Splendid Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus)

This is the best photograph I could get of the mandarin. He's still doing well, though I am always worried about him. The visible pod level in the refugium fluctuates weekly. He's the only fish that still runs away when I approach the tank; probably because he doesn't associate me with any kind of food.

This mandarin continues to do well. The caulerpa has become a breeding ground for pods and they are easily seen running around in it. In fact, their numbers are approaching what they used to be before I added the mandarin.

I managed to get a few pictures of this goby. It's still the sole animal occupant of my display refugium (excluding the snails and amphipods/copepods) and I plan to keep it that way.

It has taken to attacking it's reflection aggressively ever since I introduced the new light fixture.

One of the more difficult fish to keep, the Splendid Mandarin typically only accepts live food in the form of copepods and amphipods. Although these micro-crustaceans naturally occur in aquaria, care must be taken to ensure that there are enough of them to continue to feed a mandarin. Dietary preferences aside, the mandarin is a relatively hardy fish. Because it lacks scales, it is unaffected by many of the diseases that can threaten other fish.

I have placed this mandarin in the display refugium. It's the only fish that I will be putting in there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a picture of it without using the camera's flash (washing out it's colors).