I Don’t Think My Mandarin is Fat Enough

[Brit’s Fish]

I have had this adult male Mandarin Dragonet for about 1 month now. He has gained a little weight since I brought him home from the LFS but I’m used to fat dragonets. I have a pair of Ruby Reds and a Scooter Blenny who were all totally emaciated when I got them and now they’re all pretty chunky & will eat anything. I don’t have another fish to compare this guy to so I’m looking for second opinions. Does this guy look like he’s at a healthy weight or should I drop a few extra jars of pods in the tank for him while I continue to attempt to get him onto frozen? Honestly, I’m going to add the pods anyway but I’ll add extra if I need to.
His stomach is not pinched but when I can see his sides he just looks a little skinny.
This tank is 120g DT that’s been up for about 16 months. No other specific pod eaters in the tank.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

I have had this adult male Mandarin Dragonet for about 1 month now. He has gained a little weight since I brought him home from the LFS but I’m used to fat dragonets. I have a pair of Ruby Reds and a Scooter Blenny who were all totally emaciated when I got them and now they’re all pretty chunky & will eat anything. I don’t have another fish to compare this guy to so I’m looking for second opinions. Does this guy look like he’s at a healthy weight or should I drop a few extra jars of pods in the tank for him while I continue to attempt to get him onto frozen? Honestly, I’m going to add the pods anyway but I’ll add extra if I need to.
His stomach is not pinched but when I can see his sides he just looks a little skinny.
This tank is 120g DT that’s been up for about 16 months. No other specific pod eaters in the tank.

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He’s so hard to get pics of… here’s a couple more.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

He’s not too thin but he is on the skinny side. As soon as you start seeing that lateral structure (bone?) protruding on the side you know you need to increase its food supply. Do you have a sump where you can start a refugium? Mandarins eat pods constantly all day everyday so there should be a “pod reserve” where they can breed and increase in number in solitude and refugiums are perfect areas.

 

[jmichaelh7]

dump a bottle of pods

 

[Tamberav]

Looks skinny but you have time to fatten him up, I couldn't really see that side bone stick out when mine fattened up.. they had little pot bellies too.

I found them to need more food then my scooters did.

 

[Sean Clark]

I think it looks OK. No need for alarm at the moment. Keep an eye on it. Extra pods are never a bad idea.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

He’s not too thin but he is on the skinny side. As soon as you start seeing that lateral structure (bone?) protruding on the side you know you need to increase its food supply. Do you have a sump where you can start a refugium? Mandarins eat pods constantly all day everyday so there should be a “pod reserve” where they can breed and increase in number in solitude and refugiums are perfect areas.

Thank you! I do not have a refugium in my sump but I do have quite a bit of live rock/rubble in there. I haven’t had any real luck growing chaeto in the past with this tank and the sump is also not a great setup for a fuge. I see tons of amphipods and Mysid shrimp scurrying around down there as well. I just ordered 4 jars of galaxy pods to hopefully just overrun the tank with pods.

 

[Tamberav]

I would probably order phyto to feed the pods, you can even give them some pellets in the sump. I found the best way to get pods in a tank.. is to feed them in the tank. You can add more but numbers stabilize to available food and pods will predate on other pods if there isn't enough food. It is a pod eat pod world.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Looks skinny, I couldn't really see that side bone stick out when mine fattened up.. they had little pot bellies too.

I found them to need more food than my scooters did.

That side bone is what I have been keeping an eye on. He’s also like 4 times the size of my Scooters… I kind of wish I had started him in one of my smaller tanks so I could train him on frozen a little easier too. Didn’t really think that through so well.
based on his size, he’s definitely wild caught, which makes me a little sad. The home he’s in right now is way better than the LFS that had him though! I think this is probably going to make it nearly impossible to wean him onto frozen. Did you have any experience with this? Tips? I have been spoiled by my other dragonets eating frozen within a week or two of me trying to train them.

