Mosquito Larvae as saltwater fishfood?

bebangs · 06/06/2012, 07:30 PM

Fist off, complete newbie, though i have researched a lot about saltwater aquarium. I dont have an establish tank, still curing/seeding the rocks and a newly setup quarantine tank. still looking for some cheatos. I still cant identify most of the fish.

LFS showed be 2 blennies. They said it was a blenny. Easy to care and they said, feed it with pellets they said. So I bought 2, After googling and reading, turns out to be a Mandarin Dragonet .

They dont eat pellets, they seem to eat brine shrimps and few critters still living on live rocks. There are no copepods/planktons available in my area except maybe at the beach.

My friend recommended frozen mysis shrimps, they look like little mosquitos, fish still ignores it. And so, why not? mosquito larvae, bet they could survive a few minutes and wiggle a lot. Will try it tomorrow unless it's a bad idea. what do you think?

MrTuskfish · 06/06/2012, 08:41 PM

If you're sure the larvae come from somewhere that hasn't been sprayed, it shouldn't be a problem. many areas have mosquito control trucks that make their rounds at night and you never see them. I don't know if it will do the trick, though.
Mandarins are not easy fish, most sources consider them difficult. Your LFS knows nothing about these fish, almost all of them need a large, mature tank and the live pods that go with it. Some tank-bred mandarins will eat other foods, but not always. You'll be better off researching fish BEFORE you buy and don't believe whoever told/sold you this stuff. You should be able to find plenty of info on feeding mandarins by searching the forum.

Agu · 06/06/2012, 08:51 PM

Friend of mine who raises clown fish feeds mosquito larva as live food to stimulate spawning. However these are bare bottom systems where removing excess waste isn't an issue.

BTW, I'd fire the LFS .......

bebangs · 06/07/2012, 12:59 AM

thanks! good to know. will try as soon as i get home.

fishgate · 06/07/2012, 06:36 AM

Your Mandarins are going to die. Do yourself a favor and take them back and get your money back. You cannot keep them alive with what you have and you would go broke buying them the live food they require.

MrTuskfish · 06/07/2012, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishgate

Your Mandarins are going to die. Do yourself a favor and take them back and get your money back. You cannot keep them alive with what you have and you would go broke buying them the live food they require.

Subtle! But very possibly right.

sponger0 · 06/07/2012, 07:50 AM

As many times as this topic comes up....I still am amazed. Granted the mandarin is a beautiful fish. Ive pretty much always had a dragonette. My first being a scooter, which wound up taking to mysis shrimp immediately. Only reason he died was carpet surfing.

My second was a target mandarin. He was barely staying alive no matter what food I feed him. He only took to pods and bloodworms.

So here is my .$02. Take him back. If you cant have a pod populated system, you are most likely going to fight a losing battle. I am very against trying to feed prepared food to mandarins. Some have luck....most dont from what I have read. Its as simple as this, its just not enough food. My argument is just watch them for 5-10 minutes in a tank that one is happy. Look at what they are doing. They are constantly hunting for food. All day long. So spot feeding 2-4 times a day...IMO isnt effective. They need the opportunity to eat all day. I do have a 40 breeder and have my psycodelic mandarin and he is fat and happy. I dont try to spot feed anything. What I do is I drop a bottle of pods in my fuge every week to week and a half. My system was setup with live rock that was thriving with pods. I also took some chaeto from my biocube I broke down and put it in there. Some may say its costly to keep buying pods, but to me its worth it to keep him in my tank and happy. As it's one of my top fish. So if you have no access to pods, return him and look for a different type of fish.

Dont get me wrong. I made the same mistake you did by the name. My first dragonette was a scooter blenny, which the name is decieving. Same as mandarin gobies. This is the same reason I get so strong opinionated by it. It was a mistake I didnt research. It was a very newbie mistake. But these guys need the proper setting for them and I believe if you wish to keep one, you should be mindful of this.

sponger0 · 06/07/2012, 07:51 AM

Double post....my bad

jtgordon20 · 06/07/2012, 07:56 AM

The lfs was trying to make its money and not care for the fishes life
I haven't seen anywhere about feeding mosquito larvae haha. Always learn new things lol

arkaeus · 06/07/2012, 08:14 AM

I have talked to people in the past about this, but what if you have diseased sick mosquito's? Then feed it to your fish?

MrTuskfish · 06/07/2012, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arkaeus

I have talked to people in the past about this, but what if you have diseased sick mosquito's? Then feed it to your fish?

You end up with fish that have malaria or West Nile Virus.

