Description
The Spotted Mandarin, sometimes referred to as the Psychedelic Mandarin, originates from the Philippines, eastern Indonesia, and northwest Australia. This fish has a soft green body with irregular black spots outlined in bright orange and bright blue. Its fins are painted with beautiful patterns as well. The face is covered with orange and turquoise stripes. Males have large, flaring dorsal fins, while females have small dorsal fins. This fish grows up to 3 inches, making it a great choice for aquariums as small as 30 gallons. Although wild-caught specimens are difficult to care for due to their strict feeding requirements, these captive-bred specimens are much easier. They are raised on a variety of different prepared foods. Feed meaty foods such as fish roe, blood worms, frozen or live baby brine shrimp, and high quality pellets several times throughout the day. Because they have fast metabolisms, they need lots of small portions of food during the day. It is recommended that you feed three or more times while also maintaining a copepod population just in case. Because the fish accepts other food, doing this won’t be difficult. This makes the fish reasonable to keep for even beginners. Be sure to provide plenty of live rock for the fish to hide and scavenge in. Keep it with other peaceful tank mates that will not compete for food. The Spotted Mandarin can be kept in a pair or singly.
Care Requirements
Purchase Size: 1 – 1.25″
Feeding: Carnivore. Spot feed pellets or frozen food. Maintain a stable copepod population.
Water Parameters: ~78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef safe: Yes
Color: Green body with black spots outlined in orange and blue.
More Information
While these Spotted Mandarins are easier to feed because they are captive-bred, they are also more accustomed to aquarium life and better able to handle the stress of shipping than their wild-caught counterparts. By purchasing captive-bred fish, you are helping the ocean by discouraging the wild-caught trade and instead supporting the captive-bred industry. Doing this makes our beautiful hobby more sustainable.
