Does anyone know how to get a pair of mandarins to pair? I've had the green male for about 6mths now and hes fat and happy. I just introduced a female spotted to the tank maybe 5 days ago. When I got her from the LFS she was really skinny but slowly she's been getting a tiny bit fatter. When I put her in I made sure to put her next to my male. At first he came to check her out, displaying his fins. He lost interest and swam away, they're not fighting or anything and sometimes they come close to each other and he displays his fins and continues to hunt. Hes quite a bit bigger than her, and she doesnt really seem to have much interest in him. Anyway to get them to pair up? Thanks
Pairing mandarins
- Thread starter Bunnyspit
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If they are a spotted and a green mandarin then they won't pair as they are different species. That doesn't mean they won't interact or get along but I've personally never heard of even wild hybrid mandarins.
Mandarins don't pair bond in nature. A male patrols a territory and spawns with the females in that territory, they form small harems with 3-6 females but nothing stops these females from moving on. In tanks males are normally only interested when the female is full of eggs.
Mandarins don't pair bond in nature. A male patrols a territory and spawns with the females in that territory, they form small harems with 3-6 females but nothing stops these females from moving on. In tanks males are normally only interested when the female is full of eggs.
Dash
Active Member
I recently added a female green mandarin, and yes they are the same species. I was lucky to find a small one (hard to find females here for some reason) as I read the relative sizes should ideally be Dwayne Johnson & Arianna Grande lol. Anyway I was warned there might be a bit of aggression and he did chase her around a bit at first. But she slept in his cave the first night and continue to do so, usually side by side. Often they swim/hunt together but I haven’t seen the mating dance yet.
I wonder if you now add a female green, whether the two females would fight to the death as they usually do.
I wonder if you now add a female green, whether the two females would fight to the death as they usually do.
this is me
Well-Known Member
Mandarins are not hermaphrodite. They're born either male or female. Be careful with adding small mandarin to a larger male mandarin thinking that it will work. In most cases, the smaller mandarin, if it turns out to be a male, will be terminated by the larger male pretty quickly.
Mandarins might look peaceful and adorable. However, when two males encounter each other, they're vicious and usually fight to the death.
Look for a similar size female(rounded blunt dorsal spine) for the male. You will have a much better chance then adding a small mandarin hoping that it will work out. All Mandarin starts with a rounded dorsal fin until they get you their adult stage where the elongated spiky dorsal fin shows up.
Mandarins might look peaceful and adorable. However, when two males encounter each other, they're vicious and usually fight to the death.
Look for a similar size female(rounded blunt dorsal spine) for the male. You will have a much better chance then adding a small mandarin hoping that it will work out. All Mandarin starts with a rounded dorsal fin until they get you their adult stage where the elongated spiky dorsal fin shows up.
I definitely made sure mine was a female as well. Thanks for the knowledge Mort. I'm not insistent on getting a bonded pair but did want a spotted mandarin and already had a male so I made sure to get a female. I dont care if they bond or not just want to make sure they're happy, and wont end up fighting if they aren't bonded. Thanks for the help 
I would love to see everyone's mandarins if you want to share. I think they're so adorable
I would love to see everyone's mandarins if you want to share. I think they're so adorableMy LFS has the same problem. They rarely get females so all I was ever seeing was males. Finally they got a female and the manager (who I'm pretty close friends with) texted me to tell me he was going to reserve it until Friday if I wanted her. The first chance I got I ran down there to go pick her up.. lol he said females were a pretty rare sight for them
Females are harder to find because males are normally collected. This is because they tend to be larger and more impressive as well as more outgoing (defending their harem of females), so easier to catch. The fact they have more size and finance also raises the price.
Spotted mandarin males have a far less impressive dorsal extention and they tend to come in smaller, so it can be quite hard to determine whether they are a definite sex until settled in. The good news is that it's easier for mandarins to determine sex so if they get along you should be fine. I've also seen males of both species coexist without any aggression but not sure if that's always the case.
Intersex aggression generally occurs when the male is ready to spawn and they dominate the female to stimulate egg production. Males with their harems will spawn almost daily and in our tanks with just a pair it can be a really common occurrence. Sometimes the female isn't ready to spawn and she will get a bit battered, this is why it's good to have plenty of space for her to escape to. The same thing goes for multiple females, they shouldn't hurt eat other if you have a suitable sized tank but you'd need a whopper to be able to keep two males.
If you don't have a lid or a mesh top then it's worth getting one. Mandarins don't normally jump but during mating they have been known to do so. It's also good if you have at least 2ft of height for them to rise in.
Spotted mandarin males have a far less impressive dorsal extention and they tend to come in smaller, so it can be quite hard to determine whether they are a definite sex until settled in. The good news is that it's easier for mandarins to determine sex so if they get along you should be fine. I've also seen males of both species coexist without any aggression but not sure if that's always the case.
Intersex aggression generally occurs when the male is ready to spawn and they dominate the female to stimulate egg production. Males with their harems will spawn almost daily and in our tanks with just a pair it can be a really common occurrence. Sometimes the female isn't ready to spawn and she will get a bit battered, this is why it's good to have plenty of space for her to escape to. The same thing goes for multiple females, they shouldn't hurt eat other if you have a suitable sized tank but you'd need a whopper to be able to keep two males.
If you don't have a lid or a mesh top then it's worth getting one. Mandarins don't normally jump but during mating they have been known to do so. It's also good if you have at least 2ft of height for them to rise in.
