Mandarin Dragonet Floating

C

Cakebaker13

New member
So, I happened to be up late last night and before I went to bed I decided to check my tank walls and look at the population of copepods on the glass. I found my Mandarin Dragonet just floating about carelessly at the top of the tank. He was making circles with the HOB refugium overflow. I poked him to see if he was dead. He didn't move, though he was alive.
FYI He wasn't skinny & there were loads of copepods on the glass.
In the morning he was just fine. He has been swimming around eating all day today like normal. He has been in my tank for a few weeks now and seems happy. Also he is a small juvenile.
Any thoughts on what this behavior was/is?
 
was this after lights out?

i've heard stories of them taking a "sleep walk" of sorts. wafting on the current while apparently catatonic, but then otherwise being OK when the lights come on the next morning.

haven't seen it yet myself, but i have read similar accounts here and there from other dragonet owners.
 
Interesting comment about sleep walking. Just might have to get one to see if it does sleep walk. Just have to wait until my tank is well established.
 
If there were a bunch of pods on the glass he could have been hunting them and I have seen mine go up on the glass to get them but I have never seen mine float completely motionless. The sleepwalking theory is great, would love to know if that was really true. Seems like that would be pretty dangerous for them in the wild.
 
My mandarins better don't do any kind of sleep swimming or they may end up in the gigantea...

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This literally just happened to me as I was jarred out of bed with thos flopping loop d looping dark mass swirling around my tank. I though it was my puffer at first but it became obvious as my eyes adjusted it was my beloved Mandy. Jumped up snapped on the lights and saw her whizzing around. After everything i realized she was gasping her lil beak rhythmically. Her back and tail fin curved but stiff. At 1st, i assumed she was dead but as I observed her, I saw her fins fluttering. I scooped her up into the fish box for babies and watched. Thats when I saw the other details proving life but she was still floating..Im new to this and let's just say i no my chances of her lasting are slim to none.. thats bad enough but now of my 3 fish 2 have some upsetting sleep disorders. My puffer sleeps like a hawkfish on the baby fish box at the top of the tank barely in the water column and that happened last week. Water parameters all good salt perfect. Tonight I think my mandarin was sleep surfing????? Lets be clear shes wild caught ive no idea if she's fat or thin ive put more copepod$$ into this 30 bio cube then my 70 lb pit who eats nuttrisca blue buff cans and SPRING WATER. Im not ignorant to the reality ill likely not keep Mandy alive but better I try here then she die at the pet store from not eating. Anyway my many reasons for concerns for her well being have kept me nauseous and w no qt tank I could only monitor her from the box ive added copepods to as well. This was at 2 am Boston time. I added more nano brine 5280 pods and cyclops ? Tp the box. She seemed to liven up wanted out of the baby container and swam down. Added the rest of the cyclops cube and she wen't bonkers..beaker out all over. I usually only see her take little pecks all over rock and walls but this was nuts. Ive Never caught her poop but trying and so now what do I do. Like I wasnt already sick to my stomach already. My tanks a 29 running for 5 months 30 to 50 lbs of live rock a baby bennet puff dumpster a diamond gobblin and my sweet sweet Mandy. Couple bumble bee snails 2 turbos 2 big ish slow ones 1 1peppermint shrimp couple dwarf blue leg hermits and an emerald crab. Yes the dumpster puffer pecks at them the crabs been mia and the hermits 2 but lots of rocks to hide black substrate matches shells and who cares its about the Mandarin. What was that I just saw and how can I be sure she's getting food in her and not starving. How does a mandarin die from starvation and what should I look for to keep her pooping. Good lord its like a sleep clinic her cuz y am i up at 2 am myself..Ty ohnps my pitt has bouts of sleep paralysis eyes open crying can't move... No BS.
 
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