Paul B
Well-Known Member
So I went away for 2 days and last night after I came home I found my male Mandarin dead. This is very unusual because I never find a dead fish and my fish don't get sick. I "think" I saw him eating a few days ago but I didn't notice anything weird with him as he was full bodied and smiled a lot.
I did notice that he hasn't paid any attention to the really good looking female mandarin in a few months.
I also have not used my Mandarin feeder since I moved here 8 months ago because I just have not had time to set up my brine shrimp hatchery. But he was not thin at all so I don't think I needed it and there are bluestripe pipefish and a scooter bleeny that are also fat and fine after a few years.
I am not sure how long Mandarins live and I don't remember when I got this one so it could have been ten years or more ago. He outlived two females, one died from being egg bound and I think the other one jumped out. Maybe he broke her heart. I do have a lousy memory and have not kept a log book in decades. He was dead to long to do a necropsy but I am sure it would not show anything.
Normally when other fish die of old age, they stop eating for a few days and hide a lot. He was not eaten by bristle worms but Mandarins have a thick slime that keeps other fish from eating them and maybe bristle worms don't find them tasty. I have bristle worms that could finish off a halibut in a few hours.
I did notice that he hasn't paid any attention to the really good looking female mandarin in a few months.
I also have not used my Mandarin feeder since I moved here 8 months ago because I just have not had time to set up my brine shrimp hatchery. But he was not thin at all so I don't think I needed it and there are bluestripe pipefish and a scooter bleeny that are also fat and fine after a few years.
I am not sure how long Mandarins live and I don't remember when I got this one so it could have been ten years or more ago. He outlived two females, one died from being egg bound and I think the other one jumped out. Maybe he broke her heart. I do have a lousy memory and have not kept a log book in decades. He was dead to long to do a necropsy but I am sure it would not show anything.
Normally when other fish die of old age, they stop eating for a few days and hide a lot. He was not eaten by bristle worms but Mandarins have a thick slime that keeps other fish from eating them and maybe bristle worms don't find them tasty. I have bristle worms that could finish off a halibut in a few hours.