Mandarin Fish Food

Mandarinfish and Mandarin Fish Background

• Mandarinfish usually grow to around 3 inches long, the females smaller than the males. They are noteworthy for their dazzling appearance, with mostly blue physiques and streaks of undulating bright yellow, orange and red. Mandarinfish have wide heads.

  Mandarin fish, meanwhile, are a combination of green, yellow and brown, with ample blotting all over their physiques. They have tiny scales and sizable mouths.

Food in Nature

• Mandarinfish, in the wild, consume protozoans, tiny worms and wee crustaceans -- think isopods, copepods and amphipods. Mandarinfish are carnivores through and through, deriving lots of their sustenance from reefs. They are grazers.

  Mandarin fish in nature eat predominantly diurnal fishes. They use their eyesight to track down targeted fish before swooping in on them. They consume a lot of topmouth gudgeon, redfin culter and sharpbelly.

Native Habitat for Mandarinfish and Mandarin Fish

• In their native habitats, mandarinfish usually live in reefs and lagoons. Many of them also live in aquariums, where they are appreciated for their intense and vivid appearances. They typically display serene and harmonious dispositions, although they can be turf-focused with fellow mandarinfish, or with others that are like them, especially if they are of the same gender.

  In nature, mandarin fish reside in rivers, particularly those that are muddy in times of ample rainfall. They also gravitate toward rivers that consist of lots of aquatic plants. They're rare in captivity.

Diet in Captive Settings

• Mandarinfish are common in saltwater aquariums, and feeding them in these locales can be rather tricky. They generally refuse to consume any prepared sustenance. Inside their tanks, they require plentiful live rock. If they have live rock, they can manage just fine by dining on their staples -- copepods. It also is important, however, that they don't have to battle it out with others for access to the copepods within the live rock. Once these little guys adjust to their living environments, you might find them munching on their tank mates' meals, too. However, this could be a timely process, and definitely isn't an overnight one. Individuals who do get used to live in aquariums are usually robust and strong.

Tiny Mouths

• Mandarinfish not only have tiny bodies, they also simultaneously have tiny mouths. Because of this physical trait, they exclusively feed on things that are small. These bony fish perpetually seem to be eagerly making their way around rocks on the quest for their next meals. As long as they are totally at ease in their environment, they usually don't hesitate to freely move around.