this post was submitted on
1,505 points (65% like it)
3,230 up votes 1,725 down votes
shortlink:

pics

subscribe2,398,725 readers

6,541 users here now

Looking for an image subreddit with minimal rules? Check out /r/images

A place to share interesting photographs and pictures. Feel free to post your own, but please read the rules first (see below), and note that we are not a catch-all for general images (of screenshots, comics, etc.)

Spoiler code

Please mark spoilers like this:
[text here](/spoiler)

Hover over to read.

Rules

  1. No screenshots, or pictures with added or superimposed text. This includes image macros, comics, info-graphics and most diagrams. Text (e.g. a URL) serving to credit the original author is exempt.

  2. No gore or porn. NSFW content must be tagged.

  3. No personal information. This includes anything hosted on Facebook's servers, as they can be traced to the original account holder. Stalking & harassment will not be tolerated.

  4. No solicitation of votes (including "cake day" posts), posts with their sole purpose being to communicate with another redditor, or [FIXED] posts. DAE posts go in /r/DoesAnybodyElse. "Fixed" posts should be added as a comment to the original image.

  5. Submissions must link directly to a specific image file or to an image hosting website with minimal ads. We do not allow blog hosting of images ("blogspam"), but links to albums on image hosting websites are okay. URL shorteners are prohibited.

  • If your submission appears to be filtered but definitely meets the above rules, please send us a message with a link to the comments section of your post (not a direct link to the image). Don't delete it as that just makes the filter hate you!

  • If you come across any rule violations, please report the submission or message the mods and one of us will remove it!

Please also try to come up with original post titles. Submissions that use certain clichés/memes will be automatically tagged with a warning.

Links

If your post doesn't meet the above rules, consider submitting it on one of these other subreddits:

Comics  
/r/comics /r/webcomics
/r/vertical /r/f7u12
/r/ragenovels /r/AdviceAtheists
Image macros Screenshots/text
/r/lolcats /r/screenshots
/r/AdviceAnimals /r/desktops
/r/Demotivational /r/facepalm (Facebook)
/r/reactiongifs /r/DesktopDetective
Wallpaper Animals
/r/wallpaper /r/aww
/r/wallpapers /r/cats
The SFWPorn Network /r/TrollingAnimals
  /r/deadpets
  /r/birdpics
  /r/foxes
Photography Un-moderated pics
/r/photography /r/AnythingGoesPics
/r/photocritique /r/images
/r/HDR
/r/windowshots
/r/PictureChallenge
Misc New reddits
/r/misc /r/britpics
/r/gifs Imaginary Network
/r/dataisbeautiful /r/thennnow
/r/picrequests /r/SpecArt
/r/LookWhoIMet
  /r/timelinecovers
  /r/MemesIRL
  /r/OldSchoolCool
  /r/photoshopbattles

Also check out http://irc.reddit.com

a community for
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...
message the moderators

MODERATORS

reddit is a source for what's new and popular online. vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what's popular, or submit your own! learn more ›

1504
1505

A Mandarin Dragonet in all its colorful glory (imgur.com)

submitted ago by cycophuk

all 73 comments
sorted by:
best
best
top
new
hot
controversial
old

[–]Jchronos 5 points6 points ago

Ooh I want one, sadly my tank crashed a month or so ago :(

[–]Fireproofmilk 15 points16 points ago

yeah, so did mine

[–]chkltcow 0 points1 point ago

Crashed how? I lost my reef tank a while back when my heater shorted and boiled the tank :(

[–]Jchronos 0 points1 point ago

I was having a bit of a red slime algae issue, and trusted a guy at my lfs regarding a chemical treatment to rid myself of this outbreak, long story short killed the algae along with my .mated pair of percula clowns amongst almost everything else. All that's left is bottom feeders, urchins and a feather duster. Good news is its gettin better now so should be able to restock soon

[–]chkltcow 0 points1 point ago

Heater took out nearly everything in mine except a 3 stripe damsel. The guy at the fish store had said "Those damsels are tough bastards. I believe you could throw them in a vat of battery acid and they'd survive for several years." He wasn't joking.

After the die-off I cleaned it up as well as I could, but there was a green algae issue... it was on EVERYTHING. Magically enough, snails and these tiny little starfish came out of everywhere and cleaned it up. Once that was done, I started noticing little feather duster tubeworms everywhere, too and the occasional aiptasia. Since it wasn't a reef anymore I didn't bother killing the aiptasia... just let it go. Never had any more corals on it, but it was an interesting ecosystem of inverts.

