Keepin Mandrin on SUSHI EGGS

[Bmgrocks]

Was at Barnes and Noble last night, waiting to pick up the lil' sis, picked up the Tropical Fish Hobbiest magazine, with an article on

NANO MANDARINS

Of course, the went in dept about the difficulty of the mandarin, the requirements, husbandry, feeding, growth etc

But then they went on to say that they can thrive in as little as 10 gallons

Now Yes they did point out the importance of pods, and the atleast 75 lbs of live rocks

Unsuitable tankmates were also viewed, as well as their life in the aquarium

The author then went indepth about his experience with the fish, how he was raising pods, and phyto, hatchling napuli, and brine,

He told how even with the abundance of these pods he would still loose his mandarins, described their body shape, stomach lines, content etc

He went on to say, he trashed all of his pod keeping equipment,

I WAS LIKE o LORD!!, and told of Caplan Roe, or Sushi Eggs(Salmon)

He discussed that many think that mandarins are feeding, but they have specialized feeding habits, and they often spit out pods, being foragers, they are always putting things in their mouths, and spitting them out again

Which explained why his mandrins were dying even with the substantial amounts of pods in his tank

He went in search for a highly nutritious foods, Cyclop eeze, various dried, flake, frozen foods everything.

Went to a chineese market and found these fish eggs, the orange ones found on sushi, (I think they are Salmon Eggs)

They are apparently high in protein and nutrients, he placed HALF A TEASPOON IN ONCE A DAY, and his mandarin eats them reguarly with out spitting them out

For all those mandarin lovers, i suggest you search for this article

The author stated that he has used this method for I think 3 years, and his mandarin is thriving in a 10 gallon Tank..

[NickBee]

I think the tiny orange eggs used for sushi are flying fish eggs. They come in all different colors (black green red orange). But I think they might be salted for use in sushi? not sure. But this is very interesting...

[papagimp]

Very interesting, my mandarin has been feeding on the pods and amphipods in my tank with no trouble. he's nice and fat but If I can find an alternative.... Thankx for the info and heads up on this.

[rustybucket145]

not salmon eggs, flying fish eggs as NickBee said. Some varieties are salted, some are in vinegar. Just make sure you get the basic pure eggs and you should be fine.

[Bmgrocks]

now, are they sold dry, or do you purchase them in water,

i've never eaten them out of a bag, (only ontop of california rolls,lol)

nor fed them to any fish.

[NickBee]

I know more about sushi than aquariums (working on that). I've seen them sold in Asian markets in clear plastic refrigerated containers (Called Tobiko). But these are salted (at least taste that way) from what I can tell. Maybe an online specialty store?

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/f...iar/tobiko.htm

[J. Montgomery]

Whether or not they're salted shouldn't really matter too much, after all they are going to be put into a saltwater aquarium. The cytoplasm found inside the egg is also salty.

I'd be interested in hearing if anyone on RC has tried this method, and whether or not it has worked. Interesting.

[rustybucket145]

Well they do come from a saltwater fish so a salty flavor should be expected. . I've always purchased them frozen in a small plastic container. They are relatively cheap (in the fish food world) as a contianer of them is usually $6+/- and it would last quite a while.

The only problem I can think of is being able to get them out of the container without having to thaw them every time. I have never tried scooping them while still frozen but it might work. Worth a try at least!

[Bmgrocks]

well, i am looking forward to purchasing a mandarin, and thanks to that article, i am a little more confident in the purchase, I still want to wait a little bit longer, re-read the article, and read up on them sushi eggs, give it a try and tell you all how it goes!

[DSMpunk]

Yeah dont get salmon eggs, they are about the size of a pea

[kellyandcarrie]

Well, I have a 20 gal. And my mandrin has been thriving for more than a year. Fat and plump. I owe all the thanks to roe. I buy it from a chinese food store. Not frozen. It comes in seasoned and unseasoned... make the obvious choice. Everything including corals gobble it up like it was popcorn. Good luck all!

[Whisperer]

Used to keep a spotted mandarin in my 30 gallon tank a couple of years ago. My LR were mostly DIY then. I never thought of it too much but I have been feeding the tank with fish roe from a local fish market. I bought the fish roe exclusively for my tank, for all fishes not only for the mandarin. My mandarin lived in a 30G tank with DIY rocks until I broke it down and sold everything including the spotted mandarin. I think it is imperative to see that the mandarin accepts at least frozen food first before buying. If he/she does, chance of accepting fish roe is likely and success as well. I just had luck with that spotted mandarin. The pair I have won't even look at anything not moving

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[chrisstie]

Wow what a nice and refreshing view. This will be a fun experiment later on. I am waiting until the summer to get a mandarin and am culturing pods in my refugium as we speak.
I was hoping to find a food that the future fish would be able to supplement his diet with - variety is the spice of life after all!

I live in an area with good fish stores as well as asian stores and think I know just where to get this sort of thing. Thanks very much for the heads up!

[techreef]

i have a 30 gallon fuge/sump connected to my 90G display. the fuge is smothered in pods, but i don't see any in the display. my tank has been up just over 6 months, and I bought a green mandarin this weekend. I have a mat of green lettuce-like algae in my sump (ulva?) along w/ a ball of chaeto, and the pods are all over it. I took the ulva and swished it around in my display tank to dump some pods into the display, and sadly watched my mandarin eat and then spit out the pods as they came near him. these guys are picky! I'll get a better source of the tiny pods next time in my fuge and use those. This thread on roe is a great supplement to natural food. Thanks for posting.

[Bmgrocks]

well best of luck to you tech reef, I decided that Today I will be going out and purchasing a Mandarin, and Sushi Eggs and will let you know how it goes.

[banga13]

what exactly do the pods look like. I have a 75 gal that has been set up for over 2 yrs. I have almost 200 lbs of live rock so I bought a mandarin , and a live brine hatchery , which I've had NO luck with. I will go buy roe today but would just like to know what these pods look like, my mandarin has definatly slimmed down since he came into my tank 2 weeks ago. He will not accept frozen brine, mysis, bloodworms , or flake.

[Bmgrocks]

Well, as far as my eyes can see in my tank, they kinda look like lice, only a good bit smaller, they dot your tank at night, and crawl all over ur live rock. Tonight after ur lights have been off for a bit, take a flashlight and look for them. You Should have plenty.

[Waterbury Guy]

Think these would do the trick?

[Waterbury Guy]

http://www.catalinaop.com/Flying_Fis...bikko_s/72.htm

[J. Montgomery]

Originally posted by Waterbury Guy
Think these would do the trick?

Yeah, I believe its the orange flying fish egg that everyone is talking about. Specialty food stores (especially the ones with large Asian food sections) will often carry refrigerated containers with flying fish roe; if you don't have any shops like that, you're stuck with ordering them from the internet.

I would think that refrigerated would be better than frozen (due to cell lysis caused by freezing), but . . . if roe is anything like shrimp, its pretty much impossible to buy shrimp that hasn't been frozen at some point (unless you live next to the ocean).