Mandarin feeding

I have 2 Mandarins in a 34 gallon tank. A Green Mandarin and a Spotted. Before I get bombarded with the how could I's please be informed that I did my homework. I realize that they have a high mortality rate and need to be cared for with "kit" gloves.

I purchase alot of copepods to keep my fish in the correct kind of food. I knew from the start I would spend more in food in a couple of months then the fish cost.

My question is this... A bottel of copepods has approx 1000 in it ( I could only count 968..LOL;D). How much and how often should they be fed? Currently I use a bottle every 2 weeks. Does that sound right? The Spotted is doing great. the Green one I am concerned about. It eats but does not look the same as the Spotted. Both are very active and seem fine but the Spotted seems "fatter". I also use frozen food and live Brine shrimp.

The group has always pointed me in the right direction and any input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

pics of my little buddies..

 

How old is your system, and do you have a fuge? Did you seed your tank with pods months before you added the mandarins?

~Will.

 

No not months more like weeks. From what I read as long as I was OK with the upkeep (constant addition of copepods because of my tank size) it would be OK. The spotted seemed to go after the prepared food right away (Frozen). The Green guy not so much. Should I do more then a bottel every 2 weeks? Is this enough? I have no prblem doing what it takes but the LFS said not to worry they will switch to the frozen. I just want to get them the right food in the right amounts at the right times.

 

Oh and 3 months and no fuge.

 

All I can say is good luck, and I hope they start eating prepared foods sooner than later. Where did you read it was ideal to put 2 different species of mandarins in a 3 month old, fuge-less 30 gallon tank??

~Will.

 

You should be fine. Keep adding the pods and you wont have a problem. Just make sure you keep up on the pods or death will follow BUT like i said keep adding pods and they should be fine

 

Your spotted is gorgeous!! My green mandarin looks almost the same but with more blue. Did they both take to live brine?
Mine eats live brine, pods and will occasionally eat cyclop-eeze.

 

Yes both went after the live Brine right away but my understanding is that brine will not substain them. This is why I add the copepods. Is 1000 every couple a weeks enough? Is it too much?

As far as who/what told me to put 2 differnt species in the same tank...the LFS that I purchased them at had them together in a much smaller area then my tank and they were getting along fine. I have had no problems with this at all. In fact the 2 seem to play together in the currents floating up and down. No aggression towards each other at all.

 

no way, that isn't too much.

Brine will sustain them if gut loaded. HUFAs and and other goodies need to be fed to the brine before the brine is fed to your buddies

Mine is doing wonderfully on brine and pods.