Ok nu nu the first step is to catch the mandarin(s) put them in a floating or suction cup on isolation tank. Step 2 feed live pods these can be purchased online or you can take piece of macroalgae out of your sump and let them feed on that for 1 to 2 days so that way the can get comfortable in the little isolation tank swap the algae out whenever you can. Then start feeding live brine shrimp simply take a syringe or what ever you've got and take the brine shrimp out of the hatchery or bag if you got them from your Lfs and put them into the isolation tank with the mandarin(s). Wait until they start taking them this should take 10 mins or less wait until you actually see them get eaten then come back at least 6 hours later and feed live brine shrimp mixed with frozen brine shrimp to the mandarin(s) feed them this at feeding time for the next 2 days or until they eat the frozen ones just as much live ones. Then start feeding only frozen brine shrimp if they won't eat keep on mixing the frozen with the live ones until you've had success!!! If you want to get them to go for pellets then go get yourself some nutramar ova (frozen prawn eggs) and some .5 mm slow sinking pellets made by new life spectrum or even there fry food if the .5 mm looks to big for your mandarin first only feed the ova they should go for it they friggin love that stuff. After two days of that start feeding the ova mixed with the spectrum and slowly take ova out of the mixture and add more spectrum until they are taking the spectrum very well wean them off the ova over the course of a week I found that mandarins on spectrum are very bright compared to ones on frozen foods. Still feed the mandarins frozen foods once a week at least. I trained my friends blue mandarin to eat spectrum and it's been living in an 8 gallon for 2 years now. This is how I trained my mandarins and they are always fat and happy!
i know ORA mandarins are supposed to eat frozen, but i hear thats not always how it works. Good luck and if it works i want one 
