Can you have several dragonet in a tank?

[juanmanuelsanchez]

Hi all! I have a female green spot mandarin but I want to add 2 more, all females. So there is no mating fighting.

Is it possible? I have a 135 gallon tank with plenty of food.

Thanks for the help.

 

[bluprntguy]

Seems like 2 more would be pushing it unless you get them to eat frozen and supplement your tank with pod cultures regularly.

Why wouldn't you just want to add one male and have a pair?

 

[sfin52]

Paul b had a Mandy and pipe fish feeder. He has both Mandy and pipe fish in his reef.

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

I had a green mandarin and a spotted mandarin. One male and one female. They were aggressive to each other. Nothing way to serious but aggressive.

So I wanted to change all to females this time to see if it can be done.

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

Just to make sure this is a female right?

 

[bluprntguy]

Looks like a male to me. It has a spike.

 

[lavoisier]

That is a male--dorsal fin (longer and pointed). Females' fin are short and stubby. Same sex pairs will typically do damage to one another and should be avoided.

I've tried several times to keep a male and a female but was unable--one always killed the other. This was in a 600g DT! I've decided this time around I'll bite the bullet and buy a bonded pair from Divers Den. My new tank is only 4 months old so I'll wait until the copepods population is thriving in another month or so and then add a "feeding station" like Paul Bs.

 

[TexasReefer82]

What is a "feeding station" for mandarins and pipefish??

 

[lavoisier]

Its basically an acrylic tube that connects with a box at the bottom with a fine mesh cover. Do a search on feeding station and Paul B and you should find some pics. If you go done the search far enough you'll find the thread that Paul B started.

 

[Tamberav]

Just to make sure this is a female right?

That is a male.

What makes you think females don't fight? Fighting is definitely a possibility. Only bonded pairs seem to tolerate each other reliably.

 

[Tamberav]

That is a male--dorsal fin (longer and pointed). Females' fin are short and stubby. Same sex pairs will typically do damage to one another and should be avoided.

I've tried several times to keep a male and a female but was unable--one always killed the other. This was in a 600g DT! I've decided this time around I'll bite the bullet and buy a bonded pair from Divers Den. My new tank is only 4 months old so I'll wait until the copepods population is thriving in another month or so and then add a "feeding station" like Paul crap.

Careful....DD sells pairs that are not really bonded. At least you will know they are opposite sex with Mandy's though.

 

[OrionN]

......

I've tried several times to keep a male and a female but was unable--one always killed the other. This was in a 600g DT! I've decided this time around I'll bite the bullet and buy a bonded pair from Divers Den. .....

I always have a pair of Mandarin Dragonet in my tank for the last 20+ years. It is really easy to pair Mandarin, Synchiropus splendidus. They just ignore each other until spawning time. In order to get them to pair up you must accurately ID male and female AND the male must be larger than female
It is easy to tell male from female except when the male often have their spike broken off from fighting and looks like a female. Even if the spike got broken off the shape of the dorsal fin, and the size of his fins, proportionally male have larger fins than female, should be a reliable indication that he is a male, but we all get fooled once in a while.
If you want to get a pair and if you have a choice get the small female first then add the male.
The above also true for Spot Dragonet, Synchiropus picturatus, but the spike and the size of the fins are less exaggerated in Spot Dragonet.

When they are fighting you got two of the same sex or the female is larger than the male.
Below are pictures of my pair. I am sorry I don't have a profile picture of the female. I will get one over the next few days. Males are more beautiful and much bolder than female, at least with Madarin Dragonet.

 

[lavoisier]

Great pics. As I think back, my pairs were basically the same size.

 

[Edson Jerez]

Two females will must likely fight! They will stress each other to the point that they dont eat properly. I do have a pair of green mandys and one red ruby dragnet in a 75 gallon display, successfully for over a year. They are all trained to eat prepaid foods. My female loves pellets. This same female did not accept an Small spoted mandy.

 

[juanmanuelsanchez]

Well... I had 2 males in the tank. They fought each other from time to time but they were healthy and fat. I made the mistake of wrong sexting the spotted. I always though it was a female instead of a male.

I will buy females from now on and see what happens.

Will keep you guys informed.

Thanks for the help.