Is this normal Mandarin behaviour?

deputydawg88 · 04/22/2017, 05:16 AM

Recently in the evening my Mandarin will spend a lot of time doing this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUQdSMNynlI

Is this normal behaviour? Is he seeing his own reflection in the glass or something?

I don't know how to embed videos on this forum, sorry.

FullBoreReefer · 04/22/2017, 06:36 AM

Yep, I'm gonna say it's reflection from the glass is causing this behavior.

JUNBUG361 · 04/22/2017, 10:57 AM

If you don't mind me asking. How old is your tank? Do you have a established pods in your system? Mandarins are finicky eaters

Dealseer · 04/22/2017, 11:23 AM

Did you link the correct video? This video shows what all mandarins do at times.

Scorpius · 04/22/2017, 11:38 AM

Mine does this on occasion. It's seeing its reflection and challenging a perceived rival.

deputydawg88 · 04/22/2017, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dealseer

Did you link the correct video? This video shows what all mandarins do at times.

Yeah it's the correct video, I just wasn't sure if this was normal! He's only started doing it recently.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JUNBUG361

If you don't mind me asking. How old is your tank? Do you have a established pods in your system? Mandarins are finicky eaters

My tank is only four months old but I have plenty of pods and a refugium set up for them to breed, I did a lot of research on Mandarins (for some years before I finally could afford a tank) and made sure I knew their requirements before I got one. If I take the time to look, I can find pockets of pods on the glass and I have been making sure to do so as I know a pod crash would be catastrophic for him.

I believe it's tank-bred and was previously on frozen food at my LFS (though admittedly, I never saw it eat there). When I first got him (about a month and a half ago) I tried to supplement the pods with frozen food but I haven't seen him eat frozen food at home; he's eaten pods and only pods from what I have seen since I got him. He usually spends the day hovering over the live rock hunting pods and then in the evenings he does the thing you see in the video above.

MondoBongo · 04/22/2017, 12:50 PM

mine will sometimes also become enamored with her own reflection.

heck i can't blame them. if i looked that good i'd be staring in the mirror all the time.

accordexi · 04/22/2017, 01:19 PM

It's normal behavior for fish.
Once they see their reflection they try to chase it or say hi.

Almost all my fish do that at night

Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk

hkgar · 04/22/2017, 01:33 PM

My Wrasse has I have had my Spotbreast Angel and Cherub Angelbeen doing it for more than a week. I have had my Sptbreast Angel and Cherub Angel do it at times.

https://goo.gl/photos/JXeAQWq7zHnsPvWL9

Sk8r · 04/22/2017, 03:46 PM

A mandy will fight a potential rival to the death. It is probably the reflection.

homer1475 · 04/22/2017, 06:00 PM

Mine does the same thing, with the exception she flares out her gills and sticks her back fin straight up!

ThRoewer · 04/23/2017, 12:50 AM

Totally normal for males. Females may do it as well, but it's less common with them.
Males regularly engage in fights with their mirror image.

Sk8r · 04/23/2017, 09:12 AM

And this is a fish generally so oblivious to other fish it will wander through a yellow watchman's territory. The poor watchman just learns to ignore it. Generally the most placid fish in the tank. But death on other mandys.

hkgar · 04/23/2017, 11:45 AM

It's the old alpha male complex. Even fish have it.

Sk8r · 04/23/2017, 12:44 PM

Not totally: I made the mistake of putting a pretty large male in with a nice little female---and she killed him. Grabbed his gillcover and did him in on the spot.

hkgar · 04/23/2017, 03:05 PM

Damn, hate when that happens

04/22/2017, 05:16 AM	#1
deputydawg88 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 141	Is this normal Mandarin behaviour? Recently in the evening my Mandarin will spend a lot of time doing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUQdSMNynlI Is this normal behaviour? Is he seeing his own reflection in the glass or something? I don't know how to embed videos on this forum, sorry.

04/22/2017, 06:36 AM	#2
FullBoreReefer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Wooster, OH Posts: 1,862	Yep, I'm gonna say it's reflection from the glass is causing this behavior. __________________ 60x36x24 mixed reef. 40b sump. Regal 250int Varios. 4xHydra26HDs+t5s. 4xMp40wes. Apex2016.

04/22/2017, 11:38 AM	#5
Scorpius Stick Head Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 1,208	Mine does this on occasion. It's seeing its reflection and challenging a perceived rival. __________________ Current Tank 65gal DSA rimless. Vortech MP-10 x4 Vectra M1. Kessil A360we x3 4-24in T5's. BRS 2 part LPS/SPS mixed reef. Will do ______ for Acropora.

04/22/2017, 12:50 PM	#7
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	mine will sometimes also become enamored with her own reflection. heck i can't blame them. if i looked that good i'd be staring in the mirror all the time. __________________ [Citation Needed] "You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right" - xkcd Current Tank Info: A rectangular shaped money pit.

04/22/2017, 01:19 PM	#8
accordexi Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 52	It's normal behavior for fish. Once they see their reflection they try to chase it or say hi. Almost all my fish do that at night Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk __________________ Reefer 525 XL

04/22/2017, 10:57 AM	#3
JUNBUG361 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Antioch,CALIFORNIA Posts: 1,091	If you don't mind me asking. How old is your tank? Do you have a established pods in your system? Mandarins are finicky eaters

04/22/2017, 11:23 AM	#4
Dealseer Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 241	Did you link the correct video? This video shows what all mandarins do at times.

04/22/2017, 01:33 PM	#9
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	My Wrasse has I have had my Spotbreast Angel and Cherub Angelbeen doing it for more than a week. I have had my Sptbreast Angel and Cherub Angel do it at times. https://goo.gl/photos/JXeAQWq7zHnsPvWL9 __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels Last edited by hkgar; 04/22/2017 at 01:46 PM.

04/22/2017, 03:46 PM	#10
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	A mandy will fight a potential rival to the death. It is probably the reflection. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/22/2017, 06:00 PM	#11
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	Mine does the same thing, with the exception she flares out her gills and sticks her back fin straight up! __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

04/23/2017, 12:50 AM	#12
ThRoewer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Fremont, CA Posts: 9,555	Totally normal for males. Females may do it as well, but it's less common with them. Males regularly engage in fights with their mirror image. __________________ Pairs: 4 percula, 3 P. kauderni, 3 D. excisus, 1 ea of P. diacanthus, S. splendidus, C. altivelis O. rosenblatti, D. janssi, S. yasha & a Gramma loreto trio 3 P. diacanthus. 2 C. starcki Current Tank Info: 200 gal 4 tank system (40x28x24 + 40B + 40B sump tank + 20g refugium) + 30x18x18 mixed reef + 20g East Pacific biotop + 20g FW +...

04/23/2017, 09:12 AM	#13
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	And this is a fish generally so oblivious to other fish it will wander through a yellow watchman's territory. The poor watchman just learns to ignore it. Generally the most placid fish in the tank. But death on other mandys. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/23/2017, 11:45 AM	#14
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	It's the old alpha male complex. Even fish have it. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

04/23/2017, 12:44 PM	#15
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Not totally: I made the mistake of putting a pretty large male in with a nice little female---and she killed him. Grabbed his gillcover and did him in on the spot. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/23/2017, 03:05 PM	#16
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	Damn, hate when that happens __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels