The Mandarin Dragonet is an absolutely mesmerizing fish. It has bright stunning colors with unique patterns. This fish is highly desirable for its looks, but taking care of it can be demanding, especially for new hobbyists. Some may say that you need lots of experience before attempting to keep this fish. However, you also need knowledge. Fortunately, you are in the perfect place to learn everything you need to know about this amazing fish, regardless if you are a beginner or more experienced hobbyists. By the end, hopefully you will feel confident that you can keep a Mandarin Dragonet successfully!

 

The Mandarin Dragonet, sometimes called a Mandarin Goby, is found in several different areas in the Western Pacific ocean. Although wild-caught Mandarins are common in the hobby, captive-bred specimens are becoming more popular and more desirable for reasons we'll get to later. This fish has two color morphs, thought they are very similar. Most common is the blue/green Mandarin Dragonet. There is also a red Mandarin Dragonet. They are generally similar, almost the same, but the red variation tends to have a deeper and more apparent red coloration. Other than that, there is no difference. The Mandarin Dragonet has a red base with curving turquoise lines. Its face has a light green coloration with small yellow lines. The fins are outlined in dark blue with a variety of spots and lines on them. males have large sail like dorsal fins that make the fish even more impressive. It's difficult to imagine that anyone wouldn't fall in love with the looks of this fish. It is stunning.

Now for the not so fun part. Caring for a fish that is usually labeled as "experienced hobbyists only" can be daunting, but worry not! If you pay careful attention to what you read here, caring for your own Mandarin Dragonet is well within your reach.

First, let's look at the positives. Mandarin Dragonets are one of the hardiest fish in the hobby. They are extremely tolerant to changes and can handle stress well. They are also great at dealing with diseases. There have been instances where a whole tank was wiped out with Marine Velvet except for the Mandarin Dragonet. Because they spend a lot of time gliding over rocks and corals, they have a slimy mucus layer to protect them from damage. This doubles as a disease shield. If it were not for their picky eating habits, Mandarin Dragonets would make the perfect beginner fish. While they are hardy, you should still strive to make your aquarium as hospitable and stable as possible. Also, despite their high disease resistance, you should still go to every length to keep diseases and parasites out of your system. Though unlikely, it is still very possible for Mandarins to get diseases, especially if they are malnourished.

Speaking of nutrition, let's talk about the hard part. The reason Mandarin Dragonet's are difficult to care for is their diet. They have extremely fast metabolisms, similar to a humming bird. For this reason, they have to eat almost constantly. If or when you own one, you'll notice that it spends most of its waking hours searching for food around your rocks and on the glass. It is possible to feed the Mandarin small portions of frozen food several times per day, but there are several problems that come with that. First, not all Mandarin Dragonets eat prepared food, especially if they are wild-caught. Second, feeding several times per day will mean increasing the amount of food going in your tank, which will in turn cause the water to become more polluted with nutrients. Third, you simply may not feel like feeding that often. It may seem like feeding is simple task that can only take a few minutes, but Mandarin Dragonets are not like other fish. Unfortunately, they will not swim up to get food or chase after it if it is swept up by the water flow. You will need to do what is called "spot feeding". This is when you use some sort of reciprocating tool such as a baster or syringe to put the food directly in front of the fish. The frustrating part is that you may have to sort of chase the Mandarin around the aquarium as you try to get it to notice a piece of food. It is possible to feed a Mandarin using this method, but there is an alternative that is mutually beneficial for both you and the Mandarin.

The natural diet of the Mandarin Dragonet is live copepods. Copepods are microscopic crustaceans that can easily multiply in your aquarium. They have several benefits that include algae control, biodiversity, and feeding corals and other fish as well. Copepods can maintain their own population creating a sort infinite food supply for your Mandarin. How do you get copepods in your aquarium? Well, first you have to get them from somewhere. AlgaeBarn has a great selection of copepods. Ecopods from AlgaeBarn are best for feeding Mandarin Dragonets because they contain. Specific copepod species that best feed dragonets are Tigriopus and Tisbe. We'll discuss how to properly maintain a copepod population later. Another thing to note when it comes to diet is that you can use a combination of copepods and prepared food. You can also feed live brine shrimp from time to time. This will ensure that your Mandarin Dragonet is not getting malnourished.

There are a few other general care requirements you should know before getting this fish. The matter of tank size is a difficult subject to give a specific answer to, especially when it comes to Mandarin Dragonets. For space alone, dragonets typically only need thirty gallons. However, less space means less rocks, which means less surface area for copepods. Also, if you are feeding more food throughout the day to keep your dragonet healthy, your tank will become polluted quicker if it is small. For this reason, it is generally best to have a larger aquarium if you want to keep a Mandarin successfully. It is certainly possible to keep one in a small aquarium, but it is much more difficult. Generally, an aquarium of 50 gallons with plenty of porous rock and a refugium will be enough to sustain this fish. How about tank mates? Mandarin Dragonets are peaceful. They get along well with other fish and will not cause aggression unless it is another dragonet. Males and females can be paired together, but keep in mind that this means they will eat double the amount of copepods or need double the amount of prepared food. When it comes to parameters, the generally accept range will do for this fish (~78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025).

The most difficult part to keeping a Mandarin is feeding. The best way to keep a Mandarin fed is with copepods. You know that now (right?). The next thing you need to know is how to maintain a stable population of copepods in your aquarium. A single Mandarin can easily wipe out a population of copepods if they are not properly seeded. The most crucial aspect of this is creating an area where copepods can live and reproduce without getting eaten by fish or anything else. This will ensure that while the copepod population in the display may getting eaten, there are more in the system to replace them. The most common way to do this is with some sort of refugium. When you first add copepods to your aquarium, add half or more to the display and add the rest to your refugium. Make sure that at least 30% of the copepods go into the refugium. Another thing that you can do along side that is add lots of porous rock of media to either the display, refugium, or both. Media such as MarinePure Ceramic media adds a lot of surface area in a small amount of space.

After doing this, your tank should be able to keep up with your Mandarin's demands. You may have to add more copepods from time to time to boost the population. If you notice your Mandarin getting skinnier or see that it is having a hard time finding copepods, you may need to add more to your system. Be sure to closely monitor your Mandarin's appearance, as this directly correlates to its health. The more plump it looks, the better!

 

The final thing we will talk about is captive-bred Mandarin Dragonets. Company's such as Biota and ORA are producing Mandarin Dragonets that are already trained to eat frozen food. Some even eat pellets. Captive-bred Mandarins are significantly easier to care for because they can be fed a much wider range of food. So, just in case your copepod population is running low, you can still ensure that your Mandarin is healthy. Also, purchasing captive-bred fish helps the ocean by discouraging the harmful wild-caught trade while supporting the captive-bred industry. This makes our hobby more sustainable and eco-friendly!