Mandarins eat live Mysis?

[scout]

Well I think I'm about ready to try a Spotted Mandarinfish. I've had my reef over 2 years, a very healthy pod population in both my reef and refugium. I've been holding off until my mysis shrimp population increased. I now have 100's of them in both tanks. In reading post here and on RC, I haven't seen any mention that they will eat live mysis. Does anybody have any experience with this?

Thanks
Mike

[scubadude]

Hi Mike
Is this your 72 or your 30?

By nature they will eat pods, and im sure mysis they will eat too. a good amount of LR in your tank is a good chance that it will keep the pod population up to par for the mandarin. I have heard of limited success feeding frozen foods, and live brine shrimp. If you have a very healthy sustainable population of "bugs" in general and not a heavy predation level on them then I would get one only trying to get him fed very well on something like brine or have some sort of standby method like a refugium which you do have, in other words dont try to rely solely on the natural population of your bugs. It is real easy to set up a pod/mysis culture station im sure.

[scout]

This would be the 30 gal, with a 10 gal refugium. I started out 4 months ago with approx 10 live mysis shrimp and now have 100's in the 10 gal refug and many in the 30. The 30 currently has a pair of Ocellaris and a flame hawkfish. I've always had a good pod popualtion, but was hoping the mysis would tip the odds of getting the Mandarin to survive in my favor. I do feed this tank very heavy just about every food on the market. Heavy use of golden pearls for the shrimp. I guess I have around 30 - 40 lbs of VERY live rock. I do have alot of live sand space toward the front and sides.

Mike

[scubadude]

I personally wouldnt do it in that small of a tank, but thats just me. I think you will have alot better chance in your 70 gal than your 30. Im sure that it would eat mysis shrimp though. Ya know you could go to the LFS and ask them if you can see if the mandarin is eating brine, and if it eats frozen brine or other foods than you will have a better chance of survival