The mandarinfish rarely grows past three inches, yet it carries some of the most intricate patterning in the ocean u2014 psychedelic swirls of blue, orange, and green that come not from pigment but from a rare class of skin cell called a cyanophore.
A reluctant performer
Despite its popularity with divers and photographers, the mandarinfish is shy. It spends most daylight hours tucked between coral branches, emerging only at dusk to feed and, during a narrow window each evening, to mate.
Few reef animals reward patience the way this one does u2014 you have to wait for the light to change before it will show itself.
For aquarists, the mandarinfish poses a real challenge: it feeds almost exclusively on live copepods, which means a mature reef tank is a prerequisite, not an afterthought.