Diamond Goby and Mandarin Dragonet

[Wrigley&Ivy17]

I want to add a mandarin dragonet to one of my tanks. I currently just have a diamond goby in there right now. It's a 32 g biocube. I understand about pods and their food supply and that the goby sifts for a different food source then the goby. However, anyone have any thoughts about putting the two together in a 32 gallon. I can't find much information. I know they are both bottom dwellers and my goby has his elaborate tunnel system already built. Thoughts...appericate the advice in advance. I'm thinking it's not a great idea just because of the size of the tank and the them both being bottom dwellers but wanted to ask if anyone had success.

 

[Jekyl]

I want to add a mandarin dragonet to one of my tanks. I currently just have a diamond goby in there right now. It's a 32 g biocube. I understand about pods and their food supply and that the goby sifts for a different food source then the goby. However, anyone have any thoughts about putting the two together in a 32 gallon. I can't find much information. I know they are both bottom dwellers and my goby has his elaborate tunnel system already built. Thoughts...appericate the advice in advance. I'm thinking it's not a great idea just because of the size of the tank and the them both being bottom dwellers but wanted to ask if anyone had success.

My mandarin goes all over the place. Just hunts pods non stop all day.

 

[DaneGer21]

Although I have both of these fish in my tank, it is larger at 220gal. I have NEVER seen those two fish have issues. My mandarin is very chill. He barely even blinks when I’m in the tank let alone his tank mates. He’s off in his own world haha

 

[MohrReefs]

I want to add a mandarin dragonet to one of my tanks. I currently just have a diamond goby in there right now. It's a 32 g biocube. I understand about pods and their food supply and that the goby sifts for a different food source then the goby. However, anyone have any thoughts about putting the two together in a 32 gallon. I can't find much information. I know they are both bottom dwellers and my goby has his elaborate tunnel system already built. Thoughts...appericate the advice in advance. I'm thinking it's not a great idea just because of the size of the tank and the them both being bottom dwellers but wanted to ask if anyone had success.

If you have a fuge you will probably be okay. Without a fuge you will need to train it to eat prepared foods and even when I did that I struggled to maintain my mandarins weight until I put a fuge in.

I have a 44 gallon with a 10 gallon sump. Chaeto houses my copepods and amphipods.

 

[Wrigley&Ivy17]

I do have another tank that I can put it in that is larger with a fuge. They come in so small that I didn't want to put it in there bc I thought I would never see it.

 

[MohrReefs]

I do have another tank that I can put it in that is larger with a fuge. They come in so small that I didn't want to put it in there bc I thought I would never see it.

I'm convinced you don't need a huge tank like everyone advocates for on here but I'm dead certain the fuge and training prepareds is 100% necessary if it's a smaller tank. What's the size of your other tank?

You'll see it, they literally graze all day on pods.

 

[Goaway]

Goby will usually eat critters in the sand. Mandarin eats the pods on the rocks.

The key to keeping a high amount of pods for madarins is - a safe place for them to reproduce. Feed the pods. That's right, drop food at the pod station. They need to eat too.
It can be a pile of rocks, macro algae. Rock rubble and macro algae can be used in a hob filter you don't plan to clean. Anywhere fish cannot get too can be used as a pod breeding ground.

The reason behind large systems for Madarin gobies is, people don't usually dedicate territory for just the pods and they don't target feed the pods. If you do, their population explodes. Literally. Now you have to deal with increased nitrates and phosphates. This is why macro algae is a great home for podlings.

Tried to keep it short.