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Every species is checked against your display tank before it goes in the water.
How this works →How we check: each species' minimum tank size against your display volume, plus quantities and behaviour pairings between tankmates.


Spotted Mandarin
A small green dragonet marked with black-ringed blue and orange ocelli, hopping slowly over rock and sand on its pectoral fins all day. Its problem is not aggression or hardiness but food: it hunts live copepodsA tiny crustacean that lives in the rock and sand; natural live food for many fish. and amphipodsA small shrimp-like crustacean living in rock and sand; live food for many fish. almost continuously and a single fish can take hundreds of pods a day, so it needs a mature tank — six months minimum, ideally with a refugiumA separate, protected compartment where helpful microfauna and macroalgae grow to improve water quality. and plenty of rock — before it stands a chance. Many individuals never accept frozen or prepared food, and a mandarin in a clean, young, well-skimmed tank simply starves over a few months while looking fine at first. Keep one per tank (males fight), never with fast aggressive feeders that outcompete it, and treat pod supply, not tank volume, as the real requirement.
Care & compatibility guidance only — confirm this fish’s needs and temperament with your supplier before you buy. Disclaimer
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