Mandarin Goby

SupaJSK · 05-21-2001, 05:01 PM

What's everyone's experience been with Mandarin Gobies? I hear that they can be quite dangerous in a reef tank.

orion25 · 05-21-2001, 05:19 PM

If you mean the Green Mandarin fish I have heard the opposite. As long as you have plenty of LR & LS they will be happy. They like to eat the little creatures on the rock and in the sand. I had one before I moved and after my new setup matures I am adding another.

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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

rededteck · 05-21-2001, 05:52 PM

I have one in my 220 gallon reef, he is doing well. They have a very strict diet of eating the live creatures on the live rock (amphipods???) Good luck getting them to eat brine shrimp.

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"I got a drink in my hand, got my toes in the sand, all I really need is a beautiful girl..."

[This message has been edited by rededteck (edited 05-22-2001).]

**Ninong** · 05-21-2001, 06:00 PM

Hi SupaJSK ~

Neither of the two species of Mandarin Dragonets, Synchiropus splendidus or S. picturatus, would be considered dangerous for a reef tank. They do require a mature tank, lots of live rock, a nice live sand bed, and lots of copepods and amphipods and other microcrustaceans to feed on.

They are not a danger to anything else in the tank. And usually everything else will leave them alone since their aposematic coloration will alert the other animals that they are not particularly tasty. In fact, their slime is especially nasty tasting and if another fish is dumb enough to try to taste one of these guys, they will spit 'em out in a hurry and never try again.

The problem usually is that people try to keep them in tanks that do not have a large enough population of microcrustaceans to support them. The usual recommendation is approximately 100-lbs of live rock and at least a 75-gal tank for a single Mandarin Dragonet. That assumes that the tank does not also contain other fish that feed on the same prey. It is possible to work around that problem to a certain extent if the tank also has an active refugium.

Regards,

Ninong [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img]

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Irrational Exuberance!

05-21-2001, 05:01 PM	#1
SupaJSK Citizen Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 168	Mandarin Goby What's everyone's experience been with Mandarin Gobies? I hear that they can be quite dangerous in a reef tank.

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05-21-2001, 05:19 PM	#2
orion25 Council Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Huntsville, AL, USA Posts: 383	If you mean the Green Mandarin fish I have heard the opposite. As long as you have plenty of LR & LS they will be happy. They like to eat the little creatures on the rock and in the sand. I had one before I moved and after my new setup matures I am adding another. ------------------ Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

05-21-2001, 05:52 PM	#3
rededteck Sci Fi Reefer Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: central pa, usa Posts: 394	I have one in my 220 gallon reef, he is doing well. They have a very strict diet of eating the live creatures on the live rock (amphipods???) Good luck getting them to eat brine shrimp. ------------------ "I got a drink in my hand, got my toes in the sand, all I really need is a beautiful girl..." [This message has been edited by rededteck (edited 05-22-2001).]

05-21-2001, 06:00 PM	#4
Ninong Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Louisiana Posts: 19,724	Hi SupaJSK ~ Neither of the two species of Mandarin Dragonets, Synchiropus splendidus or S. picturatus, would be considered dangerous for a reef tank. They do require a mature tank, lots of live rock, a nice live sand bed, and lots of copepods and amphipods and other microcrustaceans to feed on. They are not a danger to anything else in the tank. And usually everything else will leave them alone since their aposematic coloration will alert the other animals that they are not particularly tasty. In fact, their slime is especially nasty tasting and if another fish is dumb enough to try to taste one of these guys, they will spit 'em out in a hurry and never try again. The problem usually is that people try to keep them in tanks that do not have a large enough population of microcrustaceans to support them. The usual recommendation is approximately 100-lbs of live rock and at least a 75-gal tank for a single Mandarin Dragonet. That assumes that the tank does not also contain other fish that feed on the same prey. It is possible to work around that problem to a certain extent if the tank also has an active refugium. Regards, Ninong [img]/ubb/smile.gif[/img] ------------------ Irrational Exuberance!

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