Mandarinfish

Maintenance difficulty:
   This fish is easy to keep if you have the right aquarium set-up. See "Maintenance" below for a full description.

Maintenance/Foods:
   Mandarinfish are omnivores. They will usually eat live brine, bloodworms, and tubifex but this diet is usually not sufficient to keep them over the long term. In the wild they eat small crustaceans (and other benthic organsisms). The latest on some of the newsgroups is that each one needs anywhere from 75 to 150 pounds of live rock to survive. We have kept one in a 125 gallon reef that is doing fine and all he eats is whatever he finds on the rocks. With most fish variety is the key. Feed them anything they will eat and try lots of different things. Live brine, worms, formula I, and formula II, flakes, etc. The mandarin seems to only go for live food however. A mature aquarium with live rock really helps provide the natural food they need.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:
   The Mandarinfish are found in the Western Pacific from Java to Japan, the southern Barrier Reef, and the Caroline Islands. Usually found at depths of 1 to 18 meters.

Social Behaviors:
   Male mandarins can only be kept singly or with other females. Only one male per aquarium though!

Sex: Sexual differences:
  The males are somewhat larger than the females, have longer fins, and the first ray of the dorsal fin is about twice as long as the female's. The fish pictured at right above is probably a male since the dorsal fin is elongated.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   The following breeding information was contributed by Aaron in our guest book:

  " Mandarinfish only spawn in the evening and exhibit very unique mating behavior. If a pair of them are healthy enough, they will begin spawning occasionally just after lights out.
   The male and the female approach each other and begin to "dance" in a spiral up the water column. They release sperm and egg as they rise. The spawn are planktonic for some time, but will grow to a couple mm in length in a couple days.
   If there are other kinds of fish in the tank, the spawn should be isolated. I know this info is relatively general, but I have not personally mated Mandarins (I only have a large enough tank for one fish)."

   Thanks for the info Aaron!

For more information about recent concerns as well as mandarinfish breeding habits check this article at National Geographic.

Light: Recommended light levels:
   No special requirements.

Temperature:
   No special requirements. Normal temperatures for marine fish is between 74 and 79 degrees fahrenheit.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Mandarinfish adults can grow to 10.0 cm (4.0 inches).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 60 gallon aquarium is recommended since a minimum of 75 pounds of live rock is needed in order to sustain them.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   No special requirements.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   Usually spends most of its' time on rockwork or live rock near the bottom.

Availability:
   This fish is readily available and is inexpensive.