Keeping Mandarins in Nano's 2

This thread is solely about my personal experience with keeping a Mandarin in a nano tank. I am not an expert! Most everything I've learned comes from reading and the experiences of many who have kept this fish before me. I've taken what I've learned and am using it to the best of my own ability. It is not about should or should not! I will share honestly and openly. I ask that if you object to what I am doing, please do not hijack this thread stating your reasons. Please feel free to create a new thread to do that.

Welcome to Dilly's world! He is an ORA Target Mandarin. Acquired on Tuesday, April 24, 2012. He resides in my 1+ year old 26g bow front. Filtered with a HOB 3.3g CPR Aquafuge. Where I culture his supply of pods.
Dilly was captive bread and raised on New Life Spectrum .05 pellets, Nutramar Ova and Hikari frozen blood worms. All of which he still takes today. Especially the blood worms, he love those!

I target feed him 2-3x daily at the feeding station of his choice. Yes, he's chosen his own special place to be fed by me Seems to be where he's most comfortable. He comes to this same spot like clock work and I take this as an indication that he's wanting to eat. He's trained me very well~lol.
His other favorite place to hang out is the back of the tank. Where it's darker and the back is always crawling with amphipods, behind the LR. Also in the back corners is where I've placed a ball of cheato for pods. Day or night you can see the cheato teaming with copepods and amphipods.

These are the pods I buy from Livecopepods.com LIVE COPEPODS (150+) Tigriopus species Mandarin Food and OCEAN PODS PREMIUM - Mix of Three Species for Starter Culture. They've already begun to multiply!

Dilly is doing quit well thus far. Gaining in weight and size

Dilly the ORA Target Mandarin. - YouTube

 

what a cute little guy. i love spotted. looks very friendly and fat for sure. good luck with him

 

He is beautiful! Congratulations!

 

All is well with Dilly Takes anything and everything frozen I put in front of him! I know I totally lucked out with this fish, eating like he does. Tomorrow will be 4 weeks I've had him!

 

Here's the feeding station I've set up for Dilly. He loves this jar! Look ma no worms, snails nor hermits can get my food! LOL I get a front row seat into how/what Dilly's eating most of. So far I'm noticing he loves the Hikari blood worms/brine shrimp the most. Of course I'm still experimenting. This jar allows me to do this without worrying about over feeding the rest of the tank. Which was a big concern of mine. This way anything uneaten can be removed with ease
Dilly is doing wonderful! I've never had to put so much into keeping a fish. For me it is well worth it. I have the time

 

Can ii ask where did u get him?

 

Saltwaterfish.com....they go to ORA and pick the fish out the same day they ship them. Total time in the bag is less then 12hrs Way cool. I was even able to request a picture of the fish before they shipped him.

 

Week 5 update: Dilly is eating well and full of spunk. Likes to get in the mix of the other fish come dinner time I'm still target feeding him though. I have removed the jar, more of a pain for me. More of a place to hang out for him, lol.

I've taken to using a 12" piece of black ro/di tubing and a syringe. It's working wonderfully! I allow a small amount of whaterver to build up at the end of the tube and Dilly strikes and gets a big ole mouth full. Then he's done and off wondering around. It's great!

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside

 

Keeping this fish has been a never ending learning experience I've discovered that these fish are pretty much near-sighted. If the food isn't right in front of their noses (and in Dilly's case moving/wiggling) they just don't get it. What a joyful discovery!! So with feeding tube/syringe in hand, loaded with whatever, Dilly is eating 3-4 times a day. Today was the first time I kept the flow on feed mode. Sure enough, the more it wiggles the more his excitement grows~lol. He still can't catch the food in the flow *yet* but he works at it. Until I see him able to I'll continue with daily target feeding. I don't mind. My son is now grown with kids of his own so I got the time~LOL.

 

I thought this was going to be a debate thread, but it's obvious that you are taking every measure possible to keep it in a smaller tank. Keep up the good work, and keep the updates coming.