Splendid Mandarin

The Splendid Mandarin, or Blue Mandarin, is arguably the most beautiful fish in the sea. Its body features an impossible pattern of orange, blue, and green wavy lines that look like hand-painted batik silk. Like its spotted cousin, it is a slow, methodical hunter of live copepods. They are peaceful and virtually ignore all other tankmates, but they will fight to the death with other males of their own kind. They are best kept as a single individual or a mated pair in a large, established reef tank with at least 50-70kg of mature live rock to support their dietary needs.