 

[Tamberav]

That side bone is what I have been keeping an eye on. He’s also like 4 times the size of my Scooters… I kind of wish I had started him in one of my smaller tanks so I could train him on frozen a little easier too. Didn’t really think that through so well.
based on his size, he’s definitely wild caught, which makes me a little sad. The home he’s in right now is way better than the LFS that had him though! I think this is probably going to make it nearly impossible to wean him onto frozen. Did you have any experience with this? Tips? I have been spoiled by my other dragonets eating frozen within a week or two of me trying to train them.

Before captive were available, I had 6 dragonnets, all wild and all were eventually weaned onto frozen. Some took to it faster then others. I grew macro in the display and fed the pods so it was crawling with pods as well but the dragons ate ova and mysis and a few ate pellets.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

I would probably order phyto to feed the pods, you can even give them some pellets in the sump. I found the best way to get pods in a tank.. is to feed them in the tank. You can add more but numbers stabilize to available food and pods will predate on other pods if there isn't enough food. It is a pod eat pod world.

I do dose phytoplankton a few times a week. I’m guessing I should probably do it every day though to help boost the pods? I feel like I should know these answers.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Thank you! I do not have a refugium in my sump but I do have quite a bit of live rock/rubble in there. I haven’t had any real luck growing chaeto in the past with this tank and the sump is also not a great setup for a fuge. I see tons of amphipods and Mysid shrimp scurrying around down there as well. I just ordered 4 jars of galaxy pods to hopefully just overrun the tank with pods.

Great! Live rock is definitely an option to help your pod population in your sump, but you’ll need a food source for the pods. So make sure you dose phyto or have some nice algae grazing spots in your sump. You might want to run a gro-light in your sump to help you grow some places where they can graze for phyto.

 

[Tamberav]

By the way... you could even just add a light and grow micro algae or pest algae in the sump, it is all the same to the pods. It doesn't have to be cheato. Like I said, they even forage on pellets too. Oh and caulerpa algae is much easier to keep then cheato. That is what I use in my fuge as I hate how much mess cheato can make.

 

[Sean Clark]

I have never had a captive bread dragonette but I was always able to get them to eat frozen mysis and 2mm pellets. Time will be your friend.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Great! Live rock is definitely an option to help your pod population in your sump, but you’ll need a food source for the pods. So make sure you dose phyto or have some nice algae grazing spots in your sump. You might want to run a gro-light in your sump to help you grow some places where they can graze for phyto.

Good thought on the light! I have one in my sump from the few times I attempted chaeto but now it’s just there and never on. I should start that up again! I just got through a small hair algae battle in the display, just diligent manual removal, but I worried about how many pods I’d pull out. I’m a “save every visible pod” person. If there’s an amphipod in the filter fleece, it goes back in the sump!

 

[Brit’s Fish]

By the way... you could even just add a light and grow micro algae or pest algae in the sump, it is all the same to the pods. It doesn't have to be cheato. Like I said, they even forage on pellets too. Oh and caulerpa algae is much easier to keep than cheato. That is what I use in my fuge as I hate how much mess cheato can make.

That’s a great suggestion too! I hated the chaeto because it would float around and end up in places that I didn’t want it.

 

[Tamberav]

That’s a great suggestion too! I hated the chaeto because it would float around and end up in places that I didn’t want it.

caulerpa prolifica is my favorite to use. Prune it often, it grows fast.

 

[Daddio64]

I think I'm lucky but have gotten my wild caught Mandarin to eat live brine my LPS always has them. When I feed the other guys in the tank I baste a squirt wherever he is. A couple bottles of Tigger pods every couple weeks and now I'm getting a refugium going. If you add pods directly to the tank MUST do it with lights off and baste the rock with them. Otherwise his tank mates will have a feast.

 

[Tamberav]

Oh and freshly hatched baby brine is nice too. You can check out @Paul B feeder. I think there is an article somewhere or he might have wrote a book I heard.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Before captive were available, I had 6 dragonnets, all wild and all were eventually weaned onto frozen. Some took to it faster then others. I grew macro in the display and fed the pods so it was crawling with pods as well but the dragons ate ova and mysis and a few ate pellets.

This. My last one was wild and took on to frozen mysis immediately. Lost it due to aggro from another fish