ORA Mandarin

Yes, an ORA one. Starved to death. It was horrible! From reading on the internet, it seems many people's are starving to death.

 

Making me scared about my mandarin :-X. I've had mine for about 2 months now, though I have a pretty good pod population and I don't think she'll wipe it out? How long did you guys have your mandarins before they starved? =/

 

Mine lasted a month. She was thin when I got her, and I've read it's hard to get them healthy once they get thin. I had a really big pod population, I added around 8k before I got her, and I saw her hunting, but I dunno....I think it was just because she had already gotten so thin.

 

That sucks. Guess the only way to go with madarins is lfs that has one that happens to eat dead (imo). I'd be afraid that I'd have to move one day and then it wouldn't have enough in a newer tank and starve...

 

yea unless you have a large pod population or can get it to eat frozen or flake or some food like that. mine eats frozen and pellets and now Hpd great food

 

Please let me know if anybody wants an ORA mandarin as I can easily get one. Give me about a week in advance and I'll see if I can get it to eat. I do have on at the store that eats like a champ but it is in a display tank that has a lot of rock in it. I actually just got a psychedelic mandarin to eat frozen pe mysis this week.

 

i've gotten a scooter, a spotted, and a green dragonet all eating enriched hikari frozen blood worms within a few days in quarantine. 3 for 3. so far so good. the scooter was a skeleton when i got her, probably didnt have long to go. she's looking much better after a few days of eating. the spotted was a little thin but now gets a fat belly after eating. the blue was a little thin and just started eating today. these hikari frozen blood worms seem to be the magic key. i read they worked from a lot of people so i tried them. they're bright red, give off blood into the water and have a bloody smell, they dont seem to foul the tank either and retain their shape quite well. they are small and perfect for dragonets small mouths. they also seem to take live as well as frozen brine shrimp. small food is the key i think. nutramar ova is supposed to be really good too. also heard good things about fish eggs and decapsulated brine shrimp eggs.

 

the problem with some mandarins is "the point of no return" where after getting so skinny they lose the acids in there stomach so no matter what they eat, they cant digest it