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Lynn

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I know I should never have done this, but I brought home a baby Manderin today. I couldn't help it. It was at petcetra and was in like a 2 gallon tank with a fake coral! It has been there 2 weeks. The lady and kid next to me were going to buy it and make up a salt solution for it??? Can you believe that!! I tried to explain to her that it wouldn't work. Then I asked the worker what they were feeding it. She said it was living on brine shrimp. I asked her to feed it and she did, and he did eat. I was torn what to do. I brought it home and put it in my 20, which I know is way to small. But if I can keep it alive till my big tank is ok..then maybe just maybe he'll make it. I know it's probably a mistake, but I just couldn't walk away from that situation without it.
 
A

Anonymous

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Wow Lynn, there was a thread very much like this over on RC not so long ago.
That poster got lambasted.
I hope we don't resort to that here.

What was the LFS feeding the fish? I have heard mysis shrimp work on rare ocassions.

You should do a search on "pod piles" in here to try and find a way to foster the growth of the 'pods these fish eat. Good luck to you.
 

EmilyB

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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Lynn:
<strong> I know it's probably a mistake, but I just couldn't walk away from that situation without it.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I've done it.

If it's not too skinny you may have a good chance since you'll have a new reef with lots of rock established soon.

Try to get macroalgae clippings from local reefers, tons of pods & things hiding in there. I don't know if there are pod kits available in Canada ?

Brine shrimp has not much nutrition to speak of. Yes, mysis is better. If the fish is a good size, try marine cuisine. Mine adores that stuff. Try a shrimp pellet - mine eats those when they soften up. Lots of frequent feedings, while keeping up the water quality.

Good luck Lynn. I've found it best just not to go to those stores. Too hard to resist, and you often end up perpetuating problems.
 

naesco

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enuf said
icon_sad.gif
 

Enkidu

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If it will eat frozen brine then you're good to go, right guys? Thats an incredible find, dragonets that eat prepared foods are pretty rare from what I hear.
 

danmhippo

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You can enrich the live brine by placing them in a shallow tub with adequate water volume (the more is better.......to dilute the ammonia being generated constantly), air tubing weighed down with no airstone. Feed the live brine micro pellet foods or finely ground up food for fries. You can also feed them baby foods such as pea, carrots or DT's/golden pearls.

Use a little so the water looks a bit cloudy, add more when the water clears. Brine shrimp are indiscriminate filter feeder and stuffing them up is one of the techniques used by many breeders to enrich it. Usually when live brine shrimps reached at LFS and bought by the aquarist, the previously eaten food has already been digested. The shell of the brine shrimp is virtually nutritionless. Stuffing them, or enrich them is the only way to ensure your mandarine got the essential nutrients.

Good luck
 
A

Anonymous

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I bought a scooter blenny on impulse once. I was misinformed by the salesperson that the fish would eat flake food. Should've known better and should have done my research. Luckily, my tank was apparently ready for him. He's fattened up nicely.

Good luck Lynn. Personally, I think the mandarin is lucky to have a caretaker who will do whatever she can to keep the fish alive and well. You bad girl
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Like EmilyB said, I just don't go into those stores anymore.


,po
 

jazzyreef

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I had a scooter blenny a while back that loved flake food, as long as the pieces were small enough. I should say that, however, he looked healthy and fat, but disappeared a few months later. So, in other words, mine was a freak. I'm trying to boost my pod population right now to get a mandarin, so I know where you're coming from.

Just had a thought (I'd better write it down--I don't have thoughts that often) a friend of mine got a red morph scooter blenny recently at the local shop. Owner says they're common, but I've worked at a couple shops over the years and never seen one. Very cool, and certainly more appealing to look at than the (still cool) normal version.
 

Lynn

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This was frozen shrimp he was eating! I fed mysis last night and he was eating them! or seemed to be. It's so hard to actually tell if he is just picking at the rock or actually eating. Now don't you all laugh, but I thought if he doesn't do as well as hoped, I'm going to try to find a foster home!!Well they do it for dogs!!LOL
 

danmhippo

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try the frozen brine shrimp again. If indeed he ate a few, you have hope. There is another way to enrich frozen brine shrimps.

Thaw a couple cubes of frozen brine at room temp. Drain all liquid, and place on a paper towel. Pat dry on the paper towel........this is important, we want to get the frozen brine pretty dried up so the powder we will add to it will "stick". After you get most of the excess moisture out, drop in a drop of "SELCO" or "SELCON" and sprinkle a little bit of Ocean Rider's "VIBRANCE" POWDER. Ocean Rider's vibrance powder is an excellent enrichment powder to enhance frozen brine or mysis.

Place the mixed food in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for a day to draw out more moisture and let the enrichment mixture get a good grip on the frozen food. Feed as needed.

It is easier to work a batch then a couple cubes of brine at a time.

Good Luck.
 

JohnD

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As another take on what danmhippo recommended, I have had good luck adding selcon or vita-chem to a portion of live brine shrimp. Let the brine shrimp absorb the suppliment for a good hour, drain the spare liquid, then it is into tank. This way, the fish are not eating those low nutrition brine shrimp.

Besides, live food is always appealing to those gilled-ones.
 

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