Dragonet compatibility

[Aboynamedsous2]

Hi, I was have a 30 gallon set up. With a six line wrasse and a canary blenny. I really have my heart set on a dragonet but don’t wanna make that purchase if they don’t get along. Would they be peaceful if I add one? Thanks In advance!

 

[Jekyl]

Hi, I was have a 30 gallon set up. With a six line wrasse and a canary blenny. I really have my heart set on a dragonet but don’t wanna make that purchase if they don’t get along. Would they be peaceful if I add one? Thanks In advance!

Aggression isn't the issue. Mandarin need a habitat large enough to support the copepod population that they use for food. Make sure you have this covered before going further.

 

[Aboynamedsous2]

Aggression isn't the issue. Mandarin need a habitat large enough to support the copepod population that they use for food. Make sure you have this covered before going further.

Thanks, in the process of setting up a refugium. Plan to let it mature for a month or two to get the copepod population up and then buy one.

 

[James M]

Even if you set up a fuge you would still need to dose pods or set up something like a pod hotel

 

[Aboynamedsous2]

Even if you set up a fuge you would still need to dose pods or set up something like a pod hotel

Dually noted. Might also by a trained one

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Thanks, in the process of setting up a refugium. Plan to let it mature for a month or two to get the copepod population up and then buy one.

Depending on how much live rock in your cube, that may not be enough time. Wait until you've got pods all over the glass when you clean it. Then you'll know the Mandy will come in and have enough to eat too ward off travel stress and get settled it.

They literally hunt and eat all day and need to iot stay healthy.

 

[New&no clue]

Not a compatible issue but I believe 6-lines also eats pods. Having two pod eats in a small tank would make we nervous

 

[Aboynamedsous2]

Not a compatible issue but I believe 6-lines also eats pods. Having two pod eats in a small tank would make we nervous

Is it easy to find ones that eat mysis shrimp or do you know of a place where I could get one?

 

[New&no clue]

I believe Algae Barn says theirs eat mysis. The one thing to consider with “trained” ones is while they do eat mysis they eat very slowly, which means other fish in the tank will most likely get the food before the mandarin. For that reason they need multiple feedings a day.

 

[Jekyl]

Is it easy to find ones that eat mysis shrimp or do you know of a place where I could get one?

Even "IF" they eat other things it's not natural to them. You will have to manage a way to directly feed them without the pressure of other fish.

 

[Aboynamedsous2]

Thanks everyone might just get a clown or royal gramma instead seems like a wiser choice at the moment!

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

There are a couple issues that I can see. As previously mentioned, six line wrasses do eat a lot of pods. Even if you could find a trained one, you still can’t feed it once or twice a day and expect it to not still need pods. A mandarin only stays full for a very short time, so you would have to constantly be supplying whatever food it is eating. While this isn’t really attainable with mysis, if you are willing to make one, Paul B’s Brine shrimp feeder could work much better.

 

[Aboynamedsous2]

There are a couple issues that I can see. As previously mentioned, six line wrasses do eat a lot of pods. Even if you could find a trained one, you still can’t feed it once or twice a day and expect it to not still need pods. A mandarin only stays full for a very short time, so you would have to constantly be supplying whatever food it is eating. While this isn’t really attainable with mysis, if you are willing to make one, Paul B’s Brine shrimp feeder could work much better.

Cool I’ll look into it thanks!

 

[ThRoewer]

Aggression will be an issue. Sixlines are known to kill mandarins, and I had it happened a few times before I realized it. And my tank at the time was 750 liter (roughly 200 gallon). In much larger tanks they may get along but if the Sixline takes the mandarin as food competitor it will pick it to death. And in a 30 gallon that is almost guaranteed to happen.