Ever watched your pyschedelic Mandarin Fish closely?

[rpisces]

I have a green mandarin for about 5 years already. A few weeks ago was the time when I looked at it closely and carefully.

The mandarin is really unique. I beg most people didnt really look at its colour pattern. The mandarin's colour pattern is really like a hologram!

I found that the orange body colour of a mandarin is on its skin but its green or blue strips is on its mucous coating! No wonder the mandarin is full of slime when we handled it.

There seems to be a mucous coating around its body and the strip is exactly on that coating! I managed to see the hologram only when I put up my spectacles.

 

[Tank2379]

That's pretty interesting

 

[MikeandNicole]

What is great about mandarins, is they can exhibit very different patterns and colors. Our male is a darker red than our female and I probably like his patters a little better, but the female is amazing in her own right. It is a shame they are so hard to feed because they are gorgeous and make great peaceful reef fish.

 

[davocean]

The mandarin's colour pattern is really like a hologram!

So if I unfocus my eyes I'll see a spaceship?!LOL

 

[terry4505]

Easily my favorite fish. It doesn't hurt that he eats anything I put in the tank, fozen, pellet, whatever.

 

[Patterson117]

was there anything else, let's say, psychedelic involved when you were watching your fish.:lmao:

 

[rpisces]

What is great about mandarins, is they can exhibit very different patterns and colors. Our male is a darker red than our female and I probably like his patters a little better, but the female is amazing in her own right. It is a shame they are so hard to feed because they are gorgeous and make great peaceful reef fish.

It is not that hard to keep if you have a matured and bigger tank and no other fishes like pseudochromis that might compete with them for live food. Mine would peck on the rocks and backwall but I dont see any moving organism there? Maybe, it's too minute for me to see. Therefore, sometimes I think that they are feeding on micro algae.

I dare not keep a pair incase there might not be enough food for him and he never take any pellet or liquid food I put in.

 

[rpisces]

So if I unfocus my eyes I'll see a spaceship?!LOL

This is not a joke. If you make a sharp focus you will notice that the orange is really its body colour and the green or blue pattern are imposed on the outer layer of the mucus like a hologram.

I have not heard of anybody mentioning that hologram pattern before.

 

[davocean]

My comment was only in light of your description as a hologram, and first thought is always those crazy pics.
It's just my way of breaking up monotany of all serious discusion on here now and then.
I do however appreciate your understanding of tank size and proper food supply, and the resistance to having a pair unless you have a substantial pod supply and are certain of that.
To your comment on seeing them pick at back wall, most likely they are indeed picking at pods too small to see.