Sick Mandarin?

[Tetra84]

I bought this guy 3 days ago, he was swimming around nicely for the first part of the day. By that evening it had found a cave and stayed in there for a while. Little later that night, I couldn't find him, and saw a splash mark on the wall behind the tank. I found him laying motionless on the floor, so I quickly scooped him up and put it back in the tank. He slowly swam back down and into a cave again. I screened the top the next day.

The second day I didn't see him come out at all

The third day (today) I found him sitting out in the open, but not really swimming, just sitting briefly fluttering fins.

I have a good population of amphipods and several copepods, but have not seen him eating at any. His orange and green color was largely dull when I purchased him thinking it was bad lighting at first at the aquarium shop, but it hasn't really improved under high intensity LED lighting.

I'm wondering if he was out of the water too long and suffered some internal injury or something during the jump, or if it's ill for another reason. It occasionally gets white specs on it's sides and back, but I believe that is sand and silt that it kicks up as they come and go throughout the day.

All my water parameters are good, and the clowns i've kept (only other fish in tank) for several months haven't bothered it any.

Any advice?

 

[snorvich]

Most likely captured with cyanide. These never make it.

 

[Tetra84]

I was somewhat afraid of that.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Of course, you'll never know for sure, but cyanide is a reasonable assumption. Unfortunately, most Green Mandarins come from Indonesia. I believe that Indonesia and The Phillipiines are still the worst offenders when it comes to cyanide use. Both of these countries have countless islands that are impossible to police. Not all fish from these places are cyanide-captured; but enough to make me avoid buying fish from there. Its another of the many reasons I buy all my fish online, from places like L.A. Most dealers and wholesalers try to avoid cyanide collectors, of course, but can't avoid some slipping through. The no-nonsense guarantee eases my mind as well. Captive-bred Mandarins are available too.

 

[cngreg]

I believe mandarins are actually caught with needles modified into tiny harpoons. The reason that they die is because they do not eat for 2 weeks+ in transport and have irreversible liver damage which causes blood chemistry that causes more anorexia. When mandarins do get sick it is usually from a bacterial infection secondary to mechanical abrasions. Their mucus itself may protect them from ciliate protozoan parasites more-so than other popular aquarium fish however if heavily challenged can be burdened by crypt/brook/uronema. While at the petstore ask to see them eat live brine or better frozen brine/mysis/bloodworm...or atleast buy a fat mandarin.