Green Mandarin - Synchiropus splendidus
Picture from December 1999, Nikon CoolPix 950, No Flash Purchased: July, 7, 1998. Nickname: Mandy This is one of the most beautiful fish a hobbyist can keep and one of the most difficult to keep if you don't understand its basic needs. This little guy gets no bigger than 4 inches will only eat live foods -- and I'm not talking about live baby brine shrimp. Some people have reportedly gotten this fish to eat brine shrimp but that is not enough to keep it alive. This fish should only be attempted in mature large reef tanks. I would suggest a 55 to 75 gallon tank with 80 to 100 lbs. of live rock that has been given 6 to 8 months time to mature with no other fish that will compete with the mandarins natural diet of small crustaceans such as amphipods and copepods (the little bugs you often see at night running around an established tank). |
Update: After nearly 3 years of care, I found my mandarin fish dried up on the center divider of the tank. I was able to re-hydrate this fish and prolong his life for another 2 days. I found him dead in the tank on May 14th, 2000.