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How large is your tank? There is a very, and I mean very slim chance it will eat flakes. If it does it is not enough to keep them alive. They need a constant pod food source as they will graze nonstop.
typically it is suggested that you have at least #100 of LR w/ refugium and wait at least a year for a mandarin....they feed on pods and most people cannot sustain the population needed for this animal.....they end up starving to death
flakes will not sustain a mandarin, even if they decide to eat them