Donkeykong · 06/07/2012, 10:50 AM

What size tank is your display going to be? I understand they are in quarantine now. I believe that you should take them back, even if you could keep them alive till the display finishes it cycle, mandarins are not the most hardy of fishes and even after a tank cycles it still goes thru several more stages of ups and downs as it matures and stabilizes. These mandarins are going to be stressed thru all this and yo are most likely going to loose one if not both. Sorry for the bad news, but I would also take this as a learning experience and the biggest lesson that should be learned from this is DO NOT TRUST THAT LFS!!! they just proved they are more interested in making the sale then anything else.

bebangs · 06/10/2012, 08:38 PM

no refunds. they dont like larvaes. maybe a few more weeks. Mandarins only likes to eat LIVE brine shrimps on the rocks nothing else. no pellets, no bloodworms, no larvaes, no mysis.

About the mosquitos, i guess it depends on the water. if it's really clean (like setup a clean water and let it seed with larvaes) then it's ok i guess. The larvaes I saw around the house are dirty and seems to be populated with bacterias.

i scooped a few around 3-5 then rinsed them with water. used this to check how long they survive and to check if the mandarins eat them. All the larvaes survived after 3hours and after that they slowed down and really weakened, other fish may eat it but my mandarins completely ignored them. there's too much distractions (rocks & brine shrimps).

the tank is 75gallons with about 30-50gallons of sump and an estimated of at least 100lbs rocks. not yet set up cause im planning to drill it.

After 2 weeks, Fish seems to be doing well, constantly hunting for brine shrimps. The curious type actually tasted one of the mysis then threw it out, also seems to be curious about the pellets, likes to explore a lot and even slept on the jar I put in. I decided to donate the other fish, got home last night and found the curious type got his fins stuck near the suction. sad. will transfer the other one on a really bare quarantine tank, will try to train the other one.

KCombs · 06/11/2012, 08:49 AM

you can grow out the brine shrimp, production isn't "great" but it isn't hard either (I do it accidentally with the bbs that escape into my rotifers)
...any number of phyto feeds work, or you can roll your own...

just off the cuff 4-5 2liter bottles in rotation might keep a mandrin going ...perhaps someone will offer a more detailed answer

06/06/2012, 07:30 PM	#1
bebangs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 108	Mosquito Larvae as saltwater fishfood? Fist off, complete newbie, though i have researched a lot about saltwater aquarium. I dont have an establish tank, still curing/seeding the rocks and a newly setup quarantine tank. still looking for some cheatos. I still cant identify most of the fish. LFS showed be 2 blennies. They said it was a blenny. Easy to care and they said, feed it with pellets they said. So I bought 2, After googling and reading, turns out to be a Mandarin Dragonet . They dont eat pellets, they seem to eat brine shrimps and few critters still living on live rocks. There are no copepods/planktons available in my area except maybe at the beach. My friend recommended frozen mysis shrimps, they look like little mosquitos, fish still ignores it. And so, why not? mosquito larvae, bet they could survive a few minutes and wiggle a lot. Will try it tomorrow unless it's a bad idea. what do you think?

06/06/2012, 08:41 PM	#2
MrTuskfish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Wild Blue Yonder Posts: 8,887	If you're sure the larvae come from somewhere that hasn't been sprayed, it shouldn't be a problem. many areas have mosquito control trucks that make their rounds at night and you never see them. I don't know if it will do the trick, though. Mandarins are not easy fish, most sources consider them difficult. Your LFS knows nothing about these fish, almost all of them need a large, mature tank and the live pods that go with it. Some tank-bred mandarins will eat other foods, but not always. You'll be better off researching fish BEFORE you buy and don't believe whoever told/sold you this stuff. You should be able to find plenty of info on feeding mandarins by searching the forum. __________________ If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat. Steve Current Tank Info: 180, 2-240 FOWLRs, 240 reef

06/06/2012, 08:51 PM	#3
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Friend of mine who raises clown fish feeds mosquito larva as live food to stimulate spawning. However these are bare bottom systems where removing excess waste isn't an issue. BTW, I'd fire the LFS ....... __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

06/07/2012, 06:36 AM	#5
fishgate Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Damascus, MD Posts: 3,340	Your Mandarins are going to die. Do yourself a favor and take them back and get your money back. You cannot keep them alive with what you have and you would go broke buying them the live food they require. __________________ 125RR in-wall, 40B Sump, CS180 BM Skimmer, ATI 4x80 watt, eheim 1262, custom wrap around rock wall, ReefKeeper Elite 120g in-wall, 40B Sump, PC 54wx4, Jabao DC-6000 (full siphon), future seahorse t Current Tank Info: 125g, 120g, 2x40b sumps, ATI 4x80 T5HO

06/11/2012, 08:49 AM	#14
KCombs They Call me "RifRaf" Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: with Poly Pure Bred Posts: 547	you can grow out the brine shrimp, production isn't "great" but it isn't hard either (I do it accidentally with the bbs that escape into my rotifers) ...any number of phyto feeds work, or you can roll your own... just off the cuff 4-5 2liter bottles in rotation might keep a mandrin going ...perhaps someone will offer a more detailed answer __________________ I'm no "Expert", I'm just someone who has failed more than you have The beatings will continue until moral improves Current Tank Info: 90G reef, 150G FOWLR

06/07/2012, 12:59 AM	#4
bebangs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 108	thanks! good to know. will try as soon as i get home.

