Dragonet/mandarin lovers thread!

[WrasseyReefer]

Do you have any specific frozen food options for the Mandarins? I've kept mine for a few years, but I am tired of making the bbs every day. When I first had them I was able to find frozen pods that sank, and they ate it fine, but now all the frozen pods float, so it is just wasted.

Does anyone have a frozen food option/brand that I can train them to? I need something that sinks.

Frozen brine and mysis sink if you turn off flow. That’s what mine eats.

 

[afrokobe]

I have a male spotted mandarin and was considering adding a female blue mandarin. Would they pair up or at least not fight?

 

[c_ronius]

Mulan is a biota green spotted one. She has been in the tank for about 3 years now. She eats the PE Calanus I feed as part of the frozen entrée. I see her pick them off, with all the flow on. And of course pods all day, which I have never replaced. She is a fatty.

 

[XaosCoral]

Hey all,

So I was hesitant to get a Mandarin at first, I don't know why, but I love mine and find myself staring at it for hours. I see everyone talking about male and female and having pairs in a tank. So now that I have one, how do I tell if it is male or female? And how difficult is it to get them to bond with a mate? Please excuse the very lost Angelfish, they walked in at an awkward time of the photoshoot....

Thanks all,
Here's a pic. Once I figure out the gender, names will follow.

 

[WrasseyReefer]

Hey all,

So I was hesitant to get a Mandarin at first, I don't know why, but I love mine and find myself staring at it for hours. I see everyone talking about male and female and having pairs in a tank. So now that I have one, how do I tell if it is male or female? And how difficult is it to get them to bond with a mate? Please excuse the very lost Angelfish, they walked in at an awkward time of the photoshoot....

Thanks all,
Here's a pic. Once I figure out the gender, names will follow.

Males have that long spike on the dorsal fin.

 

[XaosCoral]

Males have that long spike on the dorsal fin.

Excellent, Thank you!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Ruby Red Dragonets are absolutely beautiful...can't beat em!

 

[BurtG]

For those of you that have bought the biota green mandarins. How fast did they grow for you? I've got a fully grown wild caught male in my DT and just got a small female from biota. I knew she was going to be super small and I planned for it. The plan is to grow her out in a different tank to get her up to a reasonable size before putting her in with the big male. But man is she tiny... I wanted to grow her out first because I'm worried that she's to small, to the point the male might kill her. (I've read that if the male/female size difference is too much that they wont get along) Plus now that's she's here I'm also thinking she could get sucked down the over flow lol. So she's staying in a small mature tank by herself for now and getting hand fed live pods, bbs and frozen food till she grows up. But im curious how long that is going to take?

 

[afrokobe]

For those of you that have bought the biota green mandarins. How fast did they grow for you? I've got a fully grown wild caught male in my DT and just got a small female from biota. I knew she was going to be super small and I planned for it. The plan is to grow her out in a different tank to get her up to a reasonable size before putting her in with the big male. But man is she tiny... I wanted to grow her out first because I'm worried that she's to small, to the point the male might kill her. (I've read that if the male/female size difference is too much that they wont get along) Plus now that's she's here I'm also thinking she could get sucked down the over flow lol. So she's staying in a small mature tank by herself for now and getting hand fed live pods, bbs and frozen food till she grows up. But im curious how long that is going to take?

I am in the same boat as you and purchased a female from biota recently. I was getting ready to put her in this large shroom box for grow out, but then she had other ideas and went directly into the tank lol. I saw her for the first two days and have since lost track of her. I still see the male around, so I hope she is ok. Hopefully in a few months a big female will pop up...

 

[BurtG]

I am in the same boat as you and purchased a female from biota recently. I was getting ready to put her in this large shroom box for grow out, but then she had other ideas and went directly into the tank lol. I saw her for the first two days and have since lost track of her. I still see the male around, so I hope she is ok. Hopefully in a few months a big female will pop up...

Yeah that was one of my fears to. That she would disappear in the big tank and I wouldn't know if she survived for months lol.

 

[c_ronius]

For those of you that have bought the biota green mandarins. How fast did they grow for you? I've got a fully grown wild caught male in my DT and just got a small female from biota. I knew she was going to be super small and I planned for it. The plan is to grow her out in a different tank to get her up to a reasonable size before putting her in with the big male. But man is she tiny... I wanted to grow her out first because I'm worried that she's to small, to the point the male might kill her. (I've read that if the male/female size difference is too much that they wont get along) Plus now that's she's here I'm also thinking she could get sucked down the over flow lol. So she's staying in a small mature tank by herself for now and getting hand fed live pods, bbs and frozen food till she grows up. But im curious how long that is going to take?

Mine was ultra tiny too. A bit over a year to become the fatty she now is.

