Keeping Mandarins in Nano's.

They are so cool...when I had one it was everyone's favorite....especially the kids.
Glad things are turning for the good...great work. K+

 

Thank you LG

 

Had quit the scare yesterday with Dilly. I've taken to feeding her via some airline tubing and a syringe. Placing the tubing in front of her I will then gently squirt some food. Well in her excitement instead of striking at the food she struck a bristle worm and held on!! She wasn't happy. I turned my head for a second and the worm was gone. I don't know if she swallowed it or spit it out. For about 5 minutes she was very upset. Gulping, shaking and looking very uncomfortable. Then she's fine.
Dilly seems to have bad eye sight

 

Ive had bad luck with mandarins. They seem to be picky eaters and even when I was loading the tank with pods it starved to death. I tried two types of mandarins and the same thing happened to both.. I give up with them at this point.

 

Thank you, a lot of people insist on shoving them in there, thinking this one will be different! They require a lot of care, or tons of pods to thrive, something a lot of reefers don't have either of.

OP, congrats on the success, sounds like ya got a happy mandarin

 

Thanks Cosmo-most people aren't willing/able to go the extra mile when it comes to keeping Mandarins. Personally I am! Just because it's a special needs fish does not mean it shouldn't be kept. Nor does it mean that those who are keeping them are irresponsible, selfish or mean.

On a happier note-Seems Dilly prefers her blood worms whole. I've been chopping them up and she's been having a hell of a time nabbing them. So today I just put them in whole and dang if she didn't eat 4 in a row!! Talk about a good feeling So I'm doing the 2x a day with her. Only in the morning I add some Nutramar Ova with them.
I've also added a small ball of cheato to the back corner of the tank and seeded the entire tank with new pods. Tonight via a flashlight I was able to see the cheato teaming with both amphi and copepods The best part being is she has no competition for them. I will be replenishing them monthly aside from the ones growing in my fuge.

 

congrats on the healthy mandarin

 

Thank you! It's a risky endeavor I know. Time consuming, with a little added stress on the side. But to be honest the hardest part has been staying clear of the Mandarin police

 

ftfy

 

You know just because some people may have a different opinion about what you are doing doesn't mean you should start calling them names. I purposely did not join in this thread to show some respect for the effort you are trying to give but that comment was totally uncalled for IMO.