mandarin

[Mr. Hawk]

I am ever so concerned! I am a new hobbyist . Tank is 12 wks old- have had a mandarin in tank for 6 weeks. Eats frozen food, very colourful, active, not shy, doesn't appear stressed. After ready several articles on this site, it seems that these fish need a more established tank? I have read that they slowly starve. How will know if my mandarin is doing OK or if he is gradually starving? He is in no way looking thin.

 

[Manofathousandpolyps]

If yours eat frozen food count your blessings. I wouldnt woory about it starving. If it does start you will see a gradual thinning in the belly just like any other underfed fish. If youre still worried Im sure you could sell a frozen food eatind mandy for a small fortune.

 

[jwtrojan44]

What size tank do you have him in and how much live rock do you have? The fact that he is eating frozen foods is somewhat encouraging, as many of them won't make the switch from natural prey. The vast majority of them subsist solely on copepods which reproduce in live rock. A single manadarin can decimate a pod population in a tank without a decent amount of LR, which is why many of them waste away. If you start to see yours become "pinched" looking and thin, or if he stops eating prepared foods, you're likely headed for trouble. What else is in the tank, as they don't compete well with other fish for food. There are many valid reasons why a lot of folks won't keep them. Hope you have good luck with yours.