Starving mandarin

[Bonz]

Hi i was wondering if anyone knows if my spotted mandarin fish is starving or not. I paid 55 for her a week ago because i was told at the lfs it was an ORA mandarin and will eat frozen foods. I did buy a scooter blenny with a sucked in stomach but it has been thriving (had her for 3 months). I added trigger pods about a month half ago( half in tank and half in my little refgium). I also did that again this week a few days after i bought my spotted mandarin. Heres a few pics, thanks. I have a 28g jbj nano with 40lbs of haiti carribean rock.

[needmorecowbell]

Did you ask to see if it ate at the store? They eat a lot of pods if not.

[Smitty]

If there are any signs of a sunken stomach or any bones showing then the fish is not eating. I don't see any bones in the side shot but the top down shot he/she does look thin.

Did you see it eat before purchasing from the store? Have you seen it eat at all in the tank?

[Bonz]

I seen her eat a few times in my tank. She looked like this a week ago. I didnt see her eat at the lfs, but they had it for a week. I dont know how long they last without food. I dont know how big my pod population is, but my scooter blenny is thriving and i bought it with a shrunken stomach. I just dont know if mandarin shows the same if they are malnurished

[Smitty]

I don't think the scooter blenny and manderine eat the same things... I looked on live aqauria and didn't see it mentioned anyway...

Keep a close eye on the manderine. They are notorious for being pretty but very difficult to keep alive, especially in a tank smaller than 75-90 gallons because of the pods. IF it is eating prepared food you may want to try feeding at least 2-3 times/day at least for now to make sure it is eating. In the wild they never stop eating so it is natural for them to eat often.

Other than that I don't know what to tell you. That is one of the hardest fish to keep which is why they are rated expert.

[needmorecowbell]

You can't have other pod eating fish with a mandarin. They will just eat too much. Do you have a refugium?

[Bonz]

Yea, i put pods in there. Inalso put it in the tank. The mandarin will be the only one eating pods. I was told that ora mandarins are raised on frozen and have a better chance of surviving. I took a 55 gamble because they are usually 15 -20.

[Smitty]

Well... if it only eats pods then you are looking at buying a can every other day or so because they eat a LOT of pods. That is why they are usually only recommended for a large tank, so that the pod population has plenty of room to grow.

[iDream]

Both mandarins and scooter blennies eat pods. They are both dragonets, look them up on liveaquaria, they're in the same section.

The pods you supplied for the tank won't last long, with 2 pod-eating fish in a tank that size they'll be gone very soon. IMO both of those fish shouldn't be in tanks that small, regardless ORA or not. One day they might just stop eating prepared and you won't be able to add pods fast enough for them to eat (they literally eat constantly)

But if you saw your mandarin eat prepared I suggest you do that every other day, and attempt to feed the scooter too, they are more easily trained onto prepared than mandarins, but still difficult.

Once you see the bellies cave in it's too late, maybe bring them back to the LFS before that happens and all you can do is watch them starve.

[Bonz]

My scooter blenny was thriving before i introduced pods. Im assuming he has been eating something in the tank. He did have a shrunken stomach but no more. My question is how long does it take to see a shrunken stomach. I had this fish for a week and the stomach is not shrunken but its not fat either. Its underside is the same as my scooter.

[Bonz]

Originally Posted by Bonz

My scooter blenny was thriving before i introduced pods. Im assuming he has been eating something in the tank. He did have a shrunken stomach but no more. My question is how long does it take to see a shrunken stomach. I had this fish for a week and the stomach is not shrunken but its not fat either. Its underside is the same as my scooter.

Also, my mandarin has a better chance in my tank than the lfs i got him from. They flip fish quick and i dont think they take the best care of the fish(. I usually get them a day or two after shipment day)

[iDream]

They don't need to take good care if they just sell them which is what they're there to do.

[Bonz]

Does anyone know how long does it take for a shrunken stomach to be noticable. I dont know if my mandarin is eating fine or not?

[needmorecowbell]

Will it not eat the frozen food? You may have mentioned this sorry.

[Krypt]

It all depends on how fat the mandarin is when you get him. For yours, he looks thin, so it should be easy to tell in a few weeks. But if you target feed him (turn off any PH's and use a small baster or syringe) and he keeps eating like that every other day, he should fatten up pretty quick.

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

You have a 28 gallon?? why dont you just target feed the mandarin and see if he eats the food or not. Try things like brine,mysis, or blood worms. Mine loves the blood worms. If you watch you should be able to tell if they are eating or not.

Edit- oops i see i just repeated what krypt said pretty much, sorry

[Bonz]

Yea, did everything across the board. Including artic pods. It was a mistake because he didnt eat at the lfs, but then again it was in a corner. She is definitely active and comfortable in my tank. But i only see her eat like a nibble of something and thats about it. What she does when im at work is another story. Shes been around two weeks and shes not fat but does not have a shrunken stomach. I dont know if she is starving or not......