Green Mandarin (Asia Pacific)
Dragonets are enchanting fish; however they are dependent upon live food and are best reserved for experienced aquarists. Their close relatives the scooters are much easier to keep and typically learn to eat frozen food on the substrate. Aggressive tank mates should be avoided. Care should be exercised when transferring this fish in a net as its large cheek spines may become tangled. They spend their days sneaking through the rockwork and over the substrate, and may bury in the sand at night or when frightened. They are prone to accidentally swimming into anemones and being eaten. Males have larger first dorsal fins than females.
Dragonets are hunters of tiny shrimp-like copepods, and they must eat huge numbers of them in order to retain their healthy rotund appearance. Although dragonets are small fish we recommend a well established aquarium of no less than 50 gallons, and preferably larger. Scooters may be kept in as small as 20 gallons if they are feeding well on prepared foods. A refugium is helpful in supplementing the main aquarium with live prey items. Macroalgae may also be kept directly in the aquarium, and feeding of Phytoplankton may encourage copepods to reproduce faster. Tigger pods are a popular first food which this fish finds irresistible.
Fish who directly compete with the dragonet for food should be avoided, primarily sleeper gobies. It should be offered frozen food items such as Calanus, Mysis and enriched brine shrimp on the sand several times a day.
One of the ocean's most charming fish, the Mandarin Dragonet may also be one of the most beautiful. Its deep orange body is decorated with swirling patterns of emerald green. Its cheeks are pale cream which dissipates into tiny freckles on its throat. Its large pectoral fins may be green to blue and are in a constant undulating motion; it uses its pelvic fins to rest on the substrate. It may be kept alone or in pairs if the fish are added together or female first. Two males should never be kept together. The Mandarin Dragonet grows to 3 inches.
