Manderine Dragonet Help

I really want a Manderine Dragonet. However, I am worried I won't be able to suit its feeding needs. I currently have a scooter blennie. I have had him almost sense the start of tank. He hasn't really grew any so I don't think there is an abundance of copepods and other isos. I have a friend that wants the blennie so if I was to get the maderine he would be the only isopod's eater in the tank. I was wonder if any one has any knowledge on how much they eat how hard they are to keep, and if they eat anything other then pods. Thanks

 

Some eat prepared foods but they're few and far between. When you go to your fish store, ask if their mandarins are eating frozen brine and/or mysis. If they say yes, make them prove it.

That being said, and, lucky for us, there are now several copepod vendors in the market so if you "run out" of food for them, you can supplement it. Look up "Reef Nutrition" for these kinds of products.

 

Check out Marc's Mandarin diner very cool tool to ensure your Dragonet gets enough food
Mandarin diner

J

 

wow, i've had this fish on my most wanted list since i first saw it. But always been to scared to get one because of the food.

Though I wonder, will they be ok with a snowflake, i hear they have noxious slime that stops them from being eaten.

 

I'm a huge fan but believe you need a good supply of pods as well as few other fish that eat those pods. Plus your tank needs to be well established for these guys. I love watching my fat manderine and would feel terrible if he did not get enough to eat.
So the big things are
1) established tank.
2) not much competition for pods (refugium will help with this)
3) the bigger tank the better.

 

Established tank=abundance of pods

Check out Reed Mariculture, thats where Reef Nutrition gets there pods from.
Reef Nutrition Marine Copepods
Here is a link to Reed's online store.
Reef Nutrition Products - Copepods - Live & Concentrates

Another to help boost your pod population is to build pod mounds, I believe Reed's website also tells you to make one. Take a bunch of pieces of rubble and make a pile , put a small piece of raw shrimp in the middle of, it gives the pods somewhere to eat and be protected and where they will reproduce. Add another piece of shrimp every few weeks to help build up the population further and so on. Thats on my list of projects. I have a scooter blenny too and it is always running around eating.