Is the mandarin fish a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish? Read on and you will understand

The mandarin fish is one of China's "four famous freshwater fish", also known as aohua fish, jihua fish, huaji fish, etc. Its flesh is tender, with few bones and plenty of meat, its flesh separates into flakes, and it is delicious and nutritious, truly a fine fish among fish. It is famous because of the line "Before Xisai Mountain egrets fly, peach blossoms flow and the mandarin fish grows fat." Now let us take a look at whether the mandarin fish is a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish!

Is the mandarin fish a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish?

The mandarin fish is a freshwater fish. The mandarin fish has strong adaptability to water temperature. The common mandarin fish in China include the bighead mandarin fish and the bigeye mandarin fish, etc., and they are distributed in the river systems of both northern and southern China. They usually live near the bottom of rivers and lakes with clear water, and especially like to hide behind stones on the bottom or among dense aquatic plants. In autumn and winter when the water temperature is low, they hide in deep water to overwinter, and after the water temperature rises in spring, they gradually swim to the aquatic plants near the shore where food is abundant to seek food.

What does the mandarin fish eat?

The mandarin fish is a carnivorous fish with a fierce temperament. It usually lives alone, mostly dwelling in stone caves in the water or among sluices and jumbled rocks, swallowing other fish that pass by. A small mandarin fish that has just started feeding can already swallow other fish almost the same size as its own body. Moreover, the mandarin fish eats very carefully. After swallowing fish and shrimp, it will spit out fish bones and shrimp shells, keeping only the meat in its belly. This unique characteristic is rarely seen in other carnivorous fish.

What kinds of mandarin fish are there?

1. Bighead mandarin fish: The bighead mandarin fish is distributed in almost all rivers, lakes and streams in China, from Guangdong in the south to Heilongjiang in the north, and is most common in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In recent years, artificial cage farming has been carried out in Fujian, Guangdong and Zhejiang, but the fry supply has not been solved.

2. Bigeye mandarin fish: The bigeye mandarin fish has larger eyes, and the rear end of the upper jaw does not reach the rear edge of the eye. It likes to inhabit flowing-water environments in rivers and lakes. It is fierce in nature and feeds on fish and shrimp. The largest individual can reach about 5 jin. Its flesh is delicious with few small bones, making it a valuable fish.

3. Spotted mandarin fish: The spotted mandarin fish has small dark round spots on its head and many ring-shaped spots on its sides. It can live in both rivers and lakes, and is distributed in the river systems south of the Yangtze River. It especially likes to inhabit flowing-water environments. Its individuals are not large, generally 100-300 mm in body length, and its yield is not high.

4. Wavy mandarin fish: The wavy mandarin fish lives in rivers with relatively good water quality, and often inhabits stone crevices on the river bottom and slow-flowing water with abundant aquatic plants. It likes to eat small fish and other invertebrates. Its individuals are relatively small, commonly 100-150 mm in body length, and its numbers are relatively few. It is distributed in the Yangtze River, Pearl River and other river systems.

5. Slender mandarin fish: The slender mandarin fish has a relatively slender body, a pointed and long head, a protruding lower jaw, and canine teeth in a single row. It lives in slow-flowing areas of rivers and is less common in lakes. It is distributed in the river systems of Hunan, Fujian and Guangxi. Its individuals are small, commonly 100-200 mm in body length, and its numbers are not many.