Mandarin-fish

8:57:49

2024-03-26

1162

Mandarin fish have got to be one of the most colourful and truly ornate looking fish that we see in the Indo-Pacific. During the day time, whilst we do have occasional sightings, these little critters lay low and hide within the branches of staghorn corals. During sunset however, they leave the reef and perform one of nature’s most magnificent and flamboyant of mating rituals. It’s possible to see Mandarin fish at almost all of our incredible diving locations in Indonesia. Here are some Mandarin fish facts which you may not know, followed by our hotspots for sightings.

FUN FACTS ABOUT MANDARIN FISH:

Mandarin fish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus) are also known by several other common names, including the Mandarin Dragonet, Mandarin Goby, Green Mandarin fish, Striped Mandarin fish and the Psychedelic fish.
These little beauties are a small species only reaching about 3 inches in length.
This species is best known for its ritual reproduction mating “dance” which only occurs during sunset hours. Females will group together at the reef and seek a male mate. The males then begin to court the females, the bigger and stronger males are more likely to be chosen. Males also can reproduce with multiple females in a night. The male and female pair attaches at the pelvic fin and swim to the top of the reef where they release the eggs and sperm in a cloud (about 200 eggs). Once the egg and sperm clouds have been released the pair part ways and the courtship ends. The fertilized eggs take only 18-24 hours to hatch into larvae, then after two weeks of drifting, they settle into the reef.
Mandarin fish they are very picky eaters. They eat mainly small worms, protozoans, and small crustaceans. The majority of our mandarin fish dive sites have areas of sand and patches of staghorn (branching corals). These sites are ideal as they provide protective corals and food for the fish.
Scorpionfish are one of their most known predators.
One of the biggest threats to mandarin fish comes from mankind and the tropical fish tank industry in which they are highly prized. Individual fish can sell for up to USD $150 – it has also recently been proven that, like many fish, they live up to 4 times longer in the wild than they do in captivity.

Did you know that these fish do not have scales? Instead, they secrete mucus from their skin, which helps repel predators and keep them clean from parasites. Also, their bright coloration is not for attracting a mate, instead, it is to mislead predators into believing that they may be toxic to consume.
Bold Colours but not bold characters: Mandarin fish are actually very skittish and shy, so they prefer to avoid other fish. This makes our mandarin dive site in Lembeh quite unique as they are often spotted living quite harmoniously in the staghorn corals with pajama cardinalfish and the endemic Banggai cardinalfish.

Nature

Roaming Bison Reawaken Ecosystem of Yellowstone

2025-09-15

Octopuses Use Their Arms in Surprisingly Similar Ways to Us

2025-09-13

The Surprising Teamwork Trick Ants Use to Double Their Strength

2025-09-09

Study Confirms Abrupt Changes in Antarctica – And the World Will Feel Them

2025-09-07

Seasons Are Out of Sync, Scientists Discover from Space

2025-09-01

Fish Are Smarter Than Previously Thought, Scientists Reveal

2025-08-30

Swarms of Tiny Catfish Seen Climbing Waterfalls in Surprise Discovery

2025-08-26

Study Confirms Abrupt Changes in Antarctica – And the World Will Feel Them

2025-08-24

Ants Are Superefficient at Teamwork, Scientists Discover

2025-08-19

Scientists Uncover Mysterious Oases on the Drying Shores of the Great Salt Lake

2025-08-17

Get advices

Your Goals May Harm You If You ... read more

2025-09-10

You Always Have a Choice

2025-09-03

Effectiveness of Training

2025-08-31

How Do We Respond to Provocati ... read more

2025-08-27

1	Localization of Technology

2	Rationalizing Reactions

3	Why Do We Learn?

4	Take Responsibility for Your Choices

5	The Key to Success in Your Work and Life

6	Forgive Others

7	Increase Your Learning Ability

8	Pay Close Attention to Investigating Cau ... read more

9	The Pareto Principle

SOCIETY AFFAIRS

Smartphones and Children (Part One) ... read more

Stress and Its Effect on a Persons Behavior ... read more

The Intellectuals Need to Understand the Demands o ... read more

Reforming Society and Culture

The Role and Influence of Friends ... read more

Advancing Vocational and Technical Education ... read more

The Importance of Vocational and Technical Educati ... read more

The Impact of Education on Economic Development ... read more

A Message to Charitable People

Imitation and mockery

Family & Life

8:45:8 2025-09-16

Interpretation of Sura Maryam - Verses 24-25 ... read more

10:53:1 2025-09-14

Interpretation of Sura Maryam (Mary) - Verses ... read more

11:34:15 2025-09-10

Interpretation of Sura Maryam (Mary) - Verses ... read more

12:1:23 2025-09-08

Islamic Idelogies

Youth and the Responsibility of Deeds

8:41:56 2025-09-16

Youth and Legal Responsibility

10:51:32 2025-09-14

Youth and the Responsibility of Good Manners ... read more

11:32:43 2025-09-10

Youth and Social Responsibility

11:59:49 2025-09-08

Holy Prophet

A Mathematical Approach to the Quran

10:52:33 2024-02-16

mediation

2:36:46 2023-06-04

what Allah hates the most

5:1:47 2023-06-01

allahs fort

11:41:7 2023-05-30

Prophet ‘s progeny

striving for success

2:35:47 2023-06-04

Imam Ali Describes the Holy Quran

5:0:38 2023-06-01

livelihood

11:40:13 2023-05-30

silence about wisdom

3:36:19 2023-05-29

Science and technology

A new AI ch

New Light-Based Chip Supercharges AI Efficiency by ... read more

12:50:33

2025-09-15

The color-c

New MIT Tech Sees Underwater As if the Water Were ... read more

12:16:38

2025-09-13

Monash scie

Inexpensive New Liquid Battery Could Replace $10,0 ... read more

10:22:5

2025-09-09

Ultrabroadband 6G Chip Clocks Speeds 10 Times Fast ... read more

12:37:4

2025-09-07

Health &Fitness

Very Few People Use This Simple Way to Tame Blood ... read more

12:52:14

2025-09-15

Nearly Half of People with Diabetes Do not Know Th ... read more

12:18:24

2025-09-13

Drinking Too Little Puts Your Long-Term Health at ... read more

10:23:29

2025-09-09

MOST VIEWS

Importance of Media

9:3:43 2018-11-05

10 benefits of Marriage in Islam

7:5:22 2019-04-08

benefits of reciting surat yunus, hud &

9:45:7 2018-12-24

advantages & disadvantages of divorce

11:35:12 2018-06-10

Is money everything in life?

6:0:51 2018-10-16

Illuminations

9:30:2 2021-11-12

1:38:41 2021-12-08

5:58:12 2021-12-18

3:42:22 2021-12-24

allah will not answer all your prayers

6:56:28 2022-01-01

think well

8:39:51 2022-09-23

logic

12:47:1 2022-12-20

IMmORTAL Words

Isaac Newton once said: "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion."

5:41:46 2023-03-18

Albert Einstein once said: "Imagination is more important than science for it surrounds the world"

10:13:17 2022-06-08

The first student of Islam, Al-Imam Ali-Ibn- Abi Talib (peace be upon him) said: "Worshiping acts is like a drop of water in the sea of directing to righteousness, and what is better than directing to righteousness is saying the right at the presence of an oppressor"

1:4:11 2022-05-26

Verner Heisenberg
The German theoretical physicist and the key pioneer of quantum mechanics said:
"The first gulp from the glass of nature sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass, God is waiting for you"

8:58:43 2022-04-19

A man who lies to himself , and believes his own lies becomes unable to recognize truth , either in himself or in anyone else , and he ends up losing respect for himself and for others.

When he has no respect for anyone , he can no longer love , and , in order to divert himself , having no love in him, he yields to his impulses , indulges in the lowest forms of pleasure , and behaves in the end like an animal .

And it all comes from lying - lying to others and to yourself .

FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY

10:28:46 2022-03-16

Reality Of Islam

MOST VIEWS

IMmORTAL Words