Mandarins - captive bred
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Forum Name: Fish
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URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=74071
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Topic: Mandarins - captive bred
Posted By: Molli
Subject: Mandarins - captive bred
Date Posted: December 18 2014 at 6:22pm
| Has anyone here had real success in purchasing a captive bred mandarin and feeding it frozen or pellets? If so, do you remember where you purchased it? |
Replies:
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: December 18 2014 at 6:47pm
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I don't believe there are any captive bred currently available on the market right now. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: 96slowbra
Date Posted: December 18 2014 at 6:50pm
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i bought one from live rock and reef a couple years ago. i could drop pellets right off it's head and it wouldn't touch them. it also didn't respond to frozen. died after 3 or so months in a 54 gallon tank. ------------- 105 rimless |
Posted By: reefnfeef
Date Posted: December 18 2014 at 8:03pm
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I thought ORA bred mandarins? ------------- aaaaaaaaaaaaaannd.... I'm broke |
Posted By: pgravis
Date Posted: December 18 2014 at 8:24pm
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Pretty sure ORA stopped commercially producing mandarins. People thought that captive bred meant it would automatically be an easy fish, when really I think it just meant "easier, but still potentially difficult" fish. %20" rel="nofollow - http://reefbuilders.com/2014/06/19/captive-bred-mandarins-return-karen-brittain/ ------------- See my house: www.eclecticvictorian.com |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: December 19 2014 at 9:13am
I also would not discount the idea that it may not have been captive bred.   ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Bryce
Date Posted: December 19 2014 at 12:27pm
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If you want a mandarin the 1st step to success is buying a healthy one to start with. The next step would be to have a mature reef with tons of copepods and no other hunter fish that also like live foods (think wrasses). The next would be target feeding it once a day with a long pipette with Nutramr Ova (prawn eggs) which isn't cheap and I know of only one LFS that carries it, but most mandarins will viciously eat this even if the refuse everything else (lots of videos on this online) the problem is Nutramar Ova is like crack to other fish so often a "mandarin cafe" is required (small sinkable container like a glass jar) large enough for the mandarin to get in to eat but too small for other fish. In addition to his hunting, my mandarin was fed with Nutramar Ova for over 8 months and I eventually winged him off it and about 2 months later he eventually started eating frozen mysis that sinks to the bottom when I feed my other fish. I have had mine almost 2 years now. ------------- 65g Reef |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: December 19 2014 at 1:41pm
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That's excellent Bryce. I was talking just the other day to a hobbyist about how to prepare for a Mandarin. In the wild, they live in rubble zones where Macroalgae may also proliferate. These are areas where the rubble and Macro offers habitation and protection to all kinds of bugs like Amphipods and Copepods. As the bug populations proliferate, some bugs venture out of the rubble and Macro, especially in the twilight, where the Mandarins see and eat them. These seem to be the keys to providing for Mandarins. Of course the bug population grows in response to extra feeding of frozen meaty foods and plankton, like the frozen rotifers and Tahitian Blend algae paste available at Brine Shrimp Direct. Night feedings of planktonic foods also helps grow more bugs. Aloha ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Molli
Date Posted: December 19 2014 at 8:07pm
| Bryce -- Thanks for the info. I wish there was a local seller of live pods. If there was I'd make the financial commitment to keeping my tank full enough of pods to keep a mandarin very happy and full. I've even researched into having a tiny pod farm (ie a 5 gallon bucket) just for my tank but that is a LOT of work. I'll give some thought into the method you have suggested. |
Posted By: DMower
Date Posted: December 19 2014 at 9:10pm
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Doesn't the Aquarium still sell live pods? They used to. ------------- 150 gal reef with 50 gal sump. Reef Octopus DCS-200 Skimmer. AI Sol Blues. |
Posted By: millsu2
Date Posted: December 22 2014 at 10:39am
| I asked them about it 3-4 months ago and they said it has been a long time since they last sold live pods. |