# Mandarin Gobi looks skinny?



## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

I have a 38g Nuvo Aquarium. It has 4 fish currently, 2 clowns, a banggai cardinal, and a mandarin gobi. The tank has been setup since January and has been doing great. I have about 6 coral frags currently also. My question though is about the gobi. I bought him on sale and he was the healthiest and prettiest one at the LFS. I've had him a month and I have bought bags of live brineshrimp and tigerpods (I think is how it's spelled) for his food supply and I also have another little -pod for the shrimp, it's kind of hard to explain exactly how it all works. It's neat because it makes a little food chain in there all for him is the best way to describe it! The problem is that he obviously won't eat the frozen food and so I have no idea if/when he eats. He does look skinny, but would he have starved by now?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

He won't eat the frozen food. Gotta be Live PODS.
Buy Live Copepods - Feed Your Fish! Ocean Pods(TM)


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## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> He won't eat the frozen food. Gotta be Live PODS.
> Buy Live Copepods - Feed Your Fish! Ocean Pods(TM)


Yeah I have live pods, I just don't see him eating ever.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Gerbo said:


> Yeah I have live pods, I just don't see him eating ever.


 Sorry, I got confused when you said frozen food in your post above. They will pick at the substrate all day. You should him stabbing at the substrate very often in just watching him for a few minutes.


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## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> Sorry, I got confused when you said frozen food in your post above. They will pick at the substrate all day. You should him stabbing at the substrate very often in just watching him for a few minutes.


Originally I did, but lately he hasn't been? He rarely climbs around anymore?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Gerbo said:


> Originally I did, but lately he hasn't been? He rarely climbs around anymore?


 :sob:


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## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> :sob:


uhhh......?


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## reefsahoy (Jul 16, 2010)

Mandarin gobies need lots of live rocks and sand wIth lots of Natural prey in and around them. They should typically be kept in a large tank, else they will eventually run out of food and starve to death. The best type of food for them is natural and a refugium is the best way to keep the natural food plentyful in your aquarium otherwise you will have to feed different types of algagen reefpods.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Gerbo said:


> Originally I did, but lately he hasn't been? He rarely climbs around anymore?


 The outcome does not look good.


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Do you have a refugium for the pods to reproduce in without being eaten? A mandarin can finish off a pod population in your main tank very quickly if they do not have a safe place to reproduce in. Did you do anything before adding the mandarin to make sure that you had enough pods? Some will take prepared foods, but that is not a guarentee.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BarbH (May 23, 2011)

Some more thoughts to add, was at work on break earlier when posted... so time was limited. If you have a good pod population you should be able to see them on the glass of your tank, this can be done at night when the lights are off using a flashlight with the lens painted red. If you have a refugium having chaeto in it will give the pods a place to be able to reproduce in. If you do not have a refugium a easy setup you can do is to make one using an aquaclear hob. There are videos available on youtube of ones that people have made. This is assuming that you do not have a sump or refugium already in place. Also in your refugium and even in your tank you can add some piles of live rock rubble, again this will give you a place for the pods to safely reproduce in without being eaten by the other fish. You are going to need to replenish your pod population in the tank probably. Also there are some other things that people have setup to try supplying for the needs of their mandarian. Some of these techniques involve having a mandarian that will accept other types of food other than pods Melevsreef.com - Melev's Mandarin Diner I have also seen other ideas on youtube. Mandarians have a high metabolism and eat constantly which means that you need to have either away of keeping your pod population up or hoping that you do get a Mandarian that will accept prepared frozen foods.

Also another option that you can look into is culturing copepods for your Mandarian, there is quite a bit of information available on the web explaining how to do this and what you need to do for the setup.


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## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

BarbH said:


> Some more thoughts to add, was at work on break earlier when posted... so time was limited. If you have a good pod population you should be able to see them on the glass of your tank, this can be done at night when the lights are off using a flashlight with the lens painted red. If you have a refugium having chaeto in it will give the pods a place to be able to reproduce in. If you do not have a refugium a easy setup you can do is to make one using an aquaclear hob. There are videos available on youtube of ones that people have made. This is assuming that you do not have a sump or refugium already in place. Also in your refugium and even in your tank you can add some piles of live rock rubble, again this will give you a place for the pods to safely reproduce in without being eaten by the other fish. You are going to need to replenish your pod population in the tank probably. Also there are some other things that people have setup to try supplying for the needs of their mandarian. Some of these techniques involve having a mandarian that will accept other types of food other than pods Melevsreef.com - Melev's Mandarin Diner I have also seen other ideas on youtube. Mandarians have a high metabolism and eat constantly which means that you need to have either away of keeping your pod population up or hoping that you do get a Mandarian that will accept prepared frozen foods.
> 
> Also another option that you can look into is culturing copepods for your Mandarian, there is quite a bit of information available on the web explaining how to do this and what you need to do for the setup.


Hey thanks for your reply and PM. The reason I got this one instead of a Scooter or something is because he was the only one at the store eating the frozen food, but of coarse, I get him home and he won't. I don't have a refigium, either. I'll check out the links you gave me and see if I can get some help. Worst case, I'll take him back to the store and get the Scooter. He's a beautiful fish and a great addition ti the tank. Maybe he'll start eating the frozen food even, who knows for sure? Thanks again, though!


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Gerbo said:


> Hey thanks for your reply and PM. The reason I got this one instead of a Scooter or something is because he was the only one at the store eating the frozen food, but of coarse, I get him home and he won't. I don't have a refigium, either. I'll check out the links you gave me and see if I can get some help. Worst case, I'll take him back to the store and get the Scooter. He's a beautiful fish and a great addition ti the tank. Maybe he'll start eating the frozen food even, who knows for sure? Thanks again, though!


 Sorry but a Scooter Blenny is the same thing, they come from the family of Dragonettes. They eat PODS. and if you can't get them to eat frozen foods, they will perish also.
Only thing you can do is dose the crap outta the tank with PODS. I know you dose now, can you see the PODS in the tank, running atop the substrate, and in and around the rocks?
Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Scooter Blenny
Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums


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## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> Sorry but a Scooter Blenny is the same thing, they come from the family of Dragonettes. They eat PODS. and if you can't get them to eat frozen foods, they will perish also.
> Only thing you can do is dose the crap outta the tank with PODS. I know you dose now, can you see the PODS in the tank, running atop the substrate, and in and around the rocks?
> Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Scooter Blenny
> Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums


At night if I turn the lights on after they're off for a bit I can. And I saw him picking at the rocks today for awhile finally so I think my efforts are working.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Gerbo said:


> At night if I turn the lights on after they're off for a bit I can. And I saw him picking at the rocks today for awhile finally so I think my efforts are working.


 :thumbsup::greenyay::greenyay:


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## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> :thumbsup::greenyay::greenyay:


Would it work to just put some live rock in my overflow for them to grow without my Gobi getting to them?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Would your rock fit in the overflow? Never heard of that one before. You can get or make an in tank fuge for them to thrive in before they end up in the DT.
Aquarium Refugiums: In-Tank Refugium


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## Gerbo (May 3, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> Would your rock fit in the overflow? Never heard of that one before. You can get or make an in tank fuge for them to thrive in before they end up in the DT.
> Aquarium Refugiums: In-Tank Refugium


I could fit small pieces and the fuge makes more sense.... :shock:


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Cool. Throw some Cheato in there instead of rock, they will breed like rabbits in that stuff.


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