Synchiropus picturatus (green spotted Mandarin), beh.  03/19/2008
Hi How are you today?
<Fine, thank you>
I have had my Mandarin for around 3 months now, has done very well living off the goodness in the 4 year old live rock. I do weekly water changes, ammonia nitrite 0 nitrate 10 , ph 8.4 temp stays around 78-80. Today I noticed the Mandarin riding the current at the top of the water caused by the Filter and Skimmer, it is not fighting the current and it is very alive I dropped sinking pellets in and it dove back down to the bottom of the water. When I came back an hour or so later, it was back up at the top just riding the currents again. I cannot find anything on water currents and the GS Mandarin, do you know why it is doing this?
<Mmm, in a word, "fun">
It's the only one in the tank accompanied by 2 Domino's, 3 4 stripes, 4 Yellow tail Blues,1 false clown (I think its mate became lunch for the RBTA) 4 cleaner shrimps and 1 blue emerald. No on seems to pick on it
<Mmm, no... Callionymoids are distasteful... unpalatable>
and water quality is good, maybe this is a normal trait and I just never noticed this before. Or is something going on here that I am missing. Anything would be great. Thanks
~Jessica
<Is just enjoying itself... No worries. Bob Fenner>

Mandarin fighting   6/8/06
I have recently added my 2nd Mandarin to my well established 120 Gallon tank.  (After regular quarantine procedure.)  I believe my existing mandarin is a female, due to her small dorsal fin.  The new mandarin's dorsal fin is very long and drapes over his body.  The problem is the minute I put him in the main tank, the fight was on.
<Perhaps more like a "love-tussle">
  He seemed to have bit the existing mandarin and wouldn't let her go. He was holding on to her and I didn't think he was ever going to let her go.  I did finally manage to get him away from her.  Anyhow, I managed to catch him and I have now put him back into the quarantine tank.  Do you think I have two males and I haven't identified them correctly?
<Perhaps, but could be dissimilar in sex>
  Is this normal behaviour between male and female mandarins?
<Can be, yes>
  Do you think I should return the new male back to the LFS?  I don't want to risk killing either one of them. He is so beautiful!  After all this quarantine procedure I sure would like to have him in my main tank.  Any suggestions you have would greatly be appreciated.
<If it were me, mine, I'd first try floating the newcomer for a week or so in a plastic colander... anchored off to a corner of the tank or so (to avoid much direct lighting/heat)... this way the two can become acquainted (mainly chemically) w/o being able to get at each other... You do have some region/s that have dense (Staghorn coral is best) hiding possibilities? I would provide this/these ahead of releasing the new male. Bob Fenner>

Mandarin Floater (Non-Eating Not The Problem Here)   4/21/06
Dear Mr. Fenner,
<Laurie>
I have a different sort of problem with my Mandarin dragonet. He eats fine, but today started to hang out all over the top of my tank, sort of floating.
<Unusual, but happens>
All of my usual suspects are within limits (No ammonia, nitrates, salinity spec grav at 23, ph a bit higher than required at 8.4 or so. 55 gallon tank
full of live rock and cycled sand. He isn't being picked on, and my invertebrates are all happy and out.
I'm worried. I ordered more copepods from a different site just to be safe...Is there something I am not checking for?
Mrs. Smith
<Mmm, if this animal is still moving about, eating, I would not "do" anything overt here... Perhaps "just a phase" or seeing/reacting to its reflection. Bob Fenner>

Jumping Mandarin  - 04/20/2006
Hi,  <Hello>
Sad morning for me today as I woke up to find my mandarin fish dry on the floor. Some people I know hinted that I was a bit laughable for taking such
events so dramatic, but I can't help it. I never thought that would happen. The mandarin would be the last fish to jump I thought. I should have listened
better to Bob Fenner (as I usually do) when he told me that although some fish species are notorious jumpers... "Any fish can jump out". Indeed. My
system is a 90 gal+30 gal fuge, 150lbs Fiji LR, 5" sugar fine DSB. Very peaceful set-up (he was not stressed or shy at all) and I did wait 6 months
before adding the mandarin. He was in my tank since 6 months and still fat. Is it very unusual for a mandarin to jump?
<Unusual, yes, but can be triggered by sudden bright lighting, even electrical storms
at night when the lighting is off.  Being chased by a predator will often cause this but in your case you state you have a peaceful tank.>
I do like the look of my open-top. I temporarily ruined my budget by getting a Giesseman 230 plus recently. It looks fantastic and the last thing I want
now is to ruin the look by adding a huge sheet of eggcrate over the top. On the other side I don't want to lose a fish again or endure the
stress/paranoia of always thinking a fish may jump and die any moment.
Arrgh...
I have been looking to find clear eggcrate but it seems it doesn't exist. I don’t know if a net would look good. Probably difficult to find one made of
clear nylon and to keep from bending. I tried doing one by building a frame with Plexiglas and drill the frame each 1/2" to insert the thinnest fish
line but it didn't work and I gave up. Maybe use some large clear fish net and fix it in a frame used for window screens.
Can you give me an advice/point out a product (manufactured for the hobby or DIY) that I could use to cover my tank and that would be as close to invisible as possible?
<Might try a ¼” sheet of acrylic with 3/8” holes drilled at 3” centers for air/gas
exchange.   It would be unlikely if a fish were to jump that it would hit the hole dead center.>
Thanks as always!
<You’re welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Dominique

