Another is my Mandarin skinny post.

[EvolvedMonkey]

Okay guys. Appreciate all the insight. I will start feeding much more often, while finding a way to distract the bigger fish with Nori or Masstick.

I also bought Selcon to dose the mandarins meals.

 

[Northern Flicker]

For a Mandarin that size, I would recommend adding Tibse+Tigger pods. Feeding it is good but like others have said, I think you need to replenish the pod population in the tank.

 

[ahosel10]

Try white worms.

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

In that 1:32 length video, I saw it eat only one pod, its just cruising over the rocks looking but not picking. It has wiped out the pods in your tank, and now visibly skinny.

I feel like she typically gets way more than that, I'll spend some time with her and count today.. That was late in their day when lights were almost out.

Regardless, I'm shocked to count 10+ pods per square inch with a flashlight at night multiplied by lots of live rock in a 160 gallon, and that's still not enough for her to find adequate food to survive during the day. I would love to see what the pod count looks like in a tank that does have enough pod mass to naturally feed the mandarins.

It's just amazing what they actually require to survive.

I'll also continue adding live pods every few weeks, starting tomorrow.

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

The video is extremely dark to clearly see but the mandarin is active and eating and thats good but appears slightly skinny. Refrain from metro/focus as metro is to be used when absolutely needed and applied precisely by weight and it can make food taste bitter to some fish.

Wanted to update with a video in white light.

 

[OrionN]

Change to Mysis rather then brine shrimp

 

[Northern Flicker]

Behaviourally she seems healthy, so I think some pod supplementation to fatten her up will get her right back on track.

 

[OrionN]

Consider make a @Paul B mandarin feeder and feed him newly attached brine shrimp

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

Change to Mysis rather then brine shrimp

Havnen't had any luck getting her to eat brine. But I will try again..

 

[Glenner’sreef]

The crazy and unfortunate thing with fish in the process of starving is, we may be able to see our fish “thinning” if you will. But they are still beautiful marine fish. From Mandarins to Clowns and Copperbanded Butterfly fish. We as hobbyists are more taken by their external beauty and don’t consider what going on inside. Fish at the end of life from starvation are like people. We’re in the hospital or hospice. We’ve stopped eating. And our vital organs one by one begin to shut down. But humans have an inside track. The Dr. or health care person informs us of it. In the hobby we just see a pretty fish swimming around picking at rocks. Then we’re shocked when we see our beautiful fish has died.

 

[OrionN]

Havnen't had any luck getting her to eat brine. But I will try again..

Mysis is more nutritious than Brine shrimp. I think looking at the brine, you can see most of is shell and legs. Get the smaller Mysis and mix the two together. Once he mistakenly eats a bite or two, he will know that Mysis is also food.

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

Mysis is more nutritious than Brine shrimp. I think looking at the brine, you can see most of is shell and legs. Get the smaller Mysis and mix the two together. Once he mistakenly eats a bite or two, he will know that Mysis is also food.

Okay, I will do that.

I'm also going to build a baby brine shrimp feeder as you suggested.. When I get her fat and happy, I will post an updated video.

Appreciate all the help and insights.

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

Consider make a @Paul B mandarin feeder and feed him newly attached brine shrimp

Made one and hatching out the brine shrimp now.

Do you rinse the brine shrimp before you put it into the funnel?

Do you mix them with a little tank water and just pour them into the funnel? Any tricks to know? .

 

[OrionN]

Made one and hatching out the brine shrimp now.

Do you rinse the brine shrimp before you put it into the funnel?

Do you mix them with a little tank water and just pour them into the funnel? Any tricks to know? .

I never use it but I would put them in tank water and use a syringe and pipe it in there. Best to put them in when the mandarin is there and as they defuse out the mandarin is there to eat them. Keep them alive.

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

I never use it but I would put them in tank water and use a syringe and pipe it in there. Best to put them in when the mandarin is there and as they defuse out the mandarin is there to eat them. Keep them alive.

She’s all ready to go, brine should be hatching by tonight.

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

Does anyone have any good advice on using a Paul B style feeder.

I pour baby brine in every day.. There are thousands of baby brine in the feeder, I can see them..

After a day or so of not adding Brine, the numbers dwindle.. I'm guessing they're finding a way out, but maybe they are dying.

I feed my Mandarin her mysis/ adult brine every day on top of the feeder. She knows that that is where she eats. However, I have never seen her pick at the feeder when there isn't frozen shrimp that I have placed there.

How do I get her to learn how to use the feeder. It has been almost a week, and no luck.

I feed her three times a day now.. She eats probably 30 frozen shrimp a day.. She's still as skinny as a rail.

Any other thoughts?

 

[OrionN]

Does anyone have any good advice on using a Paul B style feeder.

I pour baby brine in every day.. There are thousands of baby brine in the feeder, I can see them..

After a day or so of not adding Brine, the numbers dwindle.. I'm guessing they're finding a way out, but maybe they are dying.

I feed my Mandarin her mysis/ adult brine every day on top of the feeder. She knows that that is where she eats. However, I have never seen her pick at the feeder when there isn't frozen shrimp that I have placed there.

How do I get her to learn how to use the feeder. It has been almost a week, and no luck.

I feed her three times a day now.. She eats probably 30 frozen shrimp a day.. She's still as skinny as a rail.

Any other thoughts?

@Paul B ?

 

[OrionN]

Target training mandarin to Paul B mandarin feeder

I was watching a documentary on Georgia aquarium and it was quite impressive that they trained their fish in a 6.3 million gallon tank to come to a certain feeding station using colored signs. For example, they would hand a red sign over the aquarium which would signal to stingray to come to the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[EvolvedMonkey]

I've more or less trained her to come to the feeder and spend alot of time on the feeder.

The problem is she's not finding anything to eat there. Maybe the mesh I have on top is too fine.