Mandarin likes to hide

[JCKoenig]

I have had this mandarin for a few weeks now. He pretty much stays in the back of the tank most of the time, kind of just hiding. When the lights go out he will venture around more to the front of the tank and check out the rest of the tank.
For other fish I only have a clown, and a diamond goby. Do you think this is normal for the mandarin? Is he hiding from the diamond goby some since when the lights are out the diamond goby pretty much calls it a night and goes into his cave?
I was hoping it just means he is getting comfortable in the new tank still.

 

[snorvich]

Is he hunting (pecking at rock)?

 

[JCKoenig]

He does pick off the rocks and glass a lot for the pods, I just wasnt sure if he was hiding from the goby.

 

[magdelan]

It's very possible that he is hiding. In a smaller tank (24g in your case) your mandarin may be threatened by the goby; they both hunt on the sandbed) even though the mandarin goes vertical as well.

 

[Mpfaff77]

If he isn't hunting constantly I would suspect something. Is his little fins fluttering constantly??

It is possible that goby going after him but from my expierience with my mandarin he could careless about all other fish on my tank. I have a douche damsel that postures towards mandarin and he just gets ignored and the mandarin continues to hunt and pick at rocks.

 

[JCKoenig]

Yes his tiny fins do flutter a lot, he just doesnt seem to wander around