest them for anything less than a 100g tank chock full of live rock. Pods crawling everywhere and one that will eat food other than pods. They are such an awesome fish and it's just to hard to think of one starving to death due to not enough food or simply due to someone not caring enough to know better.

Angelfish, awesome pair!!!

Yes, they are really cute