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ACK, I didn't even post that I got a replacement for Male #2 last week! He was a fresh import, basically straight out of the bag. Let's hope. Meanwhile, the female and ONLY the female in Pair #1 is LOADED with ICH...I had a total meltdown of sorts in their tank...a literal explosion a couple days ago. I'm going nuts with water changes to dilute free swimming parasites and threw my spare UV on the tank...there's already a cleaner shrimp in there too but the mandarin is stayin' the hell away! I dealt with this once before and it took a LONG time with the tank that housed Pair #2 (Fatboy actually brought the ICH into the tank in the first place, don't ask me how the heck it showed up in Pair #1's tank, I did make a new addition but I also know that it likely was NOT the source).
Divaman, I got REALLY lucky with "Fatboy"..he took pellets from Day 1 (well, actually probably Day 2). "Fatboy" had been a long term captive and customer return...no doubt HE learned about pellet foods long before he came to me.
The Red Scooter Blennies just seemed to "pick it up" as well. Meanwhile, I'm still not 100% sure that the #1 pair of mandarins have taken to pellets, although it seems like female #2 is taking them, I think watching the RSB's and Fatboy helped her figure it out.
The one thing I HAVE tried, although admittedly not with any dedication, is to add pellets into the feeding station along with the frozen foods that they eat. This would be my #1 suggestion...get them trained on frozen, get them trained on a feeding station, and they make the connection that feeding station = food. In my guestimate, it's a small leap in a mandarin's brain that anything showing up within the feeding station *could* be food, especially if other known food items are also present...from their they just have to get used to eating it.
If I was REALLY trying to get them to eat pellets, I would also fast them a day a week, and then make sure that on the break-fast day the FIRST FOOD offered up is the pellets. Hunger is a strong motivator, even if you don't eat like a grouper!
Anxiously awaiting the time when I don't need to raise percs (to pay for the hobby during Renee's student teaching months) so I can get back to really trying to raise the mandarins. I may have a good solution actually, as someone is interested in taking my percs at 30 days and growing them out...sure it's a reduced price sale, but it generates income and may be enough to keep one tank open for "experimenting"....we'll see how it works out!
FWIW,
Matt
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