Overfeeding issues with Mandarin

[BDeVaney]

Ok so I have been getting a little bit of red algae on my sand since I have had my Mandarin. I have finally found a frozen food that he seems to really enjoy. Hes getting plumper so all is good with him. The problem is that I have 3 other fish in the tank that also really enjoy this food. The Mandarin is by far the slowest eater in the tank so I try to compensate for what the other fish will eat by putting some extra food in. I expect that the Mandarin won't find all of the food and some will just sink to the bottom and waste away. I didn't think it would be enough to cause a red algae bloom but I was wrong. So my question is how can I ensure my Mandarin gets enough of the food that he needs without overfeeding the tank and encouraging red algae growth?

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[eliramos]

gets some nassarius snails and a few brittle stars problem solved lol you could also try weaning him onto eating from a baster so you can just directly feed him, my fish loved doing that!

 

[rworegon]

The best way to keep a Mandarin is to have a naturally sustained population of pods. To do this you probably need a productive refugium attached to your system. This way your Mandarin is not dependant on frozen foods of pellets, or flakes to sustain him. He may still eat some of what you are feeding now but they naturally pick pods out of the rocks all day long. If you can get this going you can still feed, just a smaller amount and it wont waste away feeding algae and cyano.

 

[tanked37]

+1 - It's impossible to feed a mandarin in a reef tank full of fish. You are best to consider cultivating a sustainable pod population (ie refugium) or you'll be battling the over feeding strategy indefinitely. I've never feed mine. Only had mine for about 9 months though. He gets by somehow (I do have a refugium though).