2 mandarin dragonets?

maryd

Member
I plan to add a couple more fish to my 90 gallon. I was wondering if two mandarin dragonets would get along fine. My other fish are Singapore Angel, clown, yellow tang and a royal gramma.
 

mrdc

Active Member
I would add only one due to feeding issues since most only eat pods. You may run the risk of starving one of them. How mature is your tank? Also I am not sure if two madarins will get along.
 

seannmelly

Active Member
at work 2 mandrins were put in the same tank w/ each other on accident and fought. when i had a mandrin, we only had one by itself.
 

maryd

Member
Ok, that's not a good choice then. I prefer to add 2 at the same time to prevent any territory fighting or to lessen it. The Tang and angel fought a bit at first and now they're the best of buds. Where one is, the other is.
Tank has been up since the 1st of the year.
 

maryd

Member
Any other good choices for adding 2 at a time? Not Damsels since the 3 I have are in a prison tank for being nasty to the gramma and biting me. They're serving a life sentence in there.
 

seannmelly

Active Member
idk if you have a sandbed but you could add a pair of jawfish. they prefer a deep sand bed so they can burrow. I have 4 green chromis, they would also be good to add in pairs. They aren't nearly as aggressive as damsels...however they did bite me too when i stuck my hand in the tank for something :notsure: But not usually aggressive i think they were looking for food...as they always are.
 

mrdc

Active Member
I have two perc clowns that seem to do well together. I added a small one after having a larger one for awhile. The larger one displayed dominance for a few days but now they go everywhere togther.
 

emperor11

Active Member
You can keep Mandarins together as long as you make sure you have a Male and a Female. Not a female and a female and DEFINETLY not a male and a male. The males have the large dorsal fin.
 

maryd

Member
I would assume a knowledgable person at the fish shop should know which one is which. Can I have them if the tank is still relatively new? It was set up Dec 31st of 2005. I do have quite a bit of live rock and live sand.
 

maryd

Member
I don't think I am ready for them yet. I found this article on them on another site: I think I'll wait for them. I don't want to kill them.
Reef Suitability: Mandarin fish are one of the most commonly sold fish, yet they are unfortunately one of the most likely to perish in the average reef tank. The reason for this is their very finicky feeding habits. Many mandarins will only eat live amphipods and copepods (pods) which are found in sufficient numbers only in larger and well established reef tanks. The minimum tank requirement is generally stated as 55 gallon with 50lbs or more of live rock. This is based on feeding requirements and not space requirements as the Mandarin is a very slow, docile fish. Perhaps more important than tank size is how heavily fed and nutrient rich a tank is, since this type of tank will generally support a higher pod population than tanks run under more lean conditions
 

bonebrake

Active Member
If you have 150 to 200 lbs. of live rock you can add two mandarins next year. Wait for your tank to be more mature. The reason you need so much live rock and a mature tank is because the copepods they eat have a difficult if not impossible time reproducing as fast as they can be eaten by mandarins. As said before, you can only keep two mandarins if you have a male and a female.
:joy:
 

bonebrake

Active Member
Jawfish are supposed to be really comical to watch and easy to care for. The only requirement for them in a tank the size of yours would be a decent sandbed of three inches or more.
 

emperor11

Active Member
Originally Posted by MARYD
I would assume a knowledgable person at the fish shop should know which one is which. Can I have them if the tank is still relatively new? It was set up Dec 31st of 2005. I do have quite a bit of live rock and live sand.
I don't know about them LFS people. I don't trust a single thing that comes out of their mouths. I'll find some pics of a male and a female tomorrow, and post them...when I can keep my eyes open.
As far as the Jawfish go, I personally don't care for them, but if you choose to do them, know they need a 5-6 inch sand bed to burrow under, and they are quite skittish (or at least can be), and are EXTREMELY jumpy. So, make sure you cover your tank!
 

maryd

Member
MY tank is covered and the sand is about 2-3 inches deep. I'll keep researching to find 2 fish which would work and can be added at the same time. Thanks.
 

dogstar

Active Member
Hows the Singapore doing ?? Thats a cool fish. Guessing its not a reef
You could think about a dwarf angle, butterflies, smaller wrasses, hawkfish, blennies, gobies, there truely so many that would work together, I recomend you buy a book about marine fish for aquariums. Or go thru the listings for sale on the fish link above and ask about some you like.
 

maryd

Member
yes, it is a reef and the Singapore is doing just great. He is best buds with the Yellow tang. Where one is the other is. They dine at the seaweed bar all the time together. They look quite nice together.
 

maryd

Member
I have several books on corals, fish and saltwater tanks and I do use them all the time. I also have a chart of what fish are compatible. I want to add 2 small fish at the same time and perfer ones with some color.
 
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