There are few fish more photogenic than the Mandarin Dragonet. Their psychedelic pattern and slow, hovering swim style make them aquarium superstars. Unfortunately, most mandarins sold in the hobby starve to death within three months — not because they're fragile, but because they eat almost nothing but live copepods.
A mandarin needs a mature tank (at least one year old) with plenty of live rock and an established copepod population. Minimum recommended volume: 75 gallons. Smaller tanks simply cannot produce enough pods to feed an adult mandarin.
Start seeding copepods weeks before the fish arrives. Bottles of tigriopus and tisbe biminiensis from Algaegen or Reef Nutrition work well — add one bottle every two weeks, and run a refugium with chaeto to give pods a safe place to breed.
Some mandarins learn to eat frozen mysis or pellets, but don't count on it. Quarantine your mandarin in a refugium-style tank seeded with pods for four weeks before adding to your display. If it's still eating and gaining weight, it's a keeper.
The reward for getting this right is a decade-plus of breathtaking fish. Mandarins live 10-15 years in well-kept tanks, and a mated pair will even spawn at dusk — a nightly ritual you'll never forget watching.