Mandarin Fish in my 30g

[hiepatitis]

Has there been an progress in captive mandarins? Or do you still need a large tank with natural food sources?

 

[GreshamH]

Well the supply is now there but feeding them has proven difficult for many of my friends that got them.

 

[Gonzo]

I have one of the ORA target mandarins and he's in my 12 gallon nano. He eats NFS pellets and frozen cyclop-eeze. Great personality. He's one of the originals that shipped with the first batch.

However, I have heard/read of a lot of people not having success with their ORA guys eating prepared foods :/

 

[hiepatitis]

Where can I get these ORA specimens? Do you have other fish to compete with foods? I don't want to kill one

 

[iCon]

Call Green Marine in Berkeley. They might have them in stock

 

[Gonzo]

No other fish in my tank. I want him to grow bigger before sending him to my 100 gallon DT. I could probably add another small goby or something, but why risk it at this point. He was a pretty penny

 

[GreshamH]

There are numerous stores in the Bay Area that sell ORA livestock. call your favorite LFS and ask them if they sell ORA.

 

[yardartist]

I would offer your small tank and individual feeding had much to do with keeping its conditioning to non live food progressing. I too had not heard of other successes in feeding. Would you let us know later how it does in the larger tank? Will it still take non live food or does it turn to live only? It is great to hear it is eating and growing.

GM does have two spotted.

 

[Gonzo]

Most definitely Richard. I do worry about putting him into a big tank too soon as he won't be able to get the pellets/cycopeeze as easily.

 

[anathema]

I kept one in a 29 for a year before upgrading. However, the system had a refugium, I feed very heavily, and I collect bugs and critters for my sandbed frequently.

 

[jestersix]

I have one of the ORA target mandarins in my 150G and he loves Fauna Marin pellets, frozen PE mysis (chopped fine) and cyclopeze. Little fella isn't shy about eating - and he likes bites small enough that the melanurus wrasse (the official Pig Fish of the tank) ignores them. Much to my surprise, he is right out in front with the others at feeding time - he even swims around the front of the tank begging whenever someone is there. I am sure individual mileage varies on these - I figured I had enough pods if he didn't eat prepared foods. Sounds like I got lucky!