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The Mandarin Fish: Synchiropus splendidus (Herre)
by J. Charles Delbeek M.Sc.
Fish of the Issue
The Mandarin fish is probably one of the most distinctive fish
available in the marine aquarium hobby today. Few species can match
its startling combination of unusual shape and remarkable
colouration. This species is often sold under the misnomer of
Mandarin Goby, however, Synchiropus splendidus belongs to a family
(Callionymidae) of fish commonly referred to as dragonets and is, in
fact, a dragonet and not a goby at all!
Mandarins are commonly found around the Philippine Islands but their
range extends westward to western Australia (Achterkamp 1986). On the
reef, they can commonly be found in small groups, or in pairs, and
are closely associated with sandy areas between reef crests
(Achterkamp 1986).
The typical colouration of S. splendidus consists predominantly of
orange wavy lines on a blue background, the dominant colour is blue,
but there are also orange, green, purple and yellow present. The
bizarre colour patterns have to be seen to be believed.
In the aquarium this species has often been referred to as delicate
or difficult to keep for the average hobbyist. They do best in
aquariums with peaceful, non-aggressive fish or at least in larger
aquariums where the more boisterous members cannot disturb them
greatly. They are sensitive to water quality and tend to be rather
finicky feeders. In recent years, the advent of reef-type aquariums,
utilizing an abundance of live rock and plants, appears to have
increased the chances of success with this beautiful fish, indeed,
tank spawnings are becoming commonplace.
Mandarins tend to be rather picky eaters, preferring to feed from the
bottom. Due to the relatively small size of their mouth they must be
fed only small food items or finely chopped foods. As mentioned above
they appear to do much better in aquariums with abundant live rock
and/or plants. This may be due to the fact that there is an abundance
of natural food items for them to feed on. In such an aquarium they
will spend most of the day grazing amongst the substrate searching
for food items such as small crustaceans (e.g. Mysids, amphipods,
isopods and benthic copepods), small worms and protozoans. If you
have a well stocked reef tank you will probably never have to give
any additional feedings to your Mandarins. If you do decide to try
additional feedings you can try baby brine shrimp, frozen/live Mysis
shrimp or adult brine shrimp. In some cases it may help to turn off
you water pumps and filters such that the food can settle to the
bottom first so that the fish can get to them. If your Mandarins are
housed with larger, more aggressive fish, they will not get to the
food in time. In any event, keep in mind that Mandarins are not big
eaters so any additional feedings should consist of small quantities
of finely chopped foods.
Mandarin fish lack scales and instead have a rather thick, slimy,
mucus coating on their bodies. This coating tends to make them rather
resistant to parasitic skin diseases. If a Mandarin does get sick DO
NOT use any heavy metal based medications (e.g. copper sulfate). Such
medications cause an increase in body slime production and the fish
can literally suffocate in their own body slime (Achterkamp, 1986).
In fact, this holds true for most scale-less fish such as gobies and
blennies.
Mandarin fish are one of the few marine tropicals which can be easily
sexed. There are a number of morphological features which can be used
to differentiate between the sexes. The males tend to be larger and
more robust than the females. The caudal and soft dorsal fins are
larger in the male and the male tends to have more orange on it's
face. However, the most distinctive difference is in the dorsal fin.
The males have a greatly elongated first dorsal spine while females
do not. In fact, in some males this dorsal spine is long enough to
actually reach the base of the caudal peduncle when laid flat. During
the day both males and females will display a total lack of interest
in each other, however, just before the tank lights go off or shortly
afterward, the male will search out the female. They will then slowly
circle each other while rising in the water column. When they reach
the apex of their "dance" the eggs and sperm are simultaneously
released into the water and the pair then return to their separate
ways. This type of behaviour can occur almost every night for several
months. Since the eggs are planktonic they must be collected
immediately before they are filtered out or eaten. The eggs hatch
within 18 hours and the larvae are approximately 1 mm in length with
a predominant yolk sac. The larvae remain planktonic for at least 2
weeks before they begin orienting to the substrate. Mandarin larvae
are extremely small and cannot be fed rotifers as a first food but
success has been achieved through the use of marine in fusoria and
especially copepod nauplii (Julian Sprung, personal communication).
Others have reported success with rotifers as a first food and it may
be that the particular strain of rotifer (i.e. size differences) used
is an important factor.
Finally, when purchasing new specimens pay careful attention to their
bellies. They should not have sunken bellies as this is an indication
that they have not been feeding for some time. Mandarins should be
acclimated in a separate container from any other new arrivals since
they can produce copious amounts of slime which may affect other fish
in the same container (Achterkamp, 1986).
With the advent of reef aquariums, and improved collection and
shipping techniques, these living jewels of the reef are becoming
more commonplace in the average hobbyist's aquarium.
by J. Charles Delbeek M.Sc.
Fish of the Issue
The Mandarin fish is probably one of the most distinctive fish
available in the marine aquarium hobby today. Few species can match
its startling combination of unusual shape and remarkable
colouration. This species is often sold under the misnomer of
Mandarin Goby, however, Synchiropus splendidus belongs to a family
(Callionymidae) of fish commonly referred to as dragonets and is, in
fact, a dragonet and not a goby at all!
Mandarins are commonly found around the Philippine Islands but their
range extends westward to western Australia (Achterkamp 1986). On the
reef, they can commonly be found in small groups, or in pairs, and
are closely associated with sandy areas between reef crests
(Achterkamp 1986).
The typical colouration of S. splendidus consists predominantly of
orange wavy lines on a blue background, the dominant colour is blue,
but there are also orange, green, purple and yellow present. The
bizarre colour patterns have to be seen to be believed.
In the aquarium this species has often been referred to as delicate
or difficult to keep for the average hobbyist. They do best in
aquariums with peaceful, non-aggressive fish or at least in larger
aquariums where the more boisterous members cannot disturb them
greatly. They are sensitive to water quality and tend to be rather
finicky feeders. In recent years, the advent of reef-type aquariums,
utilizing an abundance of live rock and plants, appears to have
increased the chances of success with this beautiful fish, indeed,
tank spawnings are becoming commonplace.
Mandarins tend to be rather picky eaters, preferring to feed from the
bottom. Due to the relatively small size of their mouth they must be
fed only small food items or finely chopped foods. As mentioned above
they appear to do much better in aquariums with abundant live rock
and/or plants. This may be due to the fact that there is an abundance
of natural food items for them to feed on. In such an aquarium they
will spend most of the day grazing amongst the substrate searching
for food items such as small crustaceans (e.g. Mysids, amphipods,
isopods and benthic copepods), small worms and protozoans. If you
have a well stocked reef tank you will probably never have to give
any additional feedings to your Mandarins. If you do decide to try
additional feedings you can try baby brine shrimp, frozen/live Mysis
shrimp or adult brine shrimp. In some cases it may help to turn off
you water pumps and filters such that the food can settle to the
bottom first so that the fish can get to them. If your Mandarins are
housed with larger, more aggressive fish, they will not get to the
food in time. In any event, keep in mind that Mandarins are not big
eaters so any additional feedings should consist of small quantities
of finely chopped foods.
Mandarin fish lack scales and instead have a rather thick, slimy,
mucus coating on their bodies. This coating tends to make them rather
resistant to parasitic skin diseases. If a Mandarin does get sick DO
NOT use any heavy metal based medications (e.g. copper sulfate). Such
medications cause an increase in body slime production and the fish
can literally suffocate in their own body slime (Achterkamp, 1986).
In fact, this holds true for most scale-less fish such as gobies and
blennies.
Mandarin fish are one of the few marine tropicals which can be easily
sexed. There are a number of morphological features which can be used
to differentiate between the sexes. The males tend to be larger and
more robust than the females. The caudal and soft dorsal fins are
larger in the male and the male tends to have more orange on it's
face. However, the most distinctive difference is in the dorsal fin.
The males have a greatly elongated first dorsal spine while females
do not. In fact, in some males this dorsal spine is long enough to
actually reach the base of the caudal peduncle when laid flat. During
the day both males and females will display a total lack of interest
in each other, however, just before the tank lights go off or shortly
afterward, the male will search out the female. They will then slowly
circle each other while rising in the water column. When they reach
the apex of their "dance" the eggs and sperm are simultaneously
released into the water and the pair then return to their separate
ways. This type of behaviour can occur almost every night for several
months. Since the eggs are planktonic they must be collected
immediately before they are filtered out or eaten. The eggs hatch
within 18 hours and the larvae are approximately 1 mm in length with
a predominant yolk sac. The larvae remain planktonic for at least 2
weeks before they begin orienting to the substrate. Mandarin larvae
are extremely small and cannot be fed rotifers as a first food but
success has been achieved through the use of marine in fusoria and
especially copepod nauplii (Julian Sprung, personal communication).
Others have reported success with rotifers as a first food and it may
be that the particular strain of rotifer (i.e. size differences) used
is an important factor.
Finally, when purchasing new specimens pay careful attention to their
bellies. They should not have sunken bellies as this is an indication
that they have not been feeding for some time. Mandarins should be
acclimated in a separate container from any other new arrivals since
they can produce copious amounts of slime which may affect other fish
in the same container (Achterkamp, 1986).
With the advent of reef aquariums, and improved collection and
shipping techniques, these living jewels of the reef are becoming
more commonplace in the average hobbyist's aquarium.
