Mandarin Feeding

[airizom]

I purchased a mandarin several weeks ago and he seems to be healthy and eating. I feed him brine shrimp and have about 70 pounds of live rock in the tank. I know that they eat amphipods and copepods, but i just started my tank about a month ago and I dont think the tank has enough of them in there to feed him long term and it is very difficult to feed just him the brine shrimp because the other fish get to it before he does. So i was thinking of buying some amphipods over the internet and was wondering how many i should purchase. He seems to search for food all day but seems healthy enough.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[packfan2204]

even tho he seems healthy, he could very well be slowly starving. I would definitely buy that kit and let them spawn in your refugium or sump, if you don't have one, you might have to buy a kit more often. In the meantime I would try to get ahold of some mysis shrimp and while still frozen make some small shavings. Put the shavings in a small cup of tank water, siphon into a turkey baster, and squirt in the general area of the mandarin. Mandarins have very small mouths and its hard for them to eat the entire body of the shrimp.

 

[johnkristie]

I have access to live 4 - 7 day old mysid shrimp, would a mandarin eat them?

 

[specialk]

Yes they will eat the live mysis, also when you feed brine soak them in vitamins first. Is the brine live or frozen?

Kaye

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Yes they will eat the live mysis, also when you feed brine soak them in vitamins first. Is the brine live or frozen?

True, brine shrimp dont have any vitamins so make sure you soak them, the brine isnt that good of food if not served with the addition of being soaked with vitamins