Green Mandarin

[Gujustud]

Who has one? What are their behaviour patterns?

[1628]

I have one, I also have the psychadelic one as well.

They usually eat live pods, but soemhow mine eats frozen mysis as well, I think it's from the lfs who feed them a wide variety of food and it decided to eat frozen mysis.

They hide most of the time and sometimes they wil come out hunting for food. Never bother any other fishes. They move around like helicopters. Very cool fish.

[Aquattro]

I keep hearing that they hide all the time, but mine is out always. There has never been a momnet where I couldn't find her cruising around. Excelent fish as long as you have the tank to keep them, That means lots of rock with pods a plenty.

[Gujustud]

Well the reason i'm asking, is because I've really been fishless since I started my tank on the 2nd of Jan (cept for the damsel which I had in the tank for about 2-1/2 weeks. I took him out 3-4 weeks ago).

Only other things I have in my tank are a few inverts (snails/hermits), a peppermint shrimp, and a few small frags of coral.

I've been so good at waiting for my stand to finish so I can move my tank, and then finally get fish, which was one of the main reasons of not getting fish yet. I've been dropping by Fin-Omenal for the last month or so, every week or so, and in one of their tanks they've always had this small Green Mandarin, and a wicked small 6line wrasse. I really wanted to get both of them, but waited, until a few days ago, when I dropped by to notice the 6line gone. I didn't want to see the Mandarin go too, so I figured I'm jump the gun and grab the little guy! (I haven't seen one at any other LFS).

Anyhoo, when I first put him in the tank, he just hovered near the bottom, and stopped all together. It took him about 5-10 mins before he started moving, then went right next to my peppermint shrimp who began feeling him out :lol:

After a day, I've seen him crusing the rocks in my tank, picking on the pods that my tank is covered with. At the LFS they did feed him frozen mysis which I saw him eat.

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_mandarin14.jpg

I figured the fish is just a bottom dweller, not swimming much but yesterday I got a good laugh. I only have one PH in my tank right now (802), which the main currents are near the top. I found the guy going up in front of the PH, and letting the currents throw him to the other end of the tank, where he would just fight against the current. He's pretty small, but he fought a good fight against the currents. There is a small whirlpool in one corner, which he didn't mind being sucked down to the bottom of the tank, then he would hover his way back up into the currents.

Is this normal with this type of fish? To be playful? I also noticed that he generally only uses his "hover" fins (as I call them) to move around, and rarely his tail, or any of his other fins. Is this normal?

http://www.ditchmond.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_mandarin15.jpg

[Quinn]

Nevermind, didn't read the thread.

[LostMind]

Luckily, you didnt get both the 6 line and the mandarin. As far as I know, they will compete for the same food source - pods pods pods.

If that mandarin you have eats mysis, thats actually pretty cool. My friend has a mandarin and it eats only pods.

[TNTCanada]

My little guy only uses his hover fins as well, he never hide though. Mine will eat mysis as well as brine and pods of course. He is very active all the time and does very well.

Click below for a pic of my little guy. :biggrin:


http://img26.photobucket.com/albums/v79/TNTCanada/Aquariume/Aquarium_2004_020.jpg

[monza]

Mine surfed power heads all the time, he was a good surfer. Ate pods and or mysis. Great fish until I decided to boil him or better put my house temp boiled him. I've since tried to add another but the tangs don't like new fish and I had to give him away.

Dave

[Gujustud]

Luckily, you didnt get both the 6 line and the mandarin. As far as I know, they will compete for the same food source - pods pods pods.

If that mandarin you have eats mysis, thats actually pretty cool. My friend has a mandarin and it eats only pods.

Yup I've read about that. The 6line that was in the same tank was really small, almost a little smaller than the mandarin. I won't bother with a 6line till I at least have my sump, and refugium going so I know there will be more pods. More LR too.

My little guy only uses his hover fins as well, he never hide though. Mine will eat mysis as well as brine and pods of course. He is very active all the time and does very well.



Very cool pic. Man I need a digital camera.

[bulletsworld]

I have a mandarin (Morpheaus) for almost a year now. A great fish with lots of character! Only eats pods and likes to use his hover fins. When the lights are out & everyone is sleeping loves to cruise the waves.

When I had my white spotted Bamboo Shark (13in long) they were friends it was so weird! Shark as she got bigger would eat anything that she could fit in her mouth (4 clowns & a damsel :sad: ) The mandarin never got eaten! Both the Shark & the Mandarin despite great size difference would sleep under the same rock together! Nobody messed with the mandarin. Maybe they dont taste good :question: or maybe it was just cause they grew up together. :rolleyes: It was cool though to see them together.

Now that Shark is gone (got too big) The mandarin (morpheaus) sleeps in the star polyps with the lawnmover blennie (agent smith). My mandarin the player! :lol: Cool creature for sure!. Great addition!

[1628]

Mandarin has a posion slime coating all over its body, hence no ick and other parasite and are sledom bother by other fishes.

[bulletsworld]

So are you saying that they can't get ich? The only fish to not be able to get this? Huh?

[1628]

yes they don't usually get ick because their slimy body coating

[Quinn]

I *believe* eels, catfishes, etc. are also "ich-proof".

[christyf5]

Same for dartfish (ie. firefish gobies). :mrgreen: