Who Gives A Fish Forums

So I've got this green mandarin that I feed frozen foods, but here's the thing - every time I feed the fish and the mandarin, those cleaner shrimps swoop in and steal all the food. The mandarin freaks out and shoots off, then comes back to eat what's left. It's like they're bullying my mandarin. Any ideas on how to stop this?

Hi Dodge,

Adding live copepods could be a good idea, that way your mandarin's getting some food and doesn't starve.

Another option would be to feed your cleaner shrimps on the opposite side of the tank, so they're not stealing all the food.

I'll try the cleaner shrimp thing first and if that doesn't work out, I'll give live copepods a shot, thanks again Scott.

flintcore wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2025 8:47 pm So I've got this green mandarin that I feed frozen foods, but here's the thing - every time I feed the fish and the mandarin, those cleaner shrimps swoop in and steal all the food. The mandarin freaks out and shoots off, then comes back to eat what's left. It's like they're bullying my mandarin. Any ideas on how to stop this?

Have a look at Tina's thread on feeding Mandys, it's really helpful.

Setting up a feeding station is key for Mandys, you can use a small jar or just feed the rest of the tank and then target feed the Mandy in the same spot every night - they soon learn where to find the food.

Not sure how big your tank is, sorry, but if it's less than 90lbs of live rock, you'll need to supplement the pods with a culture - just something to keep in mind.

Just a quick one seffie, 30kg of live rock is roughly 66lbs

Your tank's 66lb, so supplementing with pods is a must. I've shared some info on my pair in the Marine Chit Chat section, and I've included a link to the mandarin diner. You can find it in the thread titled "Mandarin Love" - worth a look.

I'm having trouble keeping my mandarin fed on frozen foods as the other fish gobble it up too quickly and the jar method doesn't work since the other fish get in and eat everything, plus my mandarin doesn't have a favorite spot. I'm planning to order copedepods from my LFS every month to supplement his diet. Later on, I might introduce another mandarin - I think the one I have is a girl, or maybe a spotted mandarin, I really love them.

Mine hide in a particular cave when I feed the others. I start with the clowns, Bangaii, Flasher Wrasse and Royal Gramma, my blennie and goby just chill out at the back. Then I target my pair of blood shrimp with food, keeping them away from the Mandarin cave. Next, I use a long pipette to get food into the cave, and now my Mandarins wait for it every night. They seem to know the drill - everyone else gets fed, then it's their turn. They also know I'll keep an eye on the blood shrimp, ready to intervene if needed.

It's worked out really well. I'd say keep trying, it's not just about getting the Mandarins to eat, it's the sense of achievement when you succeed with a notoriously tricky fish. I'm moving on to pellet food next, wish me luck.

I'm thinking when I spot her, I'll target feed her in that specific hole she likes to hide in. If she's in that particular hole, I'll aim some food right at her, hoping she manages to grab some. I do catch glimpses of her a bit more often during those bluelight hours, and I think she's getting some food since she looks nice and round, seems like she's gained some weight since I brought her home.

My mandarin's been showing itself off like crazy when the blue lights are on in the morning, it's really active, and I've noticed it's got two little sticky up things on the side of the main one, I'm totally confused, can't figure out if it's a boy or girl because of this.