Just when you think you've seen it all...

[Mushroom Boy]

I was feeding my tank some mysis shrimp and my normally docile and uninterested mandarin came up along side a hovering morsel. He hung next to it for a couple of seconds just looking at it, and then BAM! He nailed it! Took him about 15 seconds to get it down, but he ate it. First time I've EVER seen a mandarin (S. splendidus) take any offered foods. You guys ever seen this? I know the green spot ones will take brine and other goodies, but I've never seen one of the psychodelics take anything like that. It was too cool!!!

 

[aquariumdebacle]

Mandarin

My brother brought a big one home along time ago before live rock and he was eating frozen right away. He had probably been in a store's tank for quite some time. He possibly learned it from the other fish in the tank. We had a maginfiyung glass that we could prop up in front of the tank. Unlike most mandarins he would show off in front of the magnification and hover right in the middle of it. The apartment had quite a bit of traffic as people were constantly coming and going. It just goes to show fish don't reed books or pay attention to conventional wisdom. A friend of mine says that his seahorses learn to eat frozen food from his other horses.

 

[MtnDewMan]

That is very cool ... Never seen the Psychadelic Mandarin's eat any prepared food. My spotted eats frozen brine, nothing else prepared ... so far ... Congratulations !!!!

 

[aquariumdebacle]

Mandrins

I was talking with Chris at Below Sea Level yesterday and he was equally suprised to see the male of a pair eat frozen brine as well. The female still doesn't look interested. The food was moving in the water column.