Mandarin fish: description, care and breeding
The mandarin duck is considered a fairly popular aquarium fish. Its other names are psychedelic, striped, green tangerine. This exotic species is distinguished by its brightly colored scales. In addition, it is a carnivorous fish, which is important for future aquarists to consider. Read more about the mandarin fish and its content in the article.
Description and appearance
Exotic mandarin fish (from the Latin Synchiropus Splendidus) is an inhabitant of the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean. It can be found off the coast of Australia, Indonesia, the Philippine Islands. Fish are rather shy, so they prefer not to leave the safe zone. - that is, they do not swim beyond the coastal reefs. Due to the active and near-bottom lifestyle of the fish, it is extremely rare to observe them even in closed lagoons.
Most of the time, the mandarin duck prefers to spend at the bottom, where there is enough food - mainly small crustaceans. By nature, the fish is thermophilic, so the best habitat for it is shallow water.
The appearance of this fish is so diverse that it is rather difficult to confuse it with some other marine life. The scales are truly unique - there are orange, yellow, blue, purple, green colors.
As for the name, it has nothing to do with citrus fruit. Only because of the similarity of color with the attire of the Chinese imperial officials - tangerines - the fish got this name. The marine life has a rich color, which includes variegated stripes and specks. The main color of the body is blue, which is manifested by certain cells by chromatophores.It is in them that a certain pigment is contained, which is responsible for the refraction of light.
This species does not differ in its large size - on average, the body reaches 6 cm, in shape resembling a torpedo. The eyes are large and prominent.
The fins, which have a rounded shape, are somewhat abdominal (near the head) and dorsal. A characteristic feature of the mandarin duck is the presence of an inconspicuous mouth that protrudes forward. In addition, the body of the fish is slippery and covered with mucus.
By their nature, tangerines are quite slow fish. Therefore, experts do not recommend settling them with "faster" neighbors. This is fraught with a struggle for food, as a result of which the former will be left without food.
As a compromise, you can use a small feeder, where only tangerine individuals can squeeze. It is better to lower such feeders to the bottom.
Let's list the fast fish, with which the mandarin duck, most likely, will not get along:
- barbus;
- catfish;
- zebrafish;
- thorns;
- fish surgeon;
- neon nannakara.
It is interesting that a multi-colored individual does not enter into battle with other species, if it comes to that - rivalry manifests itself only among relatives. For this reason, it is recommended to populate one or two tangerines in one aquarium.
Conditions of detention
Usually, truly experienced aquarists are engaged in breeding this type of fish.
The fact is that a multi-colored mandarin duck is quite difficult to care for at home. In addition, the marine life requires special nutrition.
It is also important to know that aquarium individuals can increase significantly in size - up to 10 cm.
Specialists in the cultivation of mandarin fish have identified several recommendations regarding the content, which should be adhered to by novice aquarists:
- maintaining a certain temperature regime - at least 24 degrees;
- you should choose a tank with a volume of at least 300 liters per individual;
- a suitable variant of the aquarium is a species one, which is designed specifically for one type of fish, in order to avoid competition for food.
Aquarium equipment
To ensure an ideal life for the mandarin, it is better to purchase a spacious aquarium, where you can easily reproduce the natural habitat of this species. So, in open waters, fish prefer to swim among coral reefs, so it is important to install as many of them as possible. By the way, experts advise holding such reefs in water for about a month, and only then launching a tangerine.
The colorful fish loves various shelters, so when arranging the aquarium bottom, do not forget about snags, caves, castles. It is better to lay small pebbles on the bottom.
Besides, an important condition for keeping is regular filtration and aeration of water... And also it is necessary to maintain the natural indicators of acidity - 8.4. It will not be superfluous to add various nutrients and trace elements to the water.
When it comes to lighting, it should be moderate.
An obligatory item in care is regular cleaning of the aquarium. In addition to the aesthetic side, when dark green dirt settles on the glass, it is very harmful to the health of the inhabitants of the aquarium. In addition, an equally important procedure should be included here - changing half the volume of water.
We recommend using the following products for cleaning:
- special filter;
- Sidex;
- Methylene Blue;
- Malachite Green.
Feeding and breeding
Ornamental fish breeders offer two types of tangerines - caught in the sea and bred at home. Actually for independent breeding of a variegated fish, it is enough to create conditions of life and reproduction close to natural.
Before the very process of reproduction, bisexual individuals depict the so-called mating dance, which consists in circling fish in water. At the same time, females spawn, the number of which varies from 10 to 500.
By natural laws, females are attracted by large males.This feature should be taken into account by aquarists who want to breed bisexual individuals for future offspring.
As for nutrition, it is almost impossible to provide tangerine with natural food. Therefore, you have to resort to alternative means. So, small worms, bloodworms and other animals are suitable as food.
True, first you need to accustom the fish to such food, because she will not immediately love it. It will not be superfluous to ask the breeder about the first feeding of fish - this will greatly facilitate the search for suitable food.
With proper care, mandarin fish can live for about 12 years.
The aquarium tangerine is a unique fish with multi-colored scales. It is for its decorative qualities that it is loved by aquarists all over the world. Care and maintenance for it cannot be called easy, but it is quite possible to provide natural living conditions. The main thing is not to forget about regular filtration and aeration of water, as well as periodic cleaning of the aquarium.
Having bought two individuals of different sexes, you can successfully breed these colorful fish. Remember that good conditions and proper nutrition are the key to the life of your aquarium pets.
What a mandarin fish looks like, see below.
Let's list the fast fish, with which the mandarin duck, most likely, will not get along: barbus, catfish, zebrafish, surgeon. Mandarin will not survive in fresh water.