Mandarin Goby in a 28g nanocube

But let's say you have the mandarin with pods. You train him to eat a variety of frozen foods and you keep it that way for 1-2 months. Would pods still be necessary? I'd think that the fish would lose its taste for pods and stick with what is now given.

 

These fish are constant hunters. Frozen is simply a supplement to their diet. Unless you are willing to constantly feed frozen to your tank to feed them, they need some sort of pod population to graze on.

Constantly feeding leads would probably led to nitrate and phosphate issues though... I think that is one of the reasons(among others) Anthias are recommended in the size tank they are.

 

Well the guy in the video I posted a few pages back has a mandarin in a 29 gallon. I even posted the message he sent me about it eating pods and mysis. I'm gonna shoot him another message and ask him how many times he feeds it. Also, when looking to buy a mandarin, how can you tell if it's too late to save it?

 

If you can get your Mandy on an adequate frozen diet, the fish can live fine. Most Mandies, however, don't compete well for the frozen fare and therefore need a heavy pod backup. But if you can get enough food to him, your golden. We fed once a day.

 

There are people on here who are by far more qualified to handle that question than I am. I will give my point of view on it though. I would never buy a mandarin that is skinny and not eating frozen in the store.

A fish eating pods and mysis may be able to survive in a 29 gallon with a fuge. Like was posted a page or so ago, what do you do when the fish stops eating frozen?

 

Like I said, more qualified... ;D

You just beat me to it.

 

Find one without their bones showing through.

 

I forgot to mention something: what if the mandarin is the ONLY fish in the tank? Also if it's on frozen any good brands of mysis or brine you could provide?

 

Ours swam in the water column with the rest of the fish. Most do not, so they don't complete well for frozen food. So, a sole frozen diet will work depending on the personality of your fish and it's tankmates.

 

Then again I'm thinking brine is less nutritious then mysis. I'm assuming you start training with live brine and mix it with frozen brine and then add some mysis after a while? Yeah that sounds good IMO