do mandarins hide a lot?

[uberReefer]

Now that my fuge is loaded with pods, I'd thinking of adding a mandarin. But I don't want to get one if they're shy fish that hide in the rocks most of the time. I have a beautiful wrasse in another tank, too bad I see him for like 20 seconds each day because he's very shy. What's the use of buying a pretty fish if you never see it!

How about mandarins? The only other fish in the tank would be a peaceful dwarf angel.

[ozadars]

mandarin will probably go where the pods are. If you dont have any pods on the sand and glasses than mandarin might not swim around there

[Lockeind]

Mine hides most of the time.
Sometimes he comes out a little.

I would call him a shy fish.

[jayo]

I almost never saw mine for the first couple months I had him. Now he is visible at least half the time - he cruises the rocks looking for pods, so I see him when he is in front of the rocks. He also spends some time everyday challenging his reflection in the front glass, fins raised high - quite a show.

My mandarin completely ignores all the other fish in the tank. My sailfin tang can swim within two inches of him and he doesn't even flinch.

He has totally decimated the pod population of my 300 gallon tank, though. I need to find a way to make my refugium more productive. Good luck keeping yours fed!

jayo