That damned little damsel lived on for 4 more years until it finally kicked the bucket over the winter and I tore that tank down.

[–]CRoswell 1 point2 points ago

Protip - Instead of 1 500W heater, buy 3 250W heaters (adjust for tank size obviously.) It might run you a few more bucks, but if one gets stuck on, the odds are pretty good that the other 2 will not. One 250W won't have the power to fry a tank of decent size.

[–]Jchronos 0 points1 point ago

Sorry to hear that, ya damsels are like the roach of the sea they're definitely a hardy bunch that live thru almost anything lol. Hope you bad Luck doesn't stop you from tryin again, us reefers are a passionate bunch, I couldn't go too Long without some type of tank goin lol

[–]xmattx920x 13 points14 points ago

Mandarin's are very hard to keep unless you get lucky and find one that will take pellet and flake food. Most wont touch any thing besides live copepods which means in order to keep one you have to have a very thriving population of copepods established in your tank which is a lot of work to maintain and requires either a refugium or a separate tank to bread them in. Very beautiful fish though.

[–]sewage 4 points5 points ago

Why does everyone have a hard time with these? I've had mine for over a year now and he's doing great. Doesn't easy pellets, only copepods.

You just have to follow best practice, 55g + established tank with a fuge. The bigger my tanks got the easier out became to maintain them, adding a fuge make them almost no work at all.

[–]aedile 3 points4 points ago

People don't have a hard time when they keep an appropriately sized tank. The problem is idiots who put them in a 20g nano because their "nemo fish" died and this one looked pretty.

[–]sewage 2 points3 points ago

I hate stupid people that don't consider the fish's wellbeing and just get something because its 'pretty'.

I want to punch people at my lfs when I tell them if you want to keep dwarf seahorses they need their own tank and they say, nah, my Nemo and Doree won't bother them.

[–]PCGCentipede 0 points1 point ago

I've been looking into setting up a reef tank with a refugium, but I can't seem to find a decent how-to for this anywhere. Any suggestions?

[–]sewage 1 point2 points ago

I'm at work now on my phone. I'll write something longer when I get on my computer at home if you'd like.

[–]PCGCentipede 0 points1 point ago

Thanks, that would be awesome. I've got space for a pretty decently sized tank too, I'm thinking 48x24x24.

[–]motorsickle 0 points1 point ago

Starting with a 120 is a good idea. It's pretty much the ideal tank size, in my opinion.

EDIT: really, my ideal tank size is 4ft x 4ft x 2 ft tall. Rimless, of course.

[–]motorsickle 0 points1 point ago

Reef Central has oodles of builds and tutorials. Do LOTS of research before you ever spend a dime. Start with the biggest tank you can afford (trust me on this one, says the random internet guy).

[–]PCGCentipede 1 point2 points ago

The largest possible tank makes the most sense, with a greater volume of water, fuck ups are lower impact.

[–]motorsickle 0 points1 point ago

Beyond fuck-ups, even. Random equipment failure is a reality, as is the fact snails and other critters get into places they shouldn't and jam equipment. I had a mantis shrimp imprisoned in my refugium for over a year, and one day, he decided to Houdini over a baffle into the skimmer chamber and investigate the intake on my skimmer. Bad day for me; last day for him. I've also had snails work their way into drain lines, clog them up, starve the return pump (which burns it out), and cease most of the circulation (essential for oxygen exchange at the water's surface), resulting in rapid tissue necrosis of shitloads of coral. I could go on...

[–]PCGCentipede 1 point2 points ago

Shouldn't the pumps have failsafes built in?

[–]motorsickle 0 points1 point ago

Some do, and a lot of them aren't susceptible to seizing when they're dry. My incident was what caused me to spend the extra money on one of those.

[–]PCGCentipede 0 points1 point ago

Good to know, thanks

[–]igotfiveonit 1 point2 points ago

They sell Mandarin now that have been raised on pellet/frozen food and are supposed to be easier to care for. My tank is only 20 gal so not worth the $ to chance it. When my tank was younger, as soon as the lights came on I would see copepods running all over the place. Now I never see them.

[–]Jchronos 0 points1 point ago

I had a scooter blenny. Same issue, he was eating an algae supplement for a while then just decided he didn't like it anymore and starved to death. It was sad :(

[–]Lord-Longbottom -2 points-1 points ago

(For us English aristocrats, I leave you this 20 gal -> 160.0 Pints) - Pip pip cheerio chaps!

