Where to buy a Red Mandarin Dragonet?

[Kaiser]

As I've heard that it isn't recommended to quarantine a Mandarin, I was wondering what reputable source i could obtain one from. Is Liveaquaria actually a good source? I've never actually bought a fish from them so i have no idea myself, so I was wondering what other people thought.

 

[Leslie Tabor]

The recommend the tank transfer method, there are lots of threads on here. I would attach one, but I am not sure how! Lol the mandarins have a healthy slim coat so it is my understanding that they act like a "carrier" for parasites. Tank transfer is a safe way to prevent introducing dz to your display tank.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Agreed. Tank transfer would be the best way of getting a mandarin through qt and protecting the rest of your tank inhabitants.

LiveAquaria is a solid vendor, but they don't qt their fish. And no vendors I am aware of have a flawless qt/disease prevention protocol.

 

[ebushrow]

Captive bred ones are available (ORA)....I would go that route

 

[eatbreakfast]

Captive bred ones are available (ORA)....I would go that route

If I'm not mistaken, ORA stopped selling captive bred mandarins a few years ago, though they are still on their site. Another company, Biota, has captive bred mandarins. Algae Barn sells them.

 

[Baby Ray]

If you are going to get a mandarin, please get one from biota. You can buy them at Algaebarn.com. They are captive bred and they come in eating frozen foods. They are pretty small but they have a much higher change of surviving because they are captive bred.