Blue Mandarin!

Ok so while I was being given a Clown Trigger today (different thread different story) I found a healthy Blue Mandarin. Bought it. I have a 125 with a very healthy pod population in my fuge and overflows. Lots of live rock too. However, I introduced him into a smaller qt as I want to "train" him to eat prepared foods. I placed a bunch of live rock loaded with pods in the qt with him. I also bought some brine shrimp eggs and some frozen mysis shrimp. Now, my question is has anybody got any experience with this and training them to eat?? I want to get him fat before placing him in my dt. Thanks!

 

I've trained quite a few dragonettes to eat frozen, and it has never failed that bloodworms were the gateway to success. Enrich everything you try with garlic to help entice the mandarin and don't give up.

 

Also, Nutramar Ova is a favorite food. Mine will eat it right from the feeding tube.

 

I have a Green Mandarin and QT him as first too, but on the third day I found her in my refuge. He got sucked in overflow drain. So, after that I put her in my 90gal DT & has been very health! She goes all over the LR & sand bed. If you have a health pod supply, it should be fine.. Best of luck!

 

i have a mandarin successfully eating frozen. i however did not train him, he is just a piggy. when if first got him, i noticed he always went to the same spot when i fed the tank. i started dropping a bit of mysis in his corner while the others eat out of the column(and steal from the coral) and i he started pecking. 3 months later and he is eating whatever hits the substrate, even pecking at crabs who get too close. kinda odd seeing him get flustered as others approach him as he eats but its cute all the same.

 

Bloodworms?? Just dried plain bloodworms? I am on my way to the lfs in the morning! Am I wasting time with the brine shrimp and mysis shrimp?

 

If this is indeed the case, and the mandarin is healthy to begin with, then you should be ok not having to train it...

That said, there is this post that is often cited on another forum (I don't normally link to other forums here, but since it may be the best training method around, it's worth a read):

Nano-Reef.com Forums > The many methods of training Dragonets

 

Frozen bloodworms. Any food that you regularly feed your tank isn't a waste of time. If I were you, my goal would be to get the mandarin eating everything teh other fish are eating.

 

Thank you for the link

 

Here is the link I was looking for earlier and just found:

Melevsreef.com - Melev's Mandarin Diner