Mandarin dragonet help!

[Blaster210]

Ok did I mess up today some one else please chime in....... I went to lfs today and got a blue mandarin. I have had my green mandarin for a little over a year I thought it is female but now I’m second guessing my self. When I first put them together, the green female started nipping at the blue male and I don’t know if I should keep them separated tonight or put them both in and hope for the best.

 

[Katrina71]

Females sometimes don't accept a mate.

 

[javisaman]

Yea my female mandarin even tried to kill her male companion after about a year of living together. Once she grew closer to his size, she didn't tolerate him anymore.

 

[fishguy242]

try isolation box ,but keep feed ,could be a plastic jar with holes in and a rock to hold it down

 

[EuphylliaAddict]

I have a big tank but I see my blue go after the green pretty hard sometimes, if you don't have that kinda space you might wanna isolate one in the refugium, they get fat there fast..

 

[fishguy242]

I have a big tank but I see my blue go after the green pretty hard sometimes, if you don't have that kinda space you might wanna isolate one in the refugium, they get fat there fast..

hi you should post in meet and greet forum meet the reef

 

[steallife904]

What size is the tank? You usually cant mix the mandarins is problem one. Since you had a green spot and new one is a blue they wont play nice. Also very hard to put any mandarin in tank with one already established. I have failed first hand at this.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I agree mixing the two different mandarin was risky.

 

[Eva Rose]

Separate definitely. As @Katrina71 said females don’t always accept a male in same tank. I had tiny spotted female Mandy that would not accept a male over twice her size. She was a female. According to articles I read, females are less aggressive as a norm to much larger males. Anyway it still did not work so I rehomed the male.

 

[Kremis]

Ok did I mess up today some one else please chime in....... I went to lfs today and got a blue mandarin. I have had my green mandarin for a little over a year I thought it is female but now I’m second guessing my self. When I first put them together, the green female started nipping at the blue male and I don’t know if I should keep them separated tonight or put them both in and hope for the best.

That is a spotted dragonet, not a blue/green mandarin. different species

 

[Uncle99]

I keep a spotted with a green for years now.
They simply do not seem to pay attention to each other.
No aggression when they met, none today.
I thought the problem was with “of the same size and pattern” but I am no expert, maybe just lucky.

 

[Eleni18]

Also, it is easy to see if they are male or female. The male has a long thorn on the dorsal fin, while the female doesn't