 

[TimSt]

For those of you that have bought the biota green mandarins. How fast did they grow for you? I've got a fully grown wild caught male in my DT and just got a small female from biota. I knew she was going to be super small and I planned for it. The plan is to grow her out in a different tank to get her up to a reasonable size before putting her in with the big male. But man is she tiny... I wanted to grow her out first because I'm worried that she's to small, to the point the male might kill her. (I've read that if the male/female size difference is too much that they wont get along) Plus now that's she's here I'm also thinking she could get sucked down the over flow lol. So she's staying in a small mature tank by herself for now and getting hand fed live pods, bbs and frozen food till she grows up. But im curious how long that is going to take?

Mine has doubled in size in 7 months.

 

[afrokobe]

Here's a couple pictures of my chunky target mandarin. I bought him as a wild caught from the LFS and he started eating everything in my tank.

 

[OrionN]

 

[secret_reefer337]

Male is a wild caught and female is from Biota. Both are eating pellets. Have seen them doing a mating dance but wasn’t able to catch on video.

 

[OrionN]

Mine is really and truly a pair. Had Mandarin pairs before but never seen them as non separable like this pair. They even sleep touching each other.

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

I’m so jealous of everyone’s gorgeous mandarins! I have a 20g AIO that’s just a few weeks shy of 1 year and mandarins are absolutely my dream fish. I feel like 20 is ultimately going to be too small, plus my current damsel would just beat up anything else I put in there now anyways, but my next tank I want to plan around a mandarin. I am very intrigued about those of you who are feeding baby brine shrimp though. I have fed it in the past to raise freshwater fry but I’ve never hatched it out or put any in a reef tank because I feared what happens if they grow up, like if that would harm things since I didn’t really see much about it and at the time I didn’t have any reef fish, just a mantis shrimp. Now however, if I was to rehome my damsel I’m wondering if hatching out BBS every other day on top of feeding pellets/frozen throughout the day I’d be able to have a small one until I could upgrade the tank. This wouldn’t happen for a few months though either way, and I’d seed with pods every month or so. I have a lot of rock work in the display and a lot of bio media in the back chamber, so lots of space for the pods.

Either way, definitely gonna be living vicariously through the rest of y’all

 

[secret_reefer337]

I’m so jealous of everyone’s gorgeous mandarins! I have a 20g AIO that’s just a few weeks shy of 1 year and mandarins are absolutely my dream fish. I feel like 20 is ultimately going to be too small, plus my current damsel would just beat up anything else I put in there now anyways, but my next tank I want to plan around a mandarin. I am very intrigued about those of you who are feeding baby brine shrimp though. I have fed it in the past to raise freshwater fry but I’ve never hatched it out or put any in a reef tank because I feared what happens if they grow up, like if that would harm things since I didn’t really see much about it and at the time I didn’t have any reef fish, just a mantis shrimp. Now however, if I was to rehome my damsel I’m wondering if hatching out BBS every other day on top of feeding pellets/frozen throughout the day I’d be able to have a small one until I could upgrade the tank. This wouldn’t happen for a few months though either way, and I’d seed with pods every month or so. I have a lot of rock work in the display and a lot of bio media in the back chamber, so lots of space for the pods.

Either way, definitely gonna be living vicariously through the rest of y’all

I used to have a 20 gal long with a pair of clownfish and a single mandarin for a year until I sold my whole tank. I have never seed the tank with pods and my mandarin is fat. The mandarin was a wild caught. If you really want to get one, try the Biota CB mandarin.

 

[FreshwaterConvert]

I used to have a 20 gal long with a pair of clownfish and a single mandarin for a year until I sold my whole tank. I have never seed the tank with pods and my mandarin is fat. The mandarin was a wild caught. If you really want to get one, try the Biota CB mandarin.

I’d definitely do a captive bred one, what are you feeding yours and how often?

 

[i cant think]

I’m so jealous of everyone’s gorgeous mandarins! I have a 20g AIO that’s just a few weeks shy of 1 year and mandarins are absolutely my dream fish. I feel like 20 is ultimately going to be too small, plus my current damsel would just beat up anything else I put in there now anyways, but my next tank I want to plan around a mandarin. I am very intrigued about those of you who are feeding baby brine shrimp though. I have fed it in the past to raise freshwater fry but I’ve never hatched it out or put any in a reef tank because I feared what happens if they grow up, like if that would harm things since I didn’t really see much about it and at the time I didn’t have any reef fish, just a mantis shrimp. Now however, if I was to rehome my damsel I’m wondering if hatching out BBS every other day on top of feeding pellets/frozen throughout the day I’d be able to have a small one until I could upgrade the tank. This wouldn’t happen for a few months though either way, and I’d seed with pods every month or so. I have a lot of rock work in the display and a lot of bio media in the back chamber, so lots of space for the pods.

Either way, definitely gonna be living vicariously through the rest of y’all

Do you have a photo of the tank (and dimensions)?

I have a tank that’s similar to a 20g Long I believe and my mandarin has stayed fat. She’s also learnt that frozen foods are good to eat.

If you were to go a mandarin I’d personally go for a Spotted (Synchiropus picturatus) which is what I’ve got, the reason for this is because they are the easiest IME.