Dragonets

grouperhead

grouperhead

Active Member
they are very hard to keep. they feed mainly on copepods in the tank which come with liverock. most say you need around 75-100 pounds to sustain one dragonet. rarely will they feed on regular aquarium foods. many beginners buy them because of thier gorgeous colors and then see them waste away because they cant care for them properly. what size tank/tankmates/lbs. of liverock do you have? i think it would be better in a reef tank, but thats just my opinion. several people on the boards keep these, so maybe they can give you some more advice. later, bo
 
pufferlover

pufferlover

Active Member
The Mandarins are very hard keepers. I have had many and my longest lived one was about 5 when it died a few months ago. Most did not make a month even in my reef tank. They cannot compete for food so that is why they need their diet of little critters they can pick from the livr rock. Mine did eat brine live and frozen and blackworms but that was it. The one that lived so long was in a little 15 gallon tank with just a longnose hawk for company and I figure that is why it had a long life.
 
johnay3

johnay3

Member
So getting live rock is pretty much a requirement as well as an environment where there is no competition?
 
kappadoku

kappadoku

Member
Their slow eaters, and if they are started on brine and mysis shrimp, like mine were, their ok if they dont have to compete for food. They should have the food suspended in the water column for at least 20 minutes. BTW, they make great tankmates in a seahorse tank...
 
otto13

otto13

Member
they both are amphipod eaters. very slow and methodical. get them after you stock the tank with live rock. you should see tiny little creatures scurrying around the tank. those are amphipods/copepods.
you can purchase them online if you dont have a good supply of them. the dragonets and seahorses will take some frozen, (mysis are the best bet, due to fat content) but the fish will die over time cause they arent getting the nutients they need to live. okie dokie
email me if you want more info
lwallace@amtelco.com
[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: otto13 ]
[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: otto13 ]
 
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