Dragonets, share your success!

[Paul87]

Just wanted to hear of other successes with dragonet owners in this forum. As many know they are a very questionable species of fish as regards to feeding and keeping them healthy especially in smaller systems. Everyone wants that $10 mandarin that they see in the fish store, but not much information is learned before the spontaneous purchase and more than likely the guy/gal at the pet store gave you little to no information on them. The death rate of dragonets is staggering because of this. I made my mistake a long time ago in buying a mandarin without researching only to have a dead fish the next day. Please share the success of your beautiful dragonet(s) here! Tank size, how old the system is, what you feed (if you have success with prepared foods), what types of dragonet, how long you've had it/them. And lets see some photos!!!

Here is my pair of Ruby Red Dragonets in my 38 gallon tank (~20g sump). I have had them for about 3 months now and my system has been up and running a good 3 years. I did verify before purchase that these guys would eat prepared foods. I mainly feed them frozen prawn roe (nutrimar ova) along with reef chilli. I do see to have a decent pod population for my size tank especially for having a (chrysus) wrasse and a (orchid) dottyback as tankmates, as well a a pair of Ocellaris clowns. Te fuge is booming with them as well. I absolutely love these little fish! They are incredibly small for a dragonet also topping out at about 1.5-2 inches max. The male has an extraordinary dorsal fin which I cannot seem to ever get a photo of! He is extremely camera shy, unlike the female which will actually let me touch her if im slow about it. (sorry I only have the 1 bad photo of the male, super camera shy!)

Male Ruby Red-

Female Ruby Red-

 

[Aqua fire/medic]

Beautiful pair

 

[Paul87]

Beautiful pair

Thanks! They are my favorite.

 

[Squishie89]

It has taken 3 mandarins, but I finally have had success, third times the charm in this case. I actually got this guy (actually a girl, but can't stop calling it a he) as a rescue as he was a couple days from death by starvation when I got him. Luckily he thrived in my tank. He is very, very shy, but his body condition is good and he gets along with the fish (he just doesn't like humans). As long as he checks in I don't mind.



Day I got him. Sunken in belly, thin sides. Feb 2014


A few weeks ago

 

[Paul87]

Very pretty fish! Thanks or sharing.

 

[Paul87]

Happy to report that these little guys are still doing absolutely fantastic! I actually was able to get this photo with both of them in it. The male is super camera shy!

Ruby Red Dragonet Pair

 

[Lynn52]

I got green spotted dragonet in January. He was pretty skinny when I got him. He lives in a 125 gallon tank with a 29 gallon sump/fuge. The tank he started in was a 55. In March I upgraded to a 125. I moved everything into the new tank as well as the sump/fuge. I have a large pod population. I can see them all over the walls of my aquarium and the sump. In the fuge part of my sump I have chaeto. A few months before getting the dragonet I began seeding my fuge with pods. Once a week or so I shake the chaeto in the fuge and a huge number of pods move into the display tank. He has fattened up quite a bit since I firs got him.
This is him cruising the tank. I can rarely get a pic of him during the day, he's always on the move.

This is him sleeping in the sand.

Five months and he seems to be doing well.

 

[Paul87]

I got green spotted dragonet in January. He was pretty skinny when I got him. He lives in a 125 gallon tank with a 29 gallon sump/fuge. The tank he started in was a 55. In March I upgraded to a 125. I moved everything into the new tank as well as the sump/fuge. I have a large pod population. I can see them all over the walls of my aquarium and the sump. In the fuge part of my sump I have chaeto. A few months before getting the dragonet I began seeding my fuge with pods. Once a week or so I shake the chaeto in the fuge and a huge number of pods move into the display tank. He has fattened up quite a bit since I firs got him.
This is him cruising the tank. I can rarely get a pic of him during the day, he's always on the move.

This is him sleeping in the sand.

Five months and he seems to be doing well.

Beautiful fish! Thanks for sharing!

 

[jlanger]

Here's a couple of pics of my male Ruby Red Dragonet.







My son won the fish in our local club's raffle just over a year ago. I was skeptical at first, but I knew I had quite the pod population as my leopard wrasse is in great health. I have yet to see the fish eat any prepared foods, but he's healthy and thick; and a big boy too!
Every night, he swims up into the water column and displays his fin for any females. I've tried adding some females a couple of times with no luck; come in too skinny.
Great little fish that adds a bright spot of red to the color palette.

 

[Pete polyp]

I really would like to add a male to my 40, but I'm almost certain one of them would end up starving to death.

 

[Lynn52]

Here's a couple of pics of my male Ruby Red Dragonet.







My son won the fish in our local club's raffle just over a year ago. I was skeptical at first, but I knew I had quite the pod population as my leopard wrasse is in great health. I have yet to see the fish eat any prepared foods, but he's healthy and thick; and a big boy too!
Every night, he swims up into the water column and displays his fin for any females. I've tried adding some females a couple of times with no luck; come in too skinny.
Great little fish that adds a bright spot of red to the color palette.

Beautiful fish!!

 

[danschoenherr]

I have had two mated pairs of Ruby Red Dragonets over the past 3 years and have been very happy with them except they did not live long. Both pairs ate well, constantly picking food out of the rocks and eating frozen foods. Both pairs also did the "mating dance" in the evenings and the females were quite plump. But with both pair, after about 1-2 months of this courtship, the female would just "disappear", and the male about a month or two later. They never showed any signs of illness or stopped eating. I am curious if these fish do not have a very long life cycle??

 

[mps026]

I have a mandarin dragonet and so happy to say hes eating mysis now. My pod population at 6 months was fantastic so i got one and 3 months later hes still great and pods everywhere. I dose phytoplankton twice a week. Mine is always out looking for pods.

 

[RustyDiver]

Sorry Reviving an old thread but I want to show you my new Dragonette I found a female for my male yes the tank looks dirty I have to work on it but they're going to be happy