What are your captive bred mandarins eating?

[._Z_.]

Just wondering what owners of the biota captive bred mandarins have had success feeding

 

[eatbreakfast]

Regardless of what food it takes, I would strongly encourage building a good sized pod population. Because their digestive tract is still so short and inefficient that they still need to graze almost non-stop.

 

[rich nyc]

I agree, I got it thinking it didn't need pods and it died. I never saw it eating pellets or flakes.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Just wondering what owners of the biota captive bred mandarins have had success feeding

Ocean nutrition cyclops soacked in selcon and refrigerated. I turn all the equipment off and Turkey base a very small amount in one spot. She takes like 1/2 hour to start to eat sometimes.
After a few weeks I tried baby bribe from Hikari and she went crazy for it.
FWIW I have her alone in a bare bottom 10g holding tank

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I agree, I got it thinking it didn't need pods and it died. I never saw it eating pellets or flakes.

Ohh man I’m sorry to hear about your loss

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Regardless of what food it takes, I would strongly encourage building a good sized pod population. Because their digestive tract is still so short and inefficient that they still need to graze almost non-stop.

Very true I feed mine about 5 times a day she eats all day

 

[Jesterrace]

Regardless of what food it takes, I would strongly encourage building a good sized pod population. Because their digestive tract is still so short and inefficient that they still need to graze almost non-stop.

Agreed. There is no escaping the pod issue for Mandarins. Mine started eating frozen mysis and reef frenzy and it still starved to death.

 

[Jr'sReef]

Mine goes crazy for gutloaded brine, doesn't look at anything else even when I mix it with brine. (Doesn't like mysis, oyster eggs, frozen tiger pods, squid pieces, baby brine,) only brine shrimp and live pods

 

[Claus84]

Just wondering what owners of the biota captive bred mandarins have had success feeding

Mostly pods, as soon as my biota male went in my 90 it forgot about eating prepared foods and just started hunting. I initially re-trained it and got it eating frozen cyclops from a tupperware cave I made, until my peppermint shrimps started beating him too it and scared him off. Now he eats enriched brine from a baster, he knows when the pumps go off that feeding is imminent and gets more lively. I must say though he spits out a lot of the brine anyway so I occasionally replenish the pod population.