Green Mandarin Not Eating...

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Thanks for the post, Gigaah.

The mandarin is in QT, and I've been feeding live brine three times a day for the past few days. With the live brine, I've tried to introduce him to frozen brine and pellets (both Omega One Small Pellets and Top Fin Sinking Pellets), but the mandarin will only eat the live brine. He notices the pellets and frozen food, but refuses to eat them. Even though he's skinny, he is SO selective - he only eats the live brine if it's right in front of his face tumbling on the ground, and after he eats about 7 brine, he's done for a few hours.

I'm hoping that soon the mandarin will adapt to frozen foods like my other fish eat. I own a leopard wrasse, and I don't want them competing for pods or any other live food..so unless the mandarin starts eating frozen food (or pellets or something non-live), I think I'm going to have to take him back to the LFS. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for now. I like the little guy and want to keep him, but I want to do what is in both my aquarium's and the mandarin's best interest...

Here is a link to more info i've blurted out in the past
https://www.livingreefs.com/my-experi...on-t26373.html

And, thanks so much for the link. It was a great read and very helpful.

As for pictures:
These were taken 2 days ago when I attempted to add the mandarin to the main tank. Now he's back in QT (10 gallon tank with pvc pipe pieces and a bag of chaeto). I would post a more recent pic, but the lights are off in the tank, and I don't want to startle the mandarin. Personally, I don't think his appearance (weight gain-wise) has changed over the 2 days since moving him back to QT...

 

[sen5241b]

Orange or red Sushi eggs! Fish eggs are one of the most favored foods of sea-creatures. Turn off flow, move slow so as not to scare the MD away, and drop the eggs down over top of him. OVERFEED. If the MD doesn't eat them I will be shocked. Sushi eggs are a gazillion times more nutritious than brine shrimp. The eggs are almost pure fat and protein.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Well, I bought red sushi eggs, and the mandarin doesn't like them either. He is keeping his eye on them and has swam around to inspect the eggs, but he won't try them. Over the course of the day I have also tried frozen baby brine, frozen brine again, and frozen blood worms. He will only eat the live brine. He acknowledges all of the foods but won't eat anything that isn't live brine... :frustrat:

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Current Pictures:

 

[sen5241b]

I am officially shocked. Sorry my suggestion did not work out. Like I said I have had two of them and they both gobbled down the sushi. Keep trying. And add Selcon to your live brine shrimp to make them more nutritious.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

No problem, Sen. It was worth a shot. I'm going to search for some Selcon and keep feeding live brine for the next few days. I've been feeding the mandarin about 15 brine shrimp four times a day for the last few days, and he's doing "ok".

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Another problem (that's been bugging me):

So...even if the mandarin starts eating frozen food (or pellets or fish roe or whatever) and I put him in the my DT, how is he possibly going to be able to eat enough and be able to compete with my other fish for food??

When I had the mandarin in my DT for a day or so, when I fed the the tank (live brine shot with a baster in front of the mandarin with the powerheads off) my leopard wrasse, watchman goby, and cleaner shrimp beat him to just about everything. My wrasse, goby, and shrimp are VORACIOUS eaters! I kept adding more shrimp to the tank trying to give the mandarin more and more chances to actually grab a shrimp...The end result was a wrasse and goby that looked like their bellies were going to explode and a hungry mandarin. What do you do about this? Will the mandarin ever become a more aggressive eater? (Right now the food still has to tumble on the ground right in front of him for him to eat it)

 

[yote]

To answer your question.Probably not.
Mandrines are eaters by nature and just cant compete with aggressive feeders in a glass box.

 

[sen5241b]

Another problem (that's been bugging me):

So...even if the mandarin starts eating frozen food (or pellets or fish roe or whatever) and I put him in the my DT, how is he possibly going to be able to eat enough and be able to compete with my other fish for food??