Mandarin Hiding...and likely starving - 3/14/2006
We have a well established 44 gallon tank with a Mandarin(2.5 in), 2 clowns (1in) a Lawnmower (2 in) and a Long Horn Cow Fish (2 in, and yes we will be moving him to our new 162 gallon tank as soon as it is finished cycling).
<<Your tank is far too small to house the Mandarin or the Lawnmower Blenny.  Both need larger systems to survive long-term.  In the case of the Mandarin, a large fishless refugium is also needed.  These guys eat an unearthly amount of ‘pods.>>
The mandarin eats frozen food as well as copepods and has been a very steady, healthy tank mate for 8 months.
<<Frozen foods are not his proper diet.>>
We did a water change, rearranged the rocks a little and removed a banded goby about a month ago.  Since then the Mandarin has been spending the majority of his time hiding under the coral, which he was never inclined to do in the past.  We have rearranged both tank mates and the rocks in the past without him reacting, so this is very confusing.  All chemicals look good, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 30, PH 8.2.  Any ideas why the sudden change of behavior?
<<My guess in nutritional deficiency.>>
Is this something we need to be concerned about?
<<Yes.  Unfortunately most Mandarins meet a very untimely death in small tanks.>>
Thanks.  Lisa M.  
<<Glad to help. Lisa B.>>
This is a very old question that we sent in, it was already answered.
<<Very odd, as your message showed up in our inbox the day I replied.>>
We moved the lawnmower and the cowfish to our larger tank almost six months ago.
<<Good to hear.  I'm sure they are happy.>>
The mandarin was not starving, in fact he continued to get fatter. We are well aware that they should eat pods, and he did even then, but we were thankful that he also would eat frozen foods and flakes.
<<I'm sure you are also well aware, then, that these foods are nutritionally unfit to sustain a Mandarin through its full life-span.  I do wonder why you refer to him in the past-tense.>>
This e-mail is very nearly a year late.
Lisa
<<Any message in the inbox will be replied to. I wonder what happened here...Lisa B.>>

Scooter Blenny - 03/05/06
Thank you for a wonderfully informative website! I have visited dozens of times over the last year.
<<Glad you enjoy it.>>
Quick question: I may have missed the answer when I searched the FAQ's, but as it relates to Scooter Blenny eating behavior, if my Scooter is pecking at the sand constantly, can I assume he is actually eating, or is this a foraging method that is just a behavioral response, and not necessarily picking up pods?  (I can't see any that's why I'm asking)
<<A bit of both...is foraging/feeding behavior, but whether there is anything to actually "eat" depends on your system and the abundance of micro-crustaceans, shelled protozoa, etc., available to the dragonet.>>
I've had my 40 gal tank up for over a year, and only have the Scooter and a pair of small clownfish.
<<Understood, but this fish is an obligate feeder on the micro-fauna in your tank and can quickly decimate populations.>>
Scooter is very small, and although the LFS said he would eat algae <<?>>, after I brought him home I read that he was a carnivore, so since my system was still establishing (I have the tank about 25% full w/live rock and I have lots of macro-algae plants not in refugium but actually growing in tank and some pulsing Xenia and mushroom coral and some snails/crabs...everyone/everything is doing well, no casualties except a featherduster that I think perhaps was in bad shape when I got him, since he perished rather quickly despite rotifer liquid sups).
<<Whew...I'm out of breath after reading that last sentence <grin>.>>
Anyway, I supplemented my Scooter with frozen brine shrimp in a net bag sunk to bottom, he likes that, but I'm curious if I can wean him to just eating the live stuff in the tank.
<<It's not likely you have a large enough tank/enough rock for this.  If the fish will eat frozen foods, try to feed it some frozen Mysis shrimp and frozen glass worms.  The brine shrimp is really very lacking in nutritional quality.>>
I see evidence of small white cylindrical growths on the side of my tank...tiny, about size of dull pencil tip.  What are these, do they provide food?
<<Tiny Serpulid worms.>>
Never saw him peck at them, always pecking at the sand.  His stomach, while not emaciated, is not plump either....so I can keep supplementing him, but again, is he actually getting food when he takes a mouthful of sand?  
<<Probably not always.>>
MANY THANKS!  
Sue
<<Regards, EricR>>
PS I will be launching a 150 gallon tank this Spring. I am so excited I'm almost obsessed!  
<<Heee!  Is always exciting to go bigger!  EricR>>

Mandarinfish behavior, systems... - 2/28/2006
Bob,
<Bill>
I've been in the hobby on and off for about 35 years and just set up my first 'reef' tank a little over a year ago. (180 gal.) With the exception of
a couple of minor problems everything is flourishing partly due to the use of your Conscientious Aquarist  book.
<Glad it has been of use to you>
I have a question regarding my Mandarinfish. I've researched it extensively and can't seem to come up with an answer. This fish quite often emits a
milky colored substance from its gill area.
<Yes... "mucus"... Callionymids are quite slimy...>
Before being able to ascertain the area it was coming from I thought it my be 'wishful thinking' on its part thinking that it was spawning, but it is coming from the gill area. I
was told by a not to experienced aquarist that it was a slime coat of sorts that was expelled when the fish felt threatened or stressed. Is this correct
If not, please explain.
Thank you,
Bill Bush
<As far as I know this is so... and not a big deal in a system of your size, likely make-up and maintenance due to dilution. Apparently their mucus unpalatability is their principal defense against predation... Bob Fenner>