Dragonet feeding question

Joeylm

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For those of you that have made your dragonet feeders, how long did it take your little guy to figure out what to do? I have a scooter, and I'm still trying. I have SOME pods in my tank that he still finds, and he absolutely destroys baby brine shrimp when they first start hatching. They are still attached to the egg so it's extremely easy to feed him those because they just sit on the bottom and wriggle. It just doesn't seem sustainable because I have maybe a day or two and then they are swimmers. He is still a little skinny but looks much better than when I first got him.

Anyways he will seem interested in the feeder every now and then and then goes to pecking at rocks/sand/glass. He (she i think?) Is extremely active, I just want it to have the food it deserves (which is a lot!) TIA and if there's anything I can do to entice it lmk. Vid of the guy. Ignore the hideous rock!
 

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Jekyl

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Pods are always going to be the best option. May be best to just invest in your own pod culture depending on tank size.
 

NowGlazeIT

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The mandarin I had took a few days to get comfortable going in the feeder. They would take a few bites, circle around the feeder and rock a bit then took a few more bites. They would repeat this for an hour or so till the food was gone.(4-5 times a day) I fed mine cyclops, baby brine, Calanus and roe, baby mysis all frozen.
 

MaxTremors

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I would look into starting a white worm culture. Dragonets love them and they’ll survive in salt water wriggling on the substrate for a day or two so the fish will have plenty of time to eat them before they die. The only thing is that your dragonet needs to be big enough that they can fit them in their mouth, if yours won’t take adult brine shrimp, it may be too small, but it’s something to maybe get culturing for the future. That said, I’ve never had a scooter not take frozen foods (mostly brine), just keep offering it periodically (or with the live brine/baby brine) and they’ll eventually figure it out (at least they always have for me).
 
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Joeylm

Joeylm

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I would look into starting a white worm culture. Dragonets love them and they’ll survive in salt water wriggling on the substrate for a day or two so the fish will have plenty of time to eat them before they die. The only thing is that your dragonet needs to be big enough that they can fit them in their mouth, if yours won’t take adult brine shrimp, it may be too small, but it’s something to maybe get culturing for the future. That said, I’ve never had a scooter not take frozen foods (mostly brine), just keep offering it periodically (or with the live brine/baby brine) and they’ll eventually figure it out (at least they always have for me).
Ill look into it, thanks! I've given him frozen brine and he'll take it. Just wanted to try the feeder thing as it would give him the option to pick at it and not just a "hey im giving you food, eat now." Thanks for the info!
 

NowGlazeIT

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Ill look into it, thanks! I've given him frozen brine and he'll take it. Just wanted to try the feeder thing as it would give him the option to pick at it and not just a "hey im giving you food, eat now." Thanks for the info!
They just eat too frequently and in small amounts to be treated like other fish at meal time. They like to move slower and not compete with others. I think the feeder is a grand idea besides more nutrients and potential waste to your tank then fresh pods would be
 

blaxsun

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They just eat too frequently and in small amounts to be treated like other fish at meal time. They like to move slower and not compete with others. I think the feeder is a grand idea besides more nutrients and potential waste to your tank then fresh pods would be
It depends on the fish. I have a pair of Mandarin Dragonets that eat frozen food: mysis, brine, calanus, ROE eggs, etc. The male will even eat pellets and actively swims up to the top of the tank during feeding along with the other fish. They do hunt a lot during the day as well, and i do have a small copepod population to sustain their hunting activities. But they primarily feed when all the other fish do. Both are fat, healthy and happy.
 

Cantusaurus

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I would get a brine shrimp hatchery since it is easier to hatch the shrimp and get them into a sieve which you can put into a small cup/container and spot feed. I would recommend the one on BRS. It might seem pricey at first, but I think it is worth it since it makes it very easy and separates them from the eggs. I just use tank water and put it in the hatchery. When I put the shrimp in a little cup or container I put some spirulina powder (only 4 bucks on BRS) or Selcon to feed the shrimp and make them have much more filling and nutritional.
You also can space out the harvests you do and spread it out to about 2-4 days. I just spot feed the dragonet or just put the Brine in the spots in the tank I know the dragonet will hunt in.
I'd say frozen Cyclopods, Baby Brine Shrimp, Calanus, Lobster Eggs, or bloodworms are the best bet for frozen options.
Live worms should work as well
 

NowGlazeIT

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I would get a brine shrimp hatchery since it is easier to hatch the shrimp and get them into a sieve which you can put into a small cup/container and spot feed. I would recommend the one on BRS. It might seem pricey at first, but I think it is worth it since it makes it very easy and separates them from the eggs. I just use tank water and put it in the hatchery. When I put the shrimp in a little cup or container I put some spirulina powder (only 4 bucks on BRS) or Selcon to feed the shrimp and make them have much more filling and nutritional.
You also can space out the harvests you do and spread it out to about 2-4 days. I just spot feed the dragonet or just put the Brine in the spots in the tank I know the dragonet will hunt in.
I'd say frozen Cyclopods, Baby Brine Shrimp, Calanus, Lobster Eggs, or bloodworms are the best bet for frozen options.
Live worms should work as well
I’m interested in trying this. Do the brine shrimp sink or attach to the rock work when you spot feed? My problem is needing to turn off power heads so the food settles in one place.
 

Cantusaurus

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I’m interested in trying this. Do the brine shrimp sink or attach to the rock work when you spot feed? My problem is needing to turn off power heads so the food settles in one place.
They will mostly swim around or go to the bottom of the tank if placed near the bottom. I had similar concerns, but I just turn off the return pump and or powerheads for a small amount of time. Although, I have a Scooter Blenny in my QT tank, and I am feeding the BBS and they seem to not get sucked into the filtration as easily as I had thought they might. They will mostly swim around or stay on a surface, but the fish in the tank will love them as a food source, as well as corals. If you have a dragonet I would recommend spot feeding, and it is relatively easy.
 

NowGlazeIT

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They will mostly swim around or go to the bottom of the tank if placed near the bottom. I had similar concerns, but I just turn off the return pump and or powerheads for a small amount of time. Although, I have a Scooter Blenny in my QT tank, and I am feeding the BBS and they seem to not get sucked into the filtration as easily as I had thought they might. They will mostly swim around or stay on a surface, but the fish in the tank will love them as a food source, as well as corals. If you have a dragonet I would recommend spot feeding, and it is relatively easy.
Okay cool I’m looking forward to trying out some new foods for the smaller mouths in my tank. thank you
 

Cantusaurus

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I thought they would blow around the tank like most foods so I was hesitant to try live bb
Yeah, no problem. Depending on the flow they might blow around a bit (if it's really high). I hope it goes well for you. Yeah, the fish should be able to get them especially if they're placed in the general area of them. I think having the BBS is a necessity since smaller fish often might not eat right away especially if it is larger meaty foods, and they can be fed to most corals (usually not SPS though).
 
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Joeylm

Joeylm

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Mine loves the baby brine shrimp when they cant quite swim and just wriggle attached to their eggs. I also just ordered a Grindle Worm culture to have more sustainability
 
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