The bizarre colour patterns have to be seen to be believed. In the aquarium this species has often been referred to as delicate or difficult to keep for the average hobbyist. They do best in aquariums with peaceful, non-aggressive fish or at least in larger aquariums where the more boisterous members cannot disturb them greatly. They are sensitive to water quality and tend to be rather finicky feeders. In recent years, the advent of reef-type aquariums, utilizing an abundance of live rock and plants, appears to have increased the chances of success with this beautiful fish, indeed, tank spawnings are becoming commonplace.
Mandarins tend to be rather picky eaters, preferring to feed from the bottom.
Due to the relatively small size of their mouth they must be fed only small food items or finely chopped foods. This may be due to the fact that there is an abundance of natural food items for them to feed on. If you have a well stocked reef tank you will probably never have to give any additional feedings to your Mandarins. In some cases it may help to turn off you water pumps and filters such that the food can settle to the bottom first so that the fish can get to them. If your Mandarins are housed with larger, more aggressive fish, they will not get to the food in time.