DIY Target Feeder for Mandarinfish (and Pipefish)

We as aquarists tend to keep all sorts of creatures in our tanks, and some of them present a challenge to feed. We know what fish eat, and we know how fish eat, but sometimes the fish’s schedule does not coincide with our schedule. Also, some fishes, such as seahorses, pipefish, and mandarinfish, are built differently than most fish in that they don’t have a real stomach and must eat tiny amounts all day long. There are also fish that seem to have a higher metabolism than other fish do, such as Moorish idols, or just have a smaller mouth so they can’t fill up at one feeding, such as the铜带蝴蝶鱼必威官网登录随行版.

在这篇文章中，我想与您分享我的设计，以供易于构建的目标馈线普通话(which also works for pipefish).

Pod-hungry mandarins

A mandarin is a creature that was designed to eat tiny invertebrates, such asAmphipods和Copepods(“pods”). Pods are available in any-well-established aquarium, but an adult mandarin or pair of mandarins may either exhaust the pod supply or not get enough to keep them in top condition, which is breeding condition.

所有鱼都应始终处于繁殖状态，因为这是它们在海里时一直处于的状态。从个人经验来看，我还可以说，处于繁殖状况的鱼类对许多疾病和寄生虫的抗性更具抵抗力。

所以保持鱼像一个普通话(或尖嘴鱼)in perfect condition, we may want to target feed it. However, we don’t really want to stand there all day long with a turkey baster. That’s where the feeder comes in.

Building the feeder

The mandarin target feeder consists of a flat plastic container, like the kind electrical tape comes in. Here are the steps for building it:

1. Drill a hole in the cover that’s a little smaller than the diameter of the container.
2. Stretch a fine net over the opening of the container. I use an old net, but I think nylons will work as well. If you cut holes out of your wife’s nylons, just be sure to cover the holes with duct tape so she doesn’t notice.
3. Replace the cover to secure the netting and keep it taut.
4. Take an acrylic tube (like the kind you can get at a pet store or plastic shop) and bend a 90-degree angle in it. To accomplish this, I insert a spring into the tube and heat it with a hair dryer. Alternatively, you can just use a flexible tube.
5. Insert the end of the tube closest to the 90-degree bend through a hole of the same diameter in the side of the feeder. I cut the tube so the other end extends above the water surface.
6. Insert a funnel into the top end of the tube. I also glue some lead weights in the container, but you can use a rock or other heavy object to weigh it down.

这里的所有都是它的！

Deploying the feeder

现在，我将进纸器放在拐角附近的水箱中，并孵化一些​​婴儿盐水虾。（我会解释how to build a brine shrimp hatcheryat a later time.) Strain the baby shrimp so they are in a small amount of water, approximately 1/2 ounce, and pour them into the feeder.

Most of the shrimp will stay in the feeder, and since they are attracted to light, they will swim to the mesh and try to get through—just as your mandarin is sitting there waiting to help them along so he can eat them.

我每天使用喂食器，我的一对普通话已经产生了大约两年。我的坦克很老，如果没有额外的喂食，我就没有麻烦。这不仅允许他们生存，还可以产卵，我希望我所有的鱼在产卵状态。

最后，DIY喂食器正在采取行动的视频：