Thanks PaulB- Mandarin feeder

Broog

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Just completed my Mandarin feeder after PaulB design. My Mandarin is currently fat and happy but wanna make sure she stays that way..I owe it to her after killing a couple 20 years ago when I first started this hobby and not having a clue for there needs. They have always been one of my favorite fish.

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Chrisfish

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You might want to try feeding her frozen food as well as live black worms in addition , my mandarin is fat and happy, my tank is full of pods but when I feed my other fish with the turkey Baster she's right there waiting for hers.:)
 
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Broog

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You might want to try feeding her frozen food as well as live black worms in addition , my mandarin is fat and happy, my tank is full of pods but when I feed my other fish with the turkey Baster she's right there waiting for hers.:)

Yeah she hasn't gone for frozen, I have tried. although my system is loaded with pods and I have lots of live rock, and after reading several things by Paulb, this maybe the easiest way to insure nutrition for her, apparently BBS may be even better than Tisbe pods, I wont be able to start hatching eggs until Sat as I had to mail order Brine shrimp eggs, no one had them locally, and I couldn't find my old comic books to order Sea Monkeys , (lol I use to want those so bad as a kid and now I'm feeding them to my fish), I also may try a white worm culture , I cannot find blackworms around where I am at live.
 

Mushroom Boy

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Wow, they're loving it! Do you have plans anywhere that shows how to make one? Are you feeding baby brine shrimp?
 

Paul B

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I actually do.

  • I use a plastic container that Home Depot sells electrical tape in.
  • Drill or cut out a large hole in the cover almost as large as the cover.
  • Get a piece of acrylic or PVC tubing about 3/8" wide. Make a bend near one end of the tube. To do that get a spring that fits kind of snugly in the tube. Slide it in the tube with the center of the spring about an inch into the tube. Heat it with a hair dryer gun until you can bend it into a 90 degree angle. Hold it like that and run cold water over it to cool it. Remove the spring by turning it so that the coils get smaller and it will come out.
  • Hold the bent part on your substrate and mark it about an inch above the water. Cut the tube there.
  • Drill a hole in the side of the tape container so the tube fits in snugly and push the tube in.
  • Cut a hole in a stocking with a fine mesh larger than the container (if you cut out a piece of your wife's stockings, cover the hole with duct tape so she doesn't notice)
  • Lay the piece of stocking on the container (don't stretch it) and put the lid on.
  • Find or make a small funnel for the top of the tube so you can pour in the shrimp and a little water so they go down. I used a small plastic container for that.
  • I also put lead weights in it and covered them with Goop Glue. You can use quarters, rocks or anything heavy but if you use metal cover it with Goop. You need the weights because when you put the shrimp and water in the funnel, a little air gets in and it will float.
If the shrimp come right out after you add them, your mesh is too large. The shrimp should not be able to swim through on their own. You want the fish to pull them through as they get stuck in the mesh



Here I am using a plastic thing from a florist, but I am sure you can design something.



Here http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/diy-target-feeder-mandarinfish-pipefish-2804/

You do have to hatch brine shrimp. There is also an article there by me for a hatchery if you are interested.
 
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mmw64

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Just completed my Mandarin feeder after PaulB design. My Mandarin is currently fat and happy but wanna make sure she stays that way..I owe it to her after killing a couple 20 years ago when I first started this hobby and not having a clue for there needs. They have always been one of my favorite fish.

20160901_134214.jpg


20160901_134241.jpg
Could you explain how this works please? What is on the top of the container?
 

Mushroom Boy

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Check out Paul's link on post #9, it explains how the whole thing works. It's basically fine netting that the baby brine shrimp can't get through, but that the mandarin can suck them through.
 

Mushroom Boy

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I made one yesterday out of an old small tupperware container I had. It's a similar idea, but isn't tube fed. I plan to basically fill it with the BBS and then place it in my tank (real estate is at a premium in my 29 and I don't have room for the permanent fixture). I filled the bottom of the container with reef epoxy to weigh it down and then epoxied a frag plug onto the outside so I could place it and retrieve it with my tongs. The mesh is a cutting from an old media bag I had and I cut it to fit and then super glued it to the inside of the lid. My brine shrimp eggs get here later in the week, I'll post an update to see how it works. Here's a couple of shots, key fob for scale...

I would also like to reiterate the sentiment of the OP's thread title. Thank you Paul!



 

Paul B

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That's a decent temporary feeder but won't last long. The mesh clogs and eventually, in a few weeks rots. Hermit crabs poke holes in it and forget about sea urchins as they like to eat it.
 

Mushroom Boy

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That's a decent temporary feeder but won't last long. The mesh clogs and eventually, in a few weeks rots. Hermit crabs poke holes in it and forget about sea urchins as they like to eat it.

So, what type do you recommend?
 

Paul B

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You can use it like that but I would not glue in the mesh as it will need to be changed. Just use a bigger piece of mesh and snap it under the cover.
 
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I have put my feeder in there and hatched my BBS , works like a champ as far as getting the BBS in there, but my Mandarin has not gone to the feeder yet, its in the back corner where he has gone before , so hopefully he will eventually go to the feeder , will post on any updates.
 
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