Feeding the Mandarin Fish by Sean TajFor so many aquarists, the green mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus) is a must-have species. Its endearing personality, exquisite finnage and intense coloration rarely fail to impress. Given these highly desirable traits, it has for long been among the most popular marine aquarium fishes. Thus, many thousands of specimens of this species are sold in the ornamental fish trade each year. Most of these are wildcaught. This is unfortunate, as wildcaught individuals have a rather poor record of survivability compared to captive-raised individuals. Feeding the Mandarin: Wildcaught versus Aquaculture Fish There are a number of reasons wildcaught mandarin have a lower survival rate than captive bred or aquacultured fish. For one, the mini-spears that are used to harpoon wild individuals during capture frequently cause serious internal injuries or infections. Moreover, this species often suffers from malnourishment after being subjected to the typical fast during transport. By the time a mandarin arrives at the retailer, it may be (even with the most devoted, professional care) beyond the point of no return. For these reasons and more, it is always a good idea to opt for an aquacultured mandarin fish. One could argue that it is always better to go with cultured livestock; but in the case of mandarins, the difference between captive-raised and wild are enormous. The biggest, and most notable, difference here is in the mandarin fish’s diet and feeding habits. [Copepods] Wildcaught specimens might eventually begin to feed, but never accept anything other than live foods. Some wild individuals might not ever resume feeding in the aquarium at all, perishing in very short time. Aquaculture fish that have been raised in captivity, on the other hand, are far less finicky. They are comparatively voracious eaters, even greedily accepting frozen (that is, dead) items such as cyclops, small mysis or baby brine shrimp. Captive bred mandarin, being completely reared in an aquarium environment, might even arrive already trained to feed on prepared items such as fish pellets. Opportunistically nabbing these extra food items when available will afford the aquacultured fish a few extra, precious calories; it will not, however, provide a substitute for the continuous availability of live items such as live copepods. From the shape of their mouths to the function of their digestive tracts, mandarins are specially adapted to feed on microcrustaceans such as live copepods and amphipods. While studies have revealed that the mandarin fish’s diet includes a fairly wide variety of critters (even baby snails), pods always form the bulk of their diet. Because their prey is so tiny, they must eat a very large number of them to fulfill their dietary intake requirements. Indeed, in the wild as in the aquarium, mandarins begin hunting as soon as the sun comes up and do not stop until sunset. Wildcaught and captive bred mandarin will—and must—feed constantly. In captivity, heavy predation by even a single mandarin can significantly reduce pod populations. Even if the keeper periodically adds new pods to the system (as they should do), the population might not remain at a density capable of supporting the mandarin over the long term. As numbers of pods in the tank decrease, the fish must expend more time and more energy to locate its next bite. If pod numbers get critically low, the mandarin will struggle to meet its metabolic needs and begin to starve. Aside from general lethargy, a telltale sign of starvation in a mandarinfish is a noticeable loss of body mass; this will show in aquaculture fish as well as wildcaught, as a sunken belly and long indentations on each side of its back. This is where the supplementary offering of frozen/prepared foods can make all the difference. A few additional bites of frozen brine shrimp might help to give a newly arrived (i.e. recently shipped and very hungry) mandarin a much-needed boost. If used regularly, foods such as this can also help to keep captive bred mandarin healthy and plump over the long run. Varying a mandarin fish’s diet in this manner might additionally serve to ensure that it is getting all of the vitamins and minerals it needs. What is most important is that the item does not exceed the animal’s miniscule bite size. Due to the animal’s small stomach (i.e. inability to gorge) as well as its need to eat nonstop, frozen/prepared foods should be considered to be snacks only. Though these items can be of huge benefit, they only comprise a fraction of the animal’s diet; even in captivity, pods will always be their bread and butter. Therefore, the keeper should ensure maximal feeding opportunities for their mandarin by regularly adding a diversity of live microcrustaceans to the system. For this, a mixed-species, live harpacticoid (i.e. bottom-dwelling) copepod product such as Poseidon’s Feast is ideal. Remember: if you cannot easily and quickly find pods crawling on the glass of the tank, then your mandarin probably won’t, either. It could also do considerable good to occasionally offer