Mandarin Fish Research

[chelseaharms]

Hello,
I am conducting research on Synchiropus splendidus (mandarin fish). They are an Indo-Pacific reef fish that possibly contains a toxin in their skin coating. I need to gather some information regarding their aquaria habits.
Please answer the following questions if you have mandarin fish in your aquarium and they are alive/died.

1. What size tank do you have your mandarins in?
2. What other fish are coexisting with your mandarins?
3. If your mandarins died, do you know exactly why? (i.e.- saw it eaten by
another fish..)
4. What species is your mandarin - spotted or green?
5. What do you feed your mandarins? (I.e. - copepods, myassis shrimp..)
6. How long have you had your mandarins (if still alive)?
7. What type of habitat do your mandarins occupy? (i.e. - live rock, fake
rock, corals..)

Thank you and please reply with your answers to charms@fit.edu or reply through here. Also fill free to forward this questionaire
onto friends with mandarins if it doesn't apply to you directly.

Thanks for your help with my research!

[L98-Z]

1.) 180 gallon
2.) Tangs, Gobies, Blennies, Cardinals, Chromies, Clowns... alot
3.) Hasn't died.... yet
4.) Green
5.) He eats pods... all of them. He'll also eat frozen mysis shrimp if he sees them
6.) 3-4 months maybe?
7.) Live rock / Corals

[Elysia]

[QUOTE]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15038801#post15038801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chelseaharms

1. What size tank do you have your mandarins in?[/QUOTE
56 gallon column

2. What other fish are coexisting with your mandarins?
2 "naked" ocellaris
1 blackcapped gramma
1 Lubbock's fairy wrasse
1 citron goby
2 copper/red stripe cardinalfish (Apogon margaritophorus)
1 coral beauty angel
2 male erectus seahorses (not ideal, I know, but circumstances often aren't)

3. If your mandarins died, do you know exactly why? (i.e.- saw it eaten by another fish..)

4. What species is your mandarin - spotted or green?
pair of spotted mandarins (Synchiropus picturatus)

5. What do you feed your mandarins? (I.e. - copepods, myassis shrimp..)
They are fed enriched frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysis, frozen cyclops, frozen plankton, frozen shrimp... The male's two favorite foods are crab meat and salmon. He'll take them right from your fingers. The female is younger and smaller, and still a bit shy. They also eat amphipods and other other pods that are in the tank.

6. How long have you had your mandarins (if still alive)?
I have had the male mandarin for a year and a half now, and the female for probably 10 months. No one bothers them in the tank.

7. What type of habitat do your mandarins occupy? (i.e. - live rock, fake rock, corals..)
During the day, both mandarins are out and about. The smaller, younger female mostly stays close to the live rock, hovering over it. The male can be seen anywhere in the tank, including up in the water column. He will great me at feeding time by coming up to the top of the tank. At night, he beds down in the safety of a nook in the rocks w/ the female by his side.

[snorvich]

1. 350 gallon with refugium
2. No copepod eaters (fairy wrasses, flasher wrasses, pyramid butterfly, tilefish, gobies, etc)
3. None have died
4. Synchiropus splendidus (pair)
5. I don't feed them; they will eat mysis but that is incidental
6. How long have you had your mandarins (if still alive)? 4 years
7. Reef Tank

[snorvich]

Double post, sorry.

[unleashed9775]

60g with refugium

Blackcap basslet, mystery wrasse, potters angel, pair of clarkii clowns

He died after I moved house and simultaneously upgraded to a 110g display. Most likely stress as I had him well over a year (also lost the potters during the move)

Synchiropus splendidus

Never fed him once. He lived off the live rock

over 1.5 years

Reef tank, 100+ kgs of live rock

[RoastReef]

1) 375 gallon reef w/ fuge (very beneficial for this species)

2) Vlamingi Tang
Sailfin Tang
Blue Hippo Tang
Yellow Tang
Foxface Lo
Golden Head Sleeper Goby
Tomato Clown
Maroon Clown
Yellow Watchman Goby
Zebra Moray Eel

3) Previous one died of old age I assume (almost 7 years). New one I've had about 6 months.

4) Green Mandarin

5) I don't feed it. It eats what it finds and is fat and happy. It will eat brine, but it's not something I feed my tank regularly.

6) As above, first one almost 7 years. Current one, about 6 months.

7) Reef with live rock and sand.

[Map69]

1) 29 Gallon Reef
2) 2 Green Chromis, Black Combtooth blenny,Bicolor Pseudochromis, Cleaner Shrimp, Coral banded Shrimp, Maroon Clown, Hermits and Snails
3) 1.5 years
4) Green Mandarin
5) Frozen Mysis Shrimp
6) Live rock and sand

[Grunt]

1st Pair - Spotted's

1. What size tank do you have your mandarins in? 90 gal RR

2. What other fish are coexisting with your mandarins? A pair of Sri Lankan Clarkii Clownfish, 2- P. bimaculatus, 4- P. dispar.

3. If your mandarins died, do you know exactly why?
Basketball size Magnifica blew up tank with help of powerhead. lost all fish.

4. What species is your mandarin - spotted or green? Spotted

5. What do you feed your mandarins? Copepods, mysis, brine (frozen) Formula one 1mm pellet, New Life Marine Spectrum Pellets 1mm, cyclopeeze.

6. How long have you had your mandarins (if still alive)? Dont know specifically

7. What type of habitat do your mandarins occupy? live rock

Breeding log found here - http://www.theseas.org/index.php?topic=1095.0

http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=176&t=4881



Pair two - Greens

1. What size tank do you have your mandarins in? 90 gal

2. What other fish are coexisting with your mandarins? A pair of black saddleback clowns

3. If your mandarins died, do you know exactly why?
N/A

4. What species is your mandarin - spotted or green? Green

5. What do you feed your mandarins? Copepods, mysis, brine (frozen) Formula one 1mm pellets, New Life Marine Spectrum Pellets 1mm, cyclopeeze.

6. How long have you had your mandarins (if still alive)? Months, used to be in a 25gal before 90gal anemone crash.

7. What type of habitat do your mandarins occupy? live rock

Not breeding yet although female has been hydrating lately. Still waiting.


Third-

Another Spotted Male Mandarin

1. What size tank do you have your mandarins in? 25 gal

2. What other fish are coexisting with your mandarins? A pair of occelaris clowns

3. If your mandarins died, do you know exactly why?
N/A

4. What species is your mandarin - spotted or green? Spotted

5. What do you feed your mandarins? Copepods, mysis, brine shrimp (frozen), cyclopeeze.....working on pellets now.

6. How long have you had your mandarins (if still alive)? Dont know specifically when other pair moved over.

7. What type of habitat do your mandarins occupy? Recently graduated from breeder box as he has graduated to frozen foods. live rock