Mandarin dragonet

[littlestar]

So the nano tank I have taken on has a beautiful small mandarin dragonet among its inhabitants. The person who I took the tank over from left me with some frozen bloodworm and mysis and told me that’s what it enjoys. I have read that this particular creature needs to consume copepods, and if so I like to start feeding that. Also is it best to go with live, frozen or liquid form copepods? And how much to feed daily?

Please note that I have taken on this tank to stop it being shut down, I’m just trying to do my best for it. If I had my way I would have done a lot more research first but this is the way it turned out.

 

[Jake_v]

Mandarin’s eat a ton for pods, said to be 1000+ per day. Dinkin’s or algae barn are good sources but it will get expensive quickly. It would be more cost effective to grow your own..

 

[littlestar]

Yes I had thought this- I’m happy to pay for as long as I need to to buy in and provide the copepods it needs, while I research and start trying to grow my own- where do I start?

Thanks for the recommendations! Can I get these in UK?

 

[Faurek]

If the fish is ok he clearly doesn't need some pod overload.

 

[phillyb614]

If it were me, I would definitely look into a refugium for your tank. There are multiple ways to do this for a nano tank. There are a hang on the back versions, you can turn a filter chamber into one sometimes, and you can also do an in tank fuge. Once that is complete, I would stock it with a couple bottles of pods. After that, the copepod population should take care of itself. You will simply need to harvest the algae out of the refugium every now and again.

Fuges are not just great for pods. It will also help keep your nitrates and phosphates in check.

 

[saltyfish24]

Yes I had thought this- I’m happy to pay for as long as I need to to buy in and provide the copepods it needs, while I research and start trying to grow my own- where do I start?

Thanks for the recommendations! Can I get these in UK?

That seems like a lot of pay for to give pods to a fish that doesn't need it. Like others mentioned, I've read plenty of people keep their Mandarin on frozen or even pellet food. I'm not sure buying pods to keep a Mandarin alive is ever a good solution. You just won't realistically be able to buy enough. I think a 32oz pod is like $40, and I can see a Mandarin easily consuming that every two days.

I don't think it's cruel to keep a Mandarin on mostly pellets or frozen food if they are willing to eat it. Adding pods in the tank will give them the occasional bites throughout the day, which might help with keeping up interest. But it's by no means the majority of the calories - pellet food is so much more enriched.