live “treat” items. Quality live baby brine shrimp such a Nano Brine can not only add to their diet, but provide valuable behavioral enrichment (particularly for the chase they give!). For sure, the greatest challenge of keeping a wildcaught or captive bred mandarin fish is feeding it properly. The easiest way to accomplish this is to provide both a continuous supply of live pods and frequent feedings of a frozen or prepared fish food. Of course, to be sure that the fish will accept the latter fare, one should acquire a captive-raised aka aquacultured fish such as a Biota Captive-Bred Green Mandarin. When purchased at AlgaeBarn, these mandarins not only come with a 100% Alive-On-Arrival Guarantee and a 7-Day Health Guarantee, but have also underwent a one-week observation period to ensure that they are healthy and eating before they are offered for sale. Starting with a sturdy, tank-conditioned, disease-free individual that is eating well will give you the very best odds of enjoying your mandarinfish for many years! For more information about Biota Palau and their captive breeding efforts, please visit their site at https://www.biotapalau.com. For more information about the captive diet of the mandarinfish, please read our articles Mandarin Goby Fish Care: Using Copepods to keep a Mandarin Dragonet and Keeping and Feeding the Mandarin Fishes. [Copepods]
Sean Fowler says March 11, 2019 at 4:46 pm Algae barn is making inspiring steps in a more sustainable future for the hobby and the conservation of natural resources. Reply
Stefanie GROBER says March 12, 2019 at 3:26 pm Our mandarin loves pods and frozen brine and mysis! Reply
daniellenseymour says March 11, 2019 at 5:11 pm Such beautiful fish, I hope everyone does their research before purchasing or entering in contests… Reply
Compy Ginorio says March 20, 2019 at 8:55 pm Seen a mandarin searching and hunting their pray is a very fun experience as they are always in a search for a snack. Now with the Biotas Breed it’s even easier to keep them healthy and with a constant supply of pods it’s a recipe to succeed. Reply
Wayde Clark says March 11, 2019 at 5:18 pm Keeping a Mandarin has always been one of my dreams but been extremely concerned with feeding. But now that I have my sump all set up with Macro algae I think I am ready. Great information and well put together. I wish there were more species that are captive bred. Reply
shiningpooooke2 says March 22, 2019 at 11:56 am I understand, just do all the research ahead of time and it will all be fine. Reply
Alex Bonanno says March 11, 2019 at 7:09 pm Looks like I’ll finally be able to keep a pair of these. Can’t wait! Reply
Alexandra Hawley says March 11, 2019 at 7:15 pm This is such great information about the mandarins especially for those of us new to the hobby! Reply
Alexandra Hawley says March 11, 2019 at 7:18 pm What a great article! I learned a lot I never knew before! Reply
Chris becerra says March 11, 2019 at 8:47 pm This fish need a lot of pods I’m glad you guys give out info Reply
Bobby Altman says March 12, 2019 at 7:34 pm The only Mandarin I have kept was wild caught. It was put in a 2 year old tank and did well and ended up weaning onto frozen, but next time will be captive bred for sure. Reply
Corey says March 12, 2019 at 10:08 pm I appreciate the information given in the article. It’s always incredibly important to research. Reply
Jeff Britman says March 12, 2019 at 10:21 pm I love that these are being bred in captivity! Not only is it a conservation effort, but the increased survival rates are awesome! Reply
Chris becerra says March 13, 2019 at 5:52 am Being captive bread means the chances of making it in my aquarium are grater Reply
Kim Warren says March 13, 2019 at 2:58 pm Captive bred is really the best way to go for finicky fish like mandarin. Reply
jeff britman says March 13, 2019 at 8:19 pm Great info, Mandarins are always an eye catcher. It’s nice to have more info. Reply
Lauren Butler says March 14, 2019 at 3:14 pm Definitely a bucket list fish for me. I think we should always opt for aquacultured fish. Reply
Robby vice says March 15, 2019 at 10:09 am that would be the coolest nano fish for a while if you could keep stable parameters are mandarins fast growers ? Reply
Robby vice says March 15, 2019 at 10:14 am I got one over a year ago I drove up to get mine it was funny they had like 20 fish that were close to 100 in a 5 gallon fluval barebotton happy as can be Reply
Sheena says March 15, 2019 at 3:30 pm Mine eats like a pig! Can wait to add more to my new tank! Reply
Jennifer Cook says March 18, 2019 at 12:14 pm Mandarins are very beautiful creatures don’t be fooled by their looks because they are very Territorial and having a kit put together specially for them is it a very wise investment to help sustain them in a saltwater aquarium. Reply
Jennifer Cook says March 18, 2019 at 12:16 pm Having a pair in my saltwater aquarium would be awesome opposed to just one because I really like how they swim and how they look are very beautiful. people don’t have a high success rate due to the fact that they are finicky eaters and providing customers with this option to purchase mandarins along with copepods is a very intelligent idea thank you very much. Reply