[–]bmalee 0 points1 point ago

Disappointed to see that you seem to be using American pints, which are smaller than Imperial pints.

20 US gallons = 133.227814 Imperial pints

[–]Evil_Bonsai 0 points1 point ago

I felt very bad that mine starved to death because of this. Put him in a reef tank, and he got fat for a bit, then slowly shrank. I did not have a refugium, but will if I ever get back into tanks.

[–]jeffkolez 0 points1 point ago

I've always thought they don't get their full nutritional needs met if they're eating pellets or other critters they're not meant to eat. I guess they're getting some copepods from the rock work and you're merely supplementing with other food.

[–]eshizzle04 0 points1 point ago

I got extremely lucky and got a Mandarin that readily takes frozen food. It still was finicky though and would only eat at certain times of the day. Totally worth it though

[–]CRoswell 0 points1 point ago

Definitely something new saltwater tank owners need to be told.

All it really takes is a big fuge though. Most modern saltwater tanks have a sump with a fuge. The HOB refugium is dying out.

The ORA Mandarins are pretty darn cool though!

[–]030704220921 0 points1 point ago

I must be lucky, I feed my Mandarin flake food (doesn't eat it everytime though) but I also feed it brineshrimp and he loves it. I haven't had any problems with him, but he sure is an amazing fish.

[–]Pseudo_Moron 0 points1 point ago

I don't believe this to necessarily be true. I had a male like this one and a red female. I trained them to eat New Life Spectrum pellets in about 1 week. I had the pair for nearly 6 years in a 40g reef aquarium. They were small and live caught, not the ORA tank bred. Much discussion on keeping saltwater ornamentals is just regurgitated info from many years ago and not actual experience. An issue most don't realize is that they need to be trained in a tank w/ out stiff competition for food. They just aren't as fast to munch as most other fishes.

My two:

Female:

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae255/alpinepm/Reef%20Fish/?action=view&current=Image2.jpg

Male:

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae255/alpinepm/Reef%20Fish/?action=view&current=mandarin2.jpg

[–]aedile 1 point2 points ago

You got lucky. They are notoriously difficult to keep in all but the largest aquariums. Helps that you put it in at least a moderate sized aquariums, but most would die in that situation.

[–]Pseudo_Moron -1 points0 points ago

You got lucky. yea, for 6 years...

Yea, that must be it.... Probably has nothing to due with my experience and insight.

BTW your so called >moderate sized aquarium was just a 40b w/ no sump and several other fish eventually.

What is YOUR PERSONAL experience with keeping dragonets? Oh, they died?....

Fucking opinions on here. This is exactly why we shouldn't take what someone says on the internets as fact because usually it's just bullshit.

[–]aedile -1 points0 points ago

My personal experience keeping dragonets is just fine. But they aren't the kind of fish that average reefers should be keeping and whenever someone posts a picture there are 15 idiots who go out and buy a 10g biocube and wonder why they die.

Despite your personal experience training to pellet, that is far from the normal experience. Most people can't get mandarins to take pellet food, even if they are the only fish in the tank. The only proper way to ensure their correct care is to have a large and established pod population, which most people don't have. Yes. You got lucky that you found more than one fish that took pellet food. It's not unprecedented but it's far from normal.

Wanna talk fuckin' opinions? That's all yours is, whereas what I said is based on the majority consensus of the whole hobbyist community. You ever hang out on reefcentral? What is the first thing that everybody says when someone asks about mandarins? Too hard to keep unless you have a large tank with an established pod population. So you'll have to forgive me if I take the aggregate opinion of the largest hobbyist community site over your own experience with two mandarins.

[–]lbroders 2 points3 points ago

I had one, it was awesome.

[–]JANichols89 1 point2 points ago

I used to have one too. That was the coolest fish I've ever had, the way they just glide over the sand or the rock and then land when they see food or just to rest. The way they move is so captivating and their colors are spectacular and vibrant.

[–]jrgumby 4 points5 points ago

These things are gorgeous and I love them.

It's like they just woke up and went "Screw it! ALL THE COLORS!"

[–]blore40 1 point2 points ago

Reminds me of Will Smith in The Fresh Prince wearing his blazer inside out.

[–]rammalammadingdong 0 points1 point ago

They are also known as a psychedelic mandarin. You should check out a target mandarin. Very cool as well.