06/07/2012, 07:50 AM	#7
sponger0 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 6,659	As many times as this topic comes up....I still am amazed. Granted the mandarin is a beautiful fish. Ive pretty much always had a dragonette. My first being a scooter, which wound up taking to mysis shrimp immediately. Only reason he died was carpet surfing. My second was a target mandarin. He was barely staying alive no matter what food I feed him. He only took to pods and bloodworms. So here is my .$02. Take him back. If you cant have a pod populated system, you are most likely going to fight a losing battle. I am very against trying to feed prepared food to mandarins. Some have luck....most dont from what I have read. Its as simple as this, its just not enough food. My argument is just watch them for 5-10 minutes in a tank that one is happy. Look at what they are doing. They are constantly hunting for food. All day long. So spot feeding 2-4 times a day...IMO isnt effective. They need the opportunity to eat all day. I do have a 40 breeder and have my psycodelic mandarin and he is fat and happy. I dont try to spot feed anything. What I do is I drop a bottle of pods in my fuge every week to week and a half. My system was setup with live rock that was thriving with pods. I also took some chaeto from my biocube I broke down and put it in there. Some may say its costly to keep buying pods, but to me its worth it to keep him in my tank and happy. As it's one of my top fish. So if you have no access to pods, return him and look for a different type of fish. Dont get me wrong. I made the same mistake you did by the name. My first dragonette was a scooter blenny, which the name is decieving. Same as mandarin gobies. This is the same reason I get so strong opinionated by it. It was a mistake I didnt research. It was a very newbie mistake. But these guys need the proper setting for them and I believe if you wish to keep one, you should be mindful of this.

06/07/2012, 07:51 AM	#8
sponger0 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 6,659	Double post....my bad

06/07/2012, 07:56 AM	#9
jtgordon20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 75	The lfs was trying to make its money and not care for the fishes life I haven't seen anywhere about feeding mosquito larvae haha. Always learn new things lol

06/07/2012, 08:14 AM	#10
arkaeus Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 156	I have talked to people in the past about this, but what if you have diseased sick mosquito's? Then feed it to your fish?

06/07/2012, 10:50 AM	#12
Donkeykong Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Grover Beach CA Posts: 1,847	What size tank is your display going to be? I understand they are in quarantine now. I believe that you should take them back, even if you could keep them alive till the display finishes it cycle, mandarins are not the most hardy of fishes and even after a tank cycles it still goes thru several more stages of ups and downs as it matures and stabilizes. These mandarins are going to be stressed thru all this and yo are most likely going to loose one if not both. Sorry for the bad news, but I would also take this as a learning experience and the biggest lesson that should be learned from this is DO NOT TRUST THAT LFS!!! they just proved they are more interested in making the sale then anything else.

06/10/2012, 08:38 PM	#13
bebangs Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 108	no refunds. they dont like larvaes. maybe a few more weeks. Mandarins only likes to eat LIVE brine shrimps on the rocks nothing else. no pellets, no bloodworms, no larvaes, no mysis. About the mosquitos, i guess it depends on the water. if it's really clean (like setup a clean water and let it seed with larvaes) then it's ok i guess. The larvaes I saw around the house are dirty and seems to be populated with bacterias. i scooped a few around 3-5 then rinsed them with water. used this to check how long they survive and to check if the mandarins eat them. All the larvaes survived after 3hours and after that they slowed down and really weakened, other fish may eat it but my mandarins completely ignored them. there's too much distractions (rocks & brine shrimps). the tank is 75gallons with about 30-50gallons of sump and an estimated of at least 100lbs rocks. not yet set up cause im planning to drill it. After 2 weeks, Fish seems to be doing well, constantly hunting for brine shrimps. The curious type actually tasted one of the mysis then threw it out, also seems to be curious about the pellets, likes to explore a lot and even slept on the jar I put in. I decided to donate the other fish, got home last night and found the curious type got his fins stuck near the suction. sad. will transfer the other one on a really bare quarantine tank, will try to train the other one.