Should I get a second mandarin dragonet?

xxkenny90xx · Nov 3, 2019

Just wondering if this is a good idea. Tank is 112g, sump is a 40b. Been up and running for 8 or 9 years. My dragonet has been fat and happy for about a year. I have tons of copapods everywhere and the dragonet is the only fish that really goes after them (I don't have any wrasses or anything like that). But if food is gonna be an issue then I'll pass (I won't be buying pods for them on a regular basis). Also, if I can get another id like them to be a pair. Would it have to be of the same species? Any way to tell their gender? Thanks all!

MixedFruitBasket · Nov 3, 2019

Just make sure if you have a male now you get a female. Or they will fight. I know a lot of people say they are hard to keep but I've never had issues with mandarins. I get them started on frozen copepods by turning off the wave maker and squirting spot feeding them nearby and they go to picking them up as if they're live. Eventually most of them move on to mysis.

AquaLocker · Nov 3, 2019

Yes, you can tell the difference on the sexes of Mandarins, the males have an elongated first dorsal fin and tend to be a bit bigger. As long as they have plenty to eat, you can have a male and a female together or mandarins of different species, like a green mandarin and a spotted/psychedelic mandarin.

xxkenny90xx · Nov 3, 2019

Very cool! Would a spotted or maybe a red dragonet pair up with my green one? Or should I stick with green dragonets if I want a pair?

AquaLocker · Nov 3, 2019

If you want them to pair, I would stick with the greens. There is a chance that a red one "might" pair with a green as they are technically the same species, but I definitely wouldn't bet on that happening. A green and a spotted definitely won't pair up.