Help! Sick dragonet?

[fishmanstan]

i have a red/green mandy and he has lightened his color from dark green/red to light green/red. he has been near the ovrflow all day till I put something by him. what can i do?
tank is 120g- setup march 7. LR is old(at least 2 yrs) added about 6 bottles of copepods prior to mandy, and i have cheato in refuge.
please help!

[fishmanstan]

he looks kinda pale also

[fishmanstan]

I see white spots...I hear they pick up sand cause of slime coat. He was on sandbed all day....
PLEASE HELP.

[jerpa]

Mandarins will often appear more or less pale at different times during the day. It is a survival mechanism. When did you add the fish to your tank? They are very timid fish and often acclimate to a new tank slowly. This often compounds feeding problems.

[fishmanstan]

I added him last Sunday

[fishmanstan]

Bump

[Sk8r]

Sand sticks to their slime coat. Plus they go quite pale at night or in low light. Suggest you check alkalinity, which is critical with all marine fishes s/b 8.3-9.3.

[fishmanstan]

Thanks^! I will check alk, but all other fish are perfect...