Mandarin Dragonet

[MMAX]

Anyone have experience keeping mandarinfish? I've heard they require a large amount of 'pods in the tank for them to eat and have also heard that they are for experienced keepers only. Any thoughts?

[SATELLITE]

i have a small one in a 33g had him for about 5 months now and the tank is only a year and couple months old. i knew i had a lot but just looking into the tank. but didn't know if its enought for a large one so thats y i bought a smaller one and. and he still looks good.

[MMAX]

I don't think they grow very big do they? Only about 2- 3 inches.

[Okguy]

I agree that they are challenging to keep and that they are for more experienced reefers. In fact I recently read an article that they are close to becoming considered endangered species because of the aquarium trade (of course I can't find the link to the article right now :cry:). It's a sad thing to watch something that beautiful slowly starve to death in under-sized\non-established tanks.

Anyways, here is some info about them I found on Marine Depot website.

Hopes this helps...

Maximum Size: The Pterosynchiropus splendidus grows up to 2.5 inches.
General Size Specifications: The small size will come to you generally 1 to 1½ inches; the medium generally 1½ to 2½ inches; the large generally 2½ to 4 inches.
Diet: The Pterosynchiropus splendidus is a carnivore and likes to eat mostly copepods in well established tanks. May learn to accept mysis shrimp and flakes with time and patience.
Level of Care: The Green Mandarin Goby is a high maintenance fish.
Behavior: The Green Mandarin Goby may act peacefully toward other fish.
Breeding: Able to breed.
Water Conditions: Keep water quality high (SG 1.020 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F).
Range: Indo-Pacific.
General Notes: The Green Mandarin should NOT be kept in anything but a well established Reef tank (6 months or more) of NO LESS than 75 gallons WITH a refugium as it primarily feeds on copepods. Gobies may sometimes attempt to jump out. Prefer presence of substrate. The most colorful of commonly found fish for marine aquarium enthusiasts. Its appetite is not the easiest to satisfy. Commonly called dragonets, which are characterized by elongated bodies, without scales, and also by the presence of two dorsal fins. If purchasing a small specimen it is often easier to teach them to accept prepared foods with patience and work. Will fight with same sex in this species. Sadly, this fish normally dies as it is often purchased and kept in under established tanks without enough food to consume. Death from starvation normally occurs within six months.

[digital-audiophile]

If you can get one that accepts frozen food then you are off to the races.. if not the chances of survival are very slim.

I tried one but he only lasted a couple months, I would not try again.

[Lance]

I've had one for about 3 months and he is healthy and fat. I buy a bottle of Tigger Pods every month and grow them in the refugium. You can grow brine shrimp too but after the yolk is gone they aren't very nutritious. Anyhow this system works for me.

[hillbillyreefer]

I agree with all the above statements. A fuge is a must. Mine was stocked with pods and then given 2 months for them to establish. I wasn't going to put the mandarin in for another few months. One day I was in a shop right at feeding time and as soon as the mysis hit the water one of the fish was eating it. I bought him. He eats mysis, brine, cycops eeze. About once a week I hatch out some bbs for him and he goes nuts for an hour or two.

That being said the longterm survivability of the fish still concerns me. He is doing well now but are his nutritional needs being met by the frozen foods and pods coming from the fuge? Keeping a fish for just a month or two is not a great accomplishment. If he survives a couple years that will begin to be an accomplishment. I spend waaayyy too much time with my tanks, if I'm not doing something with them I'm reading about them. If you can give the commitment required to the fish you should be alright. Some time and effort getting one to eat frozen should be rewarded with years of enjoyment of the fish. You need to decide for yourself if you want the fish enough to give it the commitment to keeping it health and happy.

When you do decide to get one ask the shopkeep to feed them as you watch. If one eats buy him and like Greg says half the battle is already won. Good luck with it.

HTH

Oh yeah, my fussy little fella only eats if the food is soaked in a couple drops of Selcon first. He just spits it out if it isn't presoaked. Small price to pay for such an awesome fish.

