Mandarin still wont eat

vcnt · May 9, 2026

Mandarinkeeper said:
Hope you can tell by my screen name that I’m a mandarin lover.
The ultimate key is to get your mandarin eating pellets. It can be done. It’s just a disciplined routine to get the mandarin to recognize and accept it for food. Some do so easier and quicker than others. First is to turn off all pumps and start target feeding the area that the mandarin is in. PEMysis usually elicits it’s a feeding response. If a few pieces are broadcast fed near the Mandarin, they often will at least examine it. Once they’ve eaten a few pieces, the process of slowly getting them used to PE pellets and other pellet foods is fairly straightforward. You just start mixing pellets in with the music shrimp. If they won’t take the frozen, you can start with live Brine. I would load that with phytoplanktonfirst so that it’s somewhat nutritious. New mandarins or mandarins that are being trained to eat often require multiple feedings throughout the day unless your pod population is extremely heavy. I find that the pods are a supplement, but I rely on frozen foods and pellets to sustain the mandarin. I have a pair of blue greens that are thriving. They are wild caught, and I trained them the way that I described above. One thing you can try is a glass pipette feeding tube that you can buy on Amazon that can stay in the tank and you can feed frozen food down through it so that it’s slowly dispenses food near the sand. The key is to feed the other fish in the tank separately so that the mandarin has the ability to slowly examine and ultimately pick at the offerings. Good luck!

I will try this, thank you

Boehmtown · May 9, 2026

Tdo chromaboost, extra small on an auto feeder when you're not around , 2 times a day. You'll need to manage the phosphate, but 3 out of 3 mandarins I've or a friend has had will take to them within a month or two. I think you being around initially keeps them from being relaxed and explore the food. Other than that. There's videos of people training mysis by starting with live worms and mixing it in

Uncle99 · May 9, 2026

vcnt said:
I think this guy is a pod eater too

Can someone judge if she looks skinny?

Most fish eat pods but the Wild Mandy eats only pods, but may later, take mysis with pods.

Can’t see the stomach, in the middle of the fish, if it’s sunken in then not getting enough pods. He obviously eats I think your concern is amount.

Just keep watch on the lower stomach, it should be “full” and no sunken in.