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Mandarin Dragonet
Dragonet

Mandarin Dragonet

Synchiropus splendidus

A jewel-toned, psychedelically patterned dragonet that is peaceful and endlessly watchable as it hops across the rock picking off copepods. Its beauty hides a hard requirement: it is a pod-specialist that will slowly starve in a young tank, so it belongs only in an established system (roughly 9–12 months) with a refugium or deep live-rock pod population. Reef- and invert-safe, but an advanced fish because of feeding, not temperament.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
2.8"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Bottom, Rockwork, Sand bed
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Mandarin Dragonet gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Maroon ClownfishMaroon Clownfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Purple TangPurple Tang (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Spotted MandarinTwo dragonets in one tank drain the copepod population roughly twice as fast, and a single system rarely regrows pods quickly enough to feed both. Same-sex dragonets also spar with each other.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Domino DamselDomino Damsel (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Marine BettaMarine Betta has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Zebra Dwarf LionfishZebra Dwarf Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Mandarin Dragonet.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Sailfin TangSailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Powder Blue TangPowder Blue Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Convict TangConvict Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Emperor AngelfishEmperor Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Regal AngelfishRegal Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Achilles TangAchilles Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Naso TangNaso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Scopas TangScopas Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Blueface AngelfishBlueface Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Chevron TangChevron Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Mimic TangMimic Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Powder Brown TangPowder Brown Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Ornate Leopard WrasseBoth are continuous copepod/amphipod grazers on the same live-food supply; care sheets warn not to house leopard wrasses with mandarins unless the tank produces pods faster than the two can strip them.Divided Leopard WrasseLeopard wrasse and mandarin both live on the tank's pod population; keep together only in a large, mature, pod-rich system or one will slowly starve.Blue-Throat TriggerfishBlue-Throat Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Crosshatch TriggerfishCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Niger TriggerfishNiger Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.Threadfin ButterflyfishThreadfin Butterflyfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Mandarin Dragonet and may harass it.