[sharuq1]

Selcon is a great idea. Where did you manage to find it? So far I have not seen it in any of the stores I've been to.

I have a mandarin as well. He was living in a pre-established setup for 2 years when I got him and has been with me for I think about 6 or 7 months now.

He eats pods and decapsulated brine shrimp eggs fed to him in a spice jar. I thought he was eating NLS there for a while, but turns out he was putting them in his mouth and spitting them out trying to get the eggs instead, lol.

I would not recommend a mandy to a beginner or a non-established tank setup. I was one of the few that got lucky as he came with the tank when I got it. Otherwise it is not a fish that I would have bought at this stage. I would have waited a year before attempting a mandarin in the tank, just to be on the safe side.

Also as a side note, some of these fish are still caught using the poisoning method and if so may never fully recover--hence not lasting long in the aquarium. Another thing to note when buying one; be on the safe side and get a fat one. Don't get a skinny one thinking you can nurse it back to health.

[hillbillyreefer]

sharuq1 I got the selcon from Kelly @ The Reef Shoppe. I was there on Friday and he had at least two bottles. Call him up, he'll probably ship it for you.

[andresont]

Do a search for a "Pod Condo"This is just a pile of live rock in the plastic net where pods can live multiply and hide

[nanoreefer]

ive had afew mandys and i used live brine enriched with selcon to wean them on to frozen food, i got a vary skinny beat up male that turned right around and looked grate after 4 months, i then got him a female and they lived just fine in a 10g for several months untile we had to move in the middel of winter, male got cotton like growths on his sides and died after a week and the female stopped eating anything even pods and died:cry:, i just got another one onto frozen and put him in the tank only to have him jump out after afew days after takeing three months to get onto fozen:sad:, if i do it again iam not growing my own brine thats for sure its a major PITA!,

[Puff]

everytime im in an LFS and see some mandarins i always ask if they are accepting frozen foods. the answer is always no, and im sure there are dozens of other ppl who ask the same thing. but i still get my hopes up :( lol

in thailand my dad has one in his tank (id say between 35 and 45 gallons). the thing is so healthy. at one point i noticed (via pictures) that it was getting skinny and harassed my dad about. he got his "fish guy" to dump a bunch more pods in there to reestablish it. now the mandarin is back to being plump.

[sharuq1]

Oh and idea for a pod pile that I did was just to have a ball of chaeto fishing-lined to a rock in the tank (my refugium is tiny in an ac110). It works.

[dabandit]

I bought one not knowing what they were poor guy ate my 14gal tank clean in a few days. Was watching one day and was very pleased to see my Clown teach him how to eat frozen food. He's now thriving on marine cuisine and the ocaisional batch of pods scooped from the refugium from my large setup

[MMAX]

Are they active at night mostly? I turned my tank lights on last night after they were off for about 20 min and the amount of pods in there was amazing. I think the fish would eat fairly well if they were nocturnal.

[hillbillyreefer]

They aren't nocturnal, when they sleep they turn a nasty grey color and appear dead. Pretty freaky the first time you see it.

[BigA]

Selcon is a great idea. Where did you manage to find it? So far I have not seen it in any of the stores I've been to.

Aquarium Enthusiasts in Edmonton has it. I was in there on Sunday and there must have been 10 or 15 bottles at least.

[Karen Marlin]

I had luck with getting my dragonet to eat those flying fish eggs...the kind they use for sushi rolls....I got them at T&T chinese supermarket at west ed
mall. These fall to the bottom and if the flow isn't too much...they find them and they're the right size...it makes a supplement anyway. I keep them in the freezer and just break off what i need. I tried the same roe from superstore, but found it to be of inferior quality and the fish didn't seem to go for it....K

[kwirky]

I know one guy who has 5 in his 120g tank and they're thriving, while another has tried to keep them in 5 year old 220g repeatedly to no avail. Tricky fish. Another animal that is kinda iffy whether it should be imported or not.