When I had the mandarin in my DT for a day or so, when I fed the the tank (live brine shot with a baster in front of the mandarin with the powerheads off) my leopard wrasse, watchman goby, and cleaner shrimp beat him to just about everything. My wrasse, goby, and shrimp are VORACIOUS eaters! I kept adding more shrimp to the tank trying to give the mandarin more and more chances to actually grab a shrimp...The end result was a wrasse and goby that looked like their bellies were going to explode and a hungry mandarin. What do you do about this? Will the mandarin ever become a more aggressive eater? (Right now the food still has to tumble on the ground right in front of him for him to eat it)

Your answer: Melevsreef.com - Melev's Mandarin Diner

Also, get that fuge going with cheato so pods will grow! I have intentionally overfed to ensure my MD gets some food but I also go a day or two without feeding to offset.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Your answer: Melevsreef.com - Melev's Mandarin Diner

Also, get that fuge going with cheato so pods will grow! I have intentionally overfed to ensure my MD gets some food but I also go a day or two without feeding to offset.

I've got a fuge with chaeto. And the mandarin diner was a GREAT idea; however, all of my fish are tiny, so they could all fit inside a jar like that - the wrasse and goby would still beat the mandarin to any food I put in the tank...

 

[daugherty]

put food in the tank than use a turkey baster to get food down closer to the mandarin

 

[sen5241b]

put food in the tank than use a turkey baster to get food down closer to the mandarin

We take the rubber part off the baster, put the food in it, put it back on and suck water up into it. Then rain the food on a fish or coral.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

put food in the tank than use a turkey baster to get food down closer to the mandarin

I've been using a baster, but I didn't think about taking the top off to put the food into the baster (that will make things easier).

I've been searching everywhere for Selcon, and all I could find was Zoecon. I think they're the same, and I plan on trying the Zoecon on the live brine later for the mandarin's "dinnertime". Right now I'm also soaking frozen brine and baby brine in garlic to try later as well...

I also tried the "jar method" from Melev's Mandarin Diner yesterday. I figured that although all of my fish in the DT are small enough to fit into the jar, perhaps the goby and wrasse won't figure it out; if I can train the mandarin to eat out of the jar in QT, then if I ever introduce him into the DT, the jar would be something familiar for him where he knows he can get food. When I tried the "jar method" yesterday with live brine in the jar, the mandarin was confused for a while. Eventually he found his way in to eat though...

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I put the frozen brine and frozen baby brine (soaked in both garlic and zoecon) in the jar and the mandarin ignored them. However, I then shot the same mixture an hour later at the mandarin with the baster, and he ACTUALLY ATE SOMETHING THAT WASN'T LIVE! He didn't eat it all, just a few nibbles here and there, but it's the first time he's ever ate anything but live brine!! So, YAY, a minor success... :sfish:

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

I left the frozen baby brine and brine in the jar the rest of the evening even though the mandarin didn't initially care about what was in the jar. I've checked up on the mandarin 4 times since he ate the frozen food that I shot at him this afternoon with the baster, and each time I check up on him HE'S BEEN HANGING OUT IN THE JAR AND HE ATE ALL OF THE FROZEN FOOD THAT WAS IN THE JAR!! :D I don't know if he just decided that he would start liking frozen food today, or if it's the "flavor" of zoecon that he likes, but whatever!! He ate all of the frozen food I gave him today! SCORE!! :mrgreen: (He still detests all pellets and fish roe, though...even when soaked in garlic and zoecon...)

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

Pics from this morning:

 

[dcantucson]

:^::^::^:
Good news! (finally :) )

 

[wontonflip]

That's good to hear!! It's always awesome to see our fish pull through :)

 

[sen5241b]

That IS good news. Be careful with garlic -too much will make the fish reject the food. I've seen it happen in my own tank. The only advantage of garlic is that, when eaten by fish, it will ward off parasites. (People who eat tons of garlic tend NOT to get bitten by mosquitoes).

If you are trying to get the MD to eat I would cut back or eliminate the garlic --for now.

 

[SaltwaterNoob17]

That IS good news. Be careful with garlic -too much will make the fish reject the food. I've seen it happen in my own tank. The only advantage of garlic is that, when eaten by fish, it will ward off parasites. (People who eat tons of garlic tend NOT to get bitten by mosquitoes).

If you are trying to get the MD to eat I would cut back or eliminate the garlic --for now.

Okay, thanks Sen. I'll stop the garlic and see what happens.

The past few days the mandarin has continued to eat both frozen baby brine and frozen brine shrimp. He just is real finicky when it comes to eating, and while he eats the frozen foods, you can tell they aren't his favorite. As for progress on the jar method...the mandarin has finally stored in his memory how to get into the jar (that would stump him every time I lowered the jar back into the tank with food in it until yesterday)...