Copeopod questions

Its a relatively simple thing to teach a mandarin how to eat prepared foods; mysids at least. One of the magazines had an article on how to breed dragonets in the last month or two - it goes over the process. You should check it out. I don't recall which mag off hand btw

 

It's sitting there on my coffee table. The Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Coral

 

I agree with Darth. If your willing to put in the time, it's easy to get them to eat. I had mine eating almost any prepared food in about a week. I started with flying fish roe, then gradually mixed in bloodworms, then mysis, then brine.
The problem is, even when feeding frozen, they can still easily starve. Mandarins are kind of like hummingbirds of the reef: they have incredibly high metabolisms, and have to eat all day, every day. My mandarin alone gets probably 4-5 cubes of frozen food a week.
And as mission stated, culturing your own pods is easy. I do mine in a 5 gallon bucket. If you want to check it out, check out my 40 gallon thread in the show off your fish tanks section, I go into it there. If you have any other questions about it shoot me a message.
And BTW, tiger pods will not work. They are a cold water species that will die in your tank within 72 hours.

 

Thanks for all the input! I don't want anything to happen to my mandarin so I guess it's time to start growing pods! I'm gonna start working with him and try to get prepared foods introduced into his diet too. He is doing well now and I would rather have the expense of purchasing pods (until I grow my own) to keep him happy than have him suffer. Either way, I have a friend with a 175 gal tank that has been established for a year or so. Push comes to shove Mr. Goby has a new home waiting.... Thanks!!!!

 

Mandarins are not gobys btw - they are dragonets

 

hmmm interesting. I've just seen a lot of places call them mandarin gobys. Ohh well. mandarin dragonette them. sorry

 

Well that's just like the scooter blenny also being a dragonet and not a blenny, only it's the oscillating dragonet. mandarins are gorgeous but with the oscillating dragonet already here I can't do another.