Jennifer Cook says March 18, 2019 at 12:29 pm Algaebarn has superior customer service and excellent packaging. Reply
Jennifer Cook says March 18, 2019 at 12:31 pm Algaebarn has superior customer service and excellent packaging. Algaebarn definitely understands how important it is to provide mandarins with the ultimate feeding package because they are finicky eaters. Reply
Jennifer Cook says March 18, 2019 at 12:32 pm Thank you AlgaeBarn for offering everyone this opportunity to win a pair of mandarins. Also, I’d like thank you for your support throughout the years. Reply
Silver City Reef says March 20, 2019 at 6:27 am Great article for anyone who loves and plans to keep mandarins. Reply
Silver City Reef says March 20, 2019 at 6:35 am Perfect in-depth explanation of why captive-bred mandarins are better than wild-caught when it comes to home aquariums. Reply
Alexandra Hawley says March 20, 2019 at 11:23 am The mandarins from Algae Barn are fabulous and much easier to care for! Reply
Alexandra Hawley says March 20, 2019 at 11:24 am Mandarins are such lovely fish for tanks and Algae Barn provides awesome information on how to keep these little ones happy!e Reply
Compy Ginorio says March 20, 2019 at 8:27 pm Definitely having a healthy population of pods with a constant replenish of pods and enrished brine shrimps and prepared food its a must for them to thrive and be happy. Reply
Chris Becerra says March 25, 2019 at 8:03 am The food for this fish it’s really importan the prose son making sure your tank is seeded it’s make way more easy with the help of you guys thanks algae barn !!!! Reply
Chris Becerra says March 25, 2019 at 8:09 am Feeding is so important the type of food they eat it’s hard to keep alive in a tank there for continued to add live cocopa and other like food it’s a recomended to keep this fish alive thanks algae bars for providing us with all this information Reply
kyevey says March 25, 2019 at 11:34 am Is there anyway to distinguish a captive bred versus wild caught? Reply
Linh Nguyen says March 25, 2019 at 3:24 pm Awesome and informative article! Learning a few things I didn’t know before Reply
Linh Nguyen says March 25, 2019 at 3:35 pm Learning a lot here about one of my favorite marine fish! Reply
Victoria says March 27, 2019 at 9:55 pm Mandarins are the main reason I switched over from all freshwater tanks to now both fresh & saltwater setups. Definitely the prettiest of all the marine fish plus they have great little personalities on them! Reply
Victoria Yates says March 26, 2019 at 3:14 pm I’ve had my Mandarin for about a year now. She’s not captive bred but luckily I’ve been able to get her to eat live baby & adult brine shrimp, frozen mysis & bloodworms. She also still loves to pick at pods all day though. Next Mandarin I get will definitely be a captive bred one. Reply
Victoria Yates says March 26, 2019 at 3:17 pm My Mandarins & Scooter Blennies all love the Nano Brine & Poisoden’s Feast! ? Reply
Victoria Yates says March 26, 2019 at 3:20 pm Great info! My Mandarins & Scooter Blennies all love the Nano Brine and Poisedon’s Feast Pods! Reply
Victoria Yates says March 26, 2019 at 3:25 pm Had absolutely no idea that mini spears were used to harpoon wild Mandarins during capture! The one I have now is not captive bred but my next one most definitely will be after hearing about that! Reply
Amie Holmes says March 26, 2019 at 7:28 pm I love the way you educate your customers so well about this cool species! Great job! Reply
Amie Holmes says March 26, 2019 at 7:33 pm Tiny friends deserve lots of tiny pods and loving humans to be their butler! Lol Reply
Keysha says March 28, 2019 at 2:06 pm This article covers so much. I found all information provided helpful. Reply
fireninja2k11 says March 28, 2019 at 4:31 pm I had mandarins, in my experience the problem was definitely the food. Mine would only eat target feeding so it was a challenge to do so Reply
Michael says March 28, 2019 at 5:39 pm Great article on information about this beautiful fish should be reading. Reply
Austin says March 30, 2019 at 6:14 am Love this fish so much but want to be educated before getting one. So many good articles that will increase your success of caring for one. Thank you Algae barn! Reply
Austin says March 30, 2019 at 6:17 am If you can get your mandarin to start eating frozen foods that would be amazing. I want to try this when I receive my first mandarin. Thank you for the info! Reply
Kristen Potter says March 30, 2019 at 7:03 pm We have successfully gotten ours to eat brine shrimp Reply
jul.ignacio says March 31, 2019 at 12:55 pm Hopefully, Biota begins to breed spotted. It would look pretty to have a spotted and green mandarin pair in a tank. Reply
jul.ignacio says March 31, 2019 at 1:02 pm Oh wow! I already commented on this post, but AlgaeBarn is offering more points for another comment on this blog post for their March Mandarin Madness Win a Pair Giveaway. I hope I win. Reply
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