What kind of pods are best for Mandarin gobies?

[Curtis Scott]

I know they like pods, but since there are many types out there I thought I'd ask what you guys think. Thanks

[sen5241b]

I know they like pods, but since there are many types out there I thought I'd ask what you guys think. Thanks

 

Unless you have a 260G with a big fuge I would not depend on pods to feed your MD. I fed mine the following 3 things and they were fine:

1. "Ocean Nutrition Marine Formula 1 Small pellets"
    
   
2. Red or Orange sushi roe (get it at H-mart, 8103 Lee Hwy (at Gallows Rd), Falls Church, VA 22042, in the back). All your fish will go berserk for red sushi roe!
    
   
3. Blood worms (I turn the flow on and off to make them wiggle)
   

I had to spot feed them with the flow off for the first few weeks and after that they would eat it readily. These days many MDs are tank raised on frozen food but even so they can still be finicky.

Edited March 30, 2013 by sen5241b

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

The kind that they eat are good .Does it really come down to having that big a tank with a big fuge to keep one happy does it? We had a pair in a 150 with no real fuge, and they didn't seem to be eating any of the food we fed in the tank. Just grazing kept them fat and healthy, they even did their spawning dance at night.

[jimlin]

never would have thought of feeding fish with sushi roe. thanks for the idea.

[smallreef]

Copepods and amphipods mainly, at least that's what they eat in my 50g tank.I have a large population going on...he will sometimes eat a few things that float dowfrom my Jans food i put in 2 times a week .

[zygote2k]

check out Paul B's threads on feeding mandarins. I'd say he's the resident expert with these fish and their dietary requirements.

[AlanM]

PaulB has a special feeding station for his mandarins where he gives them live baby brine regularly. Daily, I think. He also has a very established tank which should be crawling in pods, but still feeds his mandarins in this special way.

 

As Rob said above his feeding station is neat and worth a look. Here's the thread he was referring to:

 

http://wamas.org/forums/topic/54473-some-thoughts-on-mandarins/

[sen5241b]

I've seen MDs attack and bite bristleworms in half and then eat them.

Edited April 1, 2013 by sen5241b

[Decadence]

Three for three with mandarins going after live black worms. My current tank is near devoid of pods and the mandarin is doing just fine. We are thinking about getting it a female companion.

[zygote2k]

harder to breed blackworms than it is to breed BBS.

[Decadence]

In this area, there are multiple stores which you can get live black worms from. I don't breed them. All of my fish love live lack worms and they are extremely nutritious. They also redly absorb just about everything you stick in their water so it is easy to medicate or enrich them to feed your fish.

[paul b]

I do not have to feed my spawning mandarins, scooter bleeny or pair of breeding blue striped pipefish, but I do anyway. They can easily live without feeding because the tank is old, not very sterile and full of life. But I like them to spawn and spawning fish are in the best shape they can be in so I built this feeder that gives them live baby brine shrimp for a few hours a day.

 

 

Here they are spawning

 

And here is a video.

[Curtis Scott]

Very informative! Thanks everyone.

[paul b]

The mandarins should spawn again tonight as the female is ready

[sachabballi reef]

The mandarins should spawn again tonight as the female is ready

how can you tell.....did her water break? Har har .....knee slapping funny, no?

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Sharkey18]

What material do you use over the bbs feeder?

[AlanM]

What material do you use over the bbs feeder?

 

He cut a section out of an old fish net.

[paul b]

Yes exactly, and yes her water broke, the tank is slightly overflowing this morning. I didn't see her yet today because the lights are still out so I don't know if she spawned last night.

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

How would you know if they spawned? Does the female look skinny afterwards or something? And how do you tell the female is ready and will spawn that night?

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Maybe I should have payed more attention when we had ours spawning.

[paul b]

How would you know if they spawned? Does the female look skinny afterwards or something? And how do you tell the female is ready and will spawn that night?

 

Look at the picture above of mine spawning. The female on the right has a very large baby bump. After she spawns she goes back to her normal, sexy shape.

My female again looks like that.