Fattening up a mandarin

[Paul B]

I realize a lot of people have problems with mandarins and I designed a feeder for them to allow them to eat new born brine shrimp all day and that will certainly keep them alive but if you are stuck with a very skinny mandarin and you want to fatten him up quickly there is something else we can do besides give them the new born shrimp.
I mentioned blackworms in the past (many times) and mandarins will eat these. But the problem with blackworms for a mandarin is that blackworms die almost instantly in salt water and mandarins usually won't eat dead worms, although everything else will.
I recently acquired a very skinny male mandarin and he would feast all day on shrimp but he was gaining weight to slowly so I started giving him live whiteworms. The beauty of whiteworms is that they stay alive all day in fresh or saltwater and don't even seem to notice which is which. At least I can't tell from the expression on their face. Another good thing about whiteworms is that they reproduce very fast and the culture is full of adults and babies. My culture has been going for over a year and I have more worms than I know what to do with and I don't eat them.
My skinny mandarin fattened right up and is spawning.
White worms can be ordered online and they come in a small package of soil. Just put them in a plastic shoebox with potting soil, keep it wet and feed the worms instant mashed potatoes. I pour in maybe a half a teaspoon of potatoes which is a powder and in an hour it is swarming with worms and I just lift them out on the blade of a knife, or Samori Sword.
The whiteworms will not burrow in the substrate of a saltwater tank but they will wiggle around like they are doing the Macarena all day. Mandarins will hunt for them. So will everything else so I feed the other fish first and hopefully they won't notice all the white worms near the mandarin.
I just thought some of you would like to know. If not, go and watch "Dancing with the Stars" I think Pee Wee is on this week. :der:

 

[vlangel]

Paul, do you pour in the instant mash potatoes right out of the box, no water added? I am guessing the moisture from the potting soil gives them a consistency????

 

[Eienna]

Cool. Don't think my puffer would let those sit long enough, but I could try them, especially if I can target-squirt 'em after everyone else is stuffed. The scooter's doing okay but Kirby kind of outcompetes her now so I need something she'll be very interested in.

 

[NanaReefer]

Good read on nutritional value of White Worms.
http://www.fishgobble.com/product/white-worm

 

[Paul B]

Thats a nice link, I am going to use it. I just put in a few places maybe half a teaspoon of instant mashed potatoes and spraw it with water. The worms congregate on the potatoes.

 

[Singlefin]

Thanks for the info. Trying to get a copperband to eat. People say black worms. These white worms sound better.

 

[Singlefin]

I've had good luck feeding my mandarin Tobikko. Flying fish eggs. The tiny orange balls you see covering sushi rolls. They are bright orange and they sink. It's pretty easy and cheap to find in most supermarkets.

 

[Paul B]

I fed my mandarin thise flying fish eggs, now he keeps flying around my ceiling lights like a moth.

 

[Singlefin]

...

 

[brocstrongo]

I successfully weaned mine from frozen salmon roe to pellets. It only took like 3 days.

 

[NanaReefer]

I killed 3

 

[Singlefin]

I killed 5 copperbands.

 

[Paul B]

Being successful with a mandarin is keeping him for 10 years and if there are two, they should be spawning.

 

[vlangel]

Being successful with a mandarin is keeping him for 10 years and if there are two, they should be spawning.

With feeding them with a feeder like the one you designed, it should be quite possible to keep a mandarin in a smaller system like mine, (36g with 10g sump), don't you think? I am experienced at hatching baby brine as I raised clowns awhile and the white worms looks pretty easy. I've always loved mandarins but wouldn't purchase one knowing my system was too small to produce the pods necessary to sustain one.

 

[miyags]

Nothing better than a fat happy mandarin!!!

 

[stscream4187]

Wow, this is great I am going to give it a try. I don't want this to get off topic, but have you tried or had any success feeding white worms to coral?

 

[Jimbo662]

Following becuase I've been wanting to add a mandarin to my new tank.

 

[Paul B]

You can keep mandarins in a small tank but you will have to make sure to hatch shrimp every day for the next ten years. I don't know if that would be a problem. I di it, but I am nuts.Yes, you can feed whiteworms and blackworms to corals and anemones.Pregnant mandarin.Mandarins at their feeder.Spawning mandarins.Close up of mandarin fry.

 

[vlangel]

Wow, I never saw a baby mandarin so imagine my surprise when I looked at your last pic!!!!

 

[rworegon]

Paul, could you give us a little more information on you culture? I just ordered white worm culture and I would like to know how you have been successful with your culture for over a year. Maybe pics of your setup, frequency of feeding, etc. Thank you