has anyone one else notice this with theres. flicked my lights on this morning over my fish tank and saw my Mandarin all grey with only little bits of green on him, but as the day goes on and the lights come on at their normal time hes full of colour again

Do mandarins sleep in a mucus coocon? remember reading that some fish do can't remember whether mandarin is one of them.

Yip, its normal, clowns and tangs do it also. Something to do with times of day probably.

Do mandarins sleep in a mucus coocon?

ewwwww.... i have noticed a siimiliar thing with someo of my fish at night - particularly the chromis... havent noticed it with my tangs or clowns though

Do mandarins sleep in a mucus coocon? remember reading that some fish do can't remember whether mandarin is one of them.

Mine doesn't. There is no hint of mucus and it does fade ot a greyish colour. It sleeps down one end of the tank and always under the same rock.

Steve

I think lots of tropical reef fish change colour so they ae less detectable at night. I think some butterflies go quite grey too.

It's not just reef fish, many freshwater fish do too.

They had a profile on the mandarinfish in coral magazine. heres some of what they have written. "mandarinfishes do not have scales.Instead,their skin is covered with a protective mucus layer.The mucus is toxic and its production is greatly increased when the fish is stressed.For ths reason it is important to put these fish in individual bags when transporting them.They sometimes wrap themselves in a thick "cocoon" of mucus at night,emerging in the moring and leaving the sac behind". Hope this helps?

PS coral is one of the best magazine out there. Always a good read from cover to cover.

Mandarinfish are amazing fish. my fav.