[–]I_Love_Bacon_Cookies 1 point2 points ago

Ruined by duckface.

[–]B4TM4N 1 point2 points ago

I made a wallpaper that i have been using for years from this picture.

[–]chedda 1 point2 points ago

I have a 1440x900 image of this if anyone is interested.

proof

edit: h'okay so I have a very much larger version of this image

link to the photographers site

[–]drfinklestein 0 points1 point ago

I'm interested. Please post a link.

[–]chedda 0 points1 point ago

I'll grab it from my lappy when I get home. I can't find it at the moment

edit: updated the top comment

[–]LePowneur 0 points1 point ago

At first I thought it was some sort of tropical frog, then I thought it was a frog with wings, and then I realised I should upgrade my internet.

[–]gouache 0 points1 point ago

Well, that's a fucking beautiful fish.

[–]turkatron11 0 points1 point ago

My brother has one. Here's a pic. http://imgur.com/pmJ9h

[–]ptrckstwrt 0 points1 point ago

As a child I had a book that listed all the popular aquarium fish and their regular habitats and this guy was my favorite by a long shot.

[–]quivil 0 points1 point ago

That damn fish had BETTER be poisonous!

[–]jeffkolez 1 point2 points ago

They're not.

[–]PCGCentipede 0 points1 point ago

I think their spines are, aren't they? Or just really foul tasting?

[–]jeffkolez 0 points1 point ago

According to Petco they can secrete a poisonous mucous, but not to the level of a blue ring octopus. Probably as a deterrent to being eaten.

[–]charlesbob 0 points1 point ago

woow what a excellent colour

[–]Zardoz23 0 points1 point ago

It's one of the only fish with a true blue colour. Most are green with a bunch of tiny chromotoforms over them that make them appear blue. Crazy stuff.

[–]Bazzzaa 0 points1 point ago

They are scaleless and have a thick slime coat. It enables the two I have to live in the same tank with my lionfish and my ribbon eel.

[–]Monsieur_Flotini 0 points1 point ago

OK.. i'm in a fair amount of pain due to a bout of gout and may have had a couple of pain killers... Can i just get confirmation that that picture isn't moving please.

[–]inflyt 1 point2 points ago

Picture isn't moving at all.

Hope you feel better soon!

[–]Monsieur_Flotini 0 points1 point ago

Thanks for that :)

And thanks for the wishes too... feelsgoodman. Looks like it's going to be a long night of reddit and wincing. Should be fun!

[–]kittkatzi 0 points1 point ago

We had one of these in our marine fishtank, he was so pretty. We had no trouble feeding him or anything.

[–]inflyt 0 points1 point ago

I have one of these in my SPS tank. The best thing to do is not add one for at least 12-18 months to let the 'pod population explode as these are what Mandarins naturally feed on. Had mine for just on 6 months and he (or she) is as fat as ever!

[–]ThePenalty 0 points1 point ago

I had such beauty. It died last month. This picture reminded me. :(

[–]scotchdog 0 points1 point ago

All hail to the Mandarin Dragonet ... uuurrrrgh drools

[–]volcano2239 0 points1 point ago

This fish... You will never look as good as it does

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

Looks beautiful, no?

[–]MathewDonut 0 points1 point ago

it looks at you with a disdain! http://depositphotos.com/9728492/stock-photo-Marine-fish-reef-fish-mandarin-dragonet-isolated-on-white-background.html

[–]aerosquid 0 points1 point ago

I had one but something ate it.

[–]moneymizzlle 0 points1 point ago

But can it learn surf?

[–]MrProper 0 points1 point ago

Did you really just posted a windows standard wallpaper to get karma?

[–]Villain_of_Brandon 0 points1 point ago

a friend of mine had a couple of these first one he had for a few years then the tank crashed and killed damn near everything in the tank, once it was back up and running for a while got another and it lived for several years as well, never heard what happened to it though, but I don't see it ever anymore

[–]hoax999 0 points1 point ago

Reddit= My source of desktop backgrounds.

[–]daileyjd 0 points1 point ago

deliscious!

[–]Bigbadbarron 0 points1 point ago

Am I the only one who wants to eat that?

[–]Prosopagnosiape -1 points0 points ago

Whenever i've posted something recently on some popular enough site, i always wonder if someone saw my post when it turns up again soon after. Neat fish man.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 25586 on app-133 running 1838625.