Size
2.3 inches
Physical properties and behavior
Due to their unusual look and vibrant colors, mandarin fish are easily recognized. They have big, depressed heads and are mainly blue with orange, red, and yellow wavy lines. A mandarin fish can grow to a maximum size of only 6 cm. Mandarin fish lack scales and are instead covered in an unpleasant-smelling slime. They lack anal spines and contain eight pairs of dorsal soft rays in addition to four pairs of dorsal spines. Adult men frequently have a first dorsal spine that is significantly longer than the caudal peduncle. Mandarin fish are timid and reticent. They can move over the bottom because of their large pelvic fins. Two males cannot coexist in an aquarium due to their aggressive nature.
Care When Keeping as Pet
The Mandarin Goby is regarded as being expensive to keep and difficult to care for. The biggest difficulty in feeding these carnivorous fish is that they need live food. They typically won’t eat frozen meals or dry flakes of food. They have a poor appetite.
Given that pods make up the majority of the live food that Mandarin Goby consumes, keeping them can be costly. Depending on the size of the fish, a bottle of live pods can cost $20 to $30 USD, and they may consume one per month.
Tank Size
Despite being small fish, Mandarin Goby nevertheless require a sufficient tank to suit their demands. One Mandarin Goby will typically need a tank that is at least 30 to 40 gallons (114 to 151 l). A pair of Mandarin Gobies will require at least 75 gallons (284 L). It is crucial to have a sufficient tank size for a number of reasons. Many of these explanations are connected to their dietary requirements. The tank must first be big enough for the Mandarin Goby to explore. A Mandarin Goby is continually exploring and looking for food, if you were to watch one. This behavior needs to be accommodated by the tank’s size.
The tank needs to be big enough to fit hardscape elements like other living rock formations. A naked tank would not be ideal for Mandarin Goby because they like to explore. Pods benefit from the live rock and sand as well. If the tank were empty, this would swiftly locate and eat every pod. It is crucial to give the pods time to settle in the aquarium. The fish would have a more consistent source of food in this case.
Tank Mates
Aquarists should select other non-aggressive coral fish species of comparable size because Mandarin Gobies have calm dispositions and a sluggish nature.
Coral Beauty, Firefish, Pajama Cardinal, Clownfish, Green Chromis, Royal Gramma, Seahorse, Watchman goby, Small Damselfish, as well as several marine shrimp, snails, and crabs, are good tank mates for Mandarin goby.
Temperature
They have filtering systems to keep the water clean and reside in tanks with at least 30 gallons of water. If the aquarium’s water temperature is regulated between 76 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, fish will experience less stress.
Water Parameter
The optimal pH range for Mandarin Goby, like other reef fish, is between 8.1 and 8.4. The alkalinity range for the tank water’s carbonate hardness should be 8 to 12 dKH. The optimal salinity range to aim for is between 1.022 and 1.025 sg.
Feeding
Fish called are carnivores that prey primarily on tiny invertebrates. Copepods are this group of invertebrates’ favorite food. They also consume cyclops, worms, protozoans, crustaceans, gastropods, fish eggs, amphipods, Mysis shrimp, ostracods, and various other microscopic species from the ocean’s bottom.
Table
