Mandarin Training

I agree with vin. I tried a mandarin a few months back and didn't last long. Even in a system as large as mine with a refugium larger then most display tanks, I wasn't able to keep this fish alive.

 

There's a thread somewhere floating around the internet where a guy trained his mandarin to eat from a homeade live brine shrimp feeder.
If you don't have enough pods though it won't live having to raise live brine on a regular basis will eventually become too tiresome. But may be a short term solution.
I've had mine for about a year and half. I don't do anything special and he still only eats pods. I do not have a refugium but do have a large tank (210).
As far as water goes my tank has had some ups and downs that killed some other fish and he's still alive. So very hardy fish.

 

Mandarins are indeed very hardy.If it weren't for there feeding habits they would be excellent additions.Heres a few links.It is best to get them eating Mysis as it has a significantly higher nutritional value then brine.Some Mandarins will eat live brine so it is possible to get them to eat it first then mix it with some Mysis to get him to get a taste.Here in lies the other problem with small systems.Polluting the water with food i.e. brine,mysis, and phytoplankton will quickly foul the water as they need to be fed constantly.Heres some good links.
http://www.3reef.com/threads/mandarin-dragonette-fotm-may-08.47991/
http://www.3reef.com/threads/how-long-should-i-wait-to-get-a-mandarin.113142/
http://www.3reef.com/threads/mandarin-dragonet-feeding.117256/

 

Thanks you guys, I ordered 10k + pods the other day.... I have a very small "pod tank" going as well.... I will upgrade my pod tank to a 10g. I will read all the info Vinny has given as I do want to keep him alive, I mean that's the whole point right....lol...

 

No refugium here but I do have a lot of rock so the pods simply need a lot of places to hide and breed. Not necessarily a refugium.
I'm also an over feeder so maybe all my food ends up feeding pods. I feed twice per day.

 

Cody, look into reef caviar by Dr. G's refrigerated line and frozen cyclopeez. There both an ideal size for a mandarins mouth. Our mandarin loves that stuff.

 

Thanks DSC, sorry for the late response I have been a little tied up with work..... I added about 7k pods to my tank and about 2k to a pod tank... I have a 10G pod tank with cheato and culerpua in it..... So I'm trying, I also got some frozen artic pods that I feed the tank twice a day now 1.25mils. He seems as if he like them..... So I believe he will make it, he defiantly looks a 100% better.