Starving (large) Mandarin - Can anyone help!?!

[Sandee]

Hey, I have a large Mandarin I got at Red Sand about a month ago, he was eating but has started to waste away. He's very thin - won't eat, I have him in a holding area in my reef tank. FREE TO GOOD LOCAL HOME, if you can try to feed him. My smaller Mandarin eats Brine, and the bottled pods. I hate to see this guy die. Help? Take him home today, tonight? Not sure he's going to make it! Email me: sandee@sandeeland.com :'(

I'm in Wayne, NJ 07470.

 

[Mbodell]

Target feed him with live black worms to get him eating again. Then once he starts eating those, start mixing in blood worms. That will get him eating again.

 

[JohnS_323]

Sorry to hear about this Sandee. I bought one the same day and <<ANTI-JINX>> it's doing really well. Hopefully target feeding it black worms will work. Good luck.

 

[MadReefer]

Sandy,
Try the orange caviar eggs they sell at the Asian market. I can't recall the exact name.
mark

 

[Gecko]

This is what you want for your mandarin
http://www.oceanproaquatics.com/shop/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=copepods

 

[Sandee]

Well, just before I ran out to get some live black worms ... he must have passed. But thanks very much for your replies. Next time, I'll ask for help sooner.



Thanks again.

 

[Gecko]

Sorry to hear that. Mandarin can be difficult to acclimate and typically eat pods. If you try another I would suggest buying some pods since it sounds like there weren't enough to sustain its life.

 

[Mbodell]

Sorry to hear he didn't make it.

The trick is to train them with black worms and start mixing in the frozen blood worms to wean them off of the black worms. That is our plan for a mandarin in Jess's nano tank.