Two male mandarins-Now what?

[Eleni18]

Hi all! I have had a pair of mandarin dragonets for a while, and the female died. So I ordered one online, asking specifically foe a female. Unfortunately, I got another male. I have a 150 gallon tank and for the time being, they seem to get along. They either ignore each other, or hang around together or chase each other but without showing aggression. So my question is, first of all, will they be OK with each other? Should I-could I- add one female? Or two? Any ideas on the best course of action? Than you

 

[shakacuz]

keep a close eye on them. even if there is a lot of room for them, aggression can pick up whenever. good luck!

 

[ZoWhat]

Get 'em beer, ESPN and a pool table. They'll be fine.

 

[Eleni18]

So....what? Just leave them? Add a female? Two females? Will there be enough pods? What do I do?

 

[Tamberav]

Male mandarins can fight pretty nasty. I probably wouldn’t add more but instead be ready to remove one.

 

[blaxsun]

I think you'll be fine with a 150-gallon tank. Unless they completely decimate your copepod population, they'll be more interested in hunting than squabbling over scraps. That being said, they can get fairly aggressive towards one another - so as was suggested, do keep an eye on them in any event.

Females can be just as aggressive towards other females as well, so I'm not sure adding one or two females would necessarily make things better (four mandarins will definitely go through a lot of pods unless they're also eating frozen).

You're definitely sure they're both males?

 

[Eleni18]

I think you'll be fine with a 150-gallon tank. Unless they completely decimate your copepod population, they'll be more interested in hunting than squabbling over scraps. That being said, they can get fairly aggressive towards one another - so as was suggested, do keep an eye on them in any event.

Females can be just as aggressive towards other females as well, so I'm not sure adding one or two females would necessarily make things better (four mandarins will definitely go through a lot of pods unless they're also eating frozen).

You're definitely sure they're both males?

I am sure they are males, yes. I saw the new one's dorsal fin yesterday for the first time. At first I just trusted that I got a female, as I asked. So you think it is best to do nothing, just leave them and watch? Not add one female? I do worry about the pods. How many would a mature 150 gallon tank running for 3-4 years have?

 

[blaxsun]

If they both have the spikes in the dorsal fins they're males. Yeah, I'd leave them and watch. 150 gallons is a lot of real estate for them to divvy up in the great "pod hunt" (I have 160 gallons I'm staring at right now). I had a male/female pair and I was able to get both on frozen, but with 100+ lbs of rock I imagine even two mandarins couldn't decimate your pod population anytime soon.