Mixing Dragonet Species

Frost_Hydra · 11/02/2017, 11:08 AM

I have been thinking of getting a Red Ruby Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax) and a regular Green Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus). I'm planning one of them being male and the other female. I was curious if anyone who knows more about this me thinks added two different Dragonets may end in conflict. I'm fine if they don't pair, I just don't want them to be aggressive towards each other.

Sk8r · 11/02/2017, 11:22 AM

No. Mandys don't fight, except each other. The first in will kill the second in anything but an absolutely huge tank.

Frost_Hydra · 11/02/2017, 11:34 AM

So even if their different genders they will fight each other? Sorry, I'm just slightly confused.

MondoBongo · 11/02/2017, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frost_Hydra

So even if their different genders they will fight each other? Sorry, I'm just slightly confused.

my mandy killed my scooter. still pretty upset about that.

homer1475 · 11/02/2017, 01:19 PM

Even a mandy and scooter?

So glad I talked my wife out of the scooter because I wasn't sure since they are both dragonets.

davocean · 11/02/2017, 05:15 PM

My exp is usually a green or red will fight other males, not females, even multiples, and they usually do mix fine w/ both target mandy's and ruby reds.
I had a mated pair of red mandy's and a ruby single w/ no issues at all, my only concern would be tank needs to be big enough and have enough fuge to provide pods for all

aznflyfisherman · 11/02/2017, 05:57 PM

I have a green mandy n ruby red dragonet in my 110g, they did not fight. Mandarin is about 2yrs old n rubby red is about 1yr. Though they will eventually starve if your tank isnt big enough to support a lot of pods for them to eat, even if they eat mysis..

Frost_Hydra · 11/02/2017, 07:50 PM

I'm planning on getting a hang on refugium, but I can already see hundreds of white dots on the glass, so I'm not too worried about food. I guess the safer option would be to get 2 females instead of a male and a female.

davocean · 11/02/2017, 08:04 PM

Not sure your tank size but keep in mind they eat 1-3 pods per minute on the average, 24/7 nonstop, so even just one can wipe out a huge population of pods in no time.

Typically it's suggested 50g per dragonet and an established fuge, unless you are providing pods in another way like culturing your own.

ReefNomad · 11/03/2017, 06:13 AM

Like anything else, each mandarin is unique... we bring in several types of dragonettes, and mostly they'll cohabitate fine so long as we feed them live pods like crazy... once food gets scarce, some of them go a bit nuts though, and need to be separated.
In a home tank, I think you'd need to really watch them.

MurphyLong · 11/03/2017, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davocean

Not sure your tank size but keep in mind they eat 1-3 pods per minute on the average, 24/7 nonstop, so even just one can wipe out a huge population of pods in no time.

Typically it's suggested 50g per dragonet and an established fuge, unless you are providing pods in another way like culturing your own.

Well, maybe no 24/7 but they are quite deliberate feeders. My scooter shuffles until he's buried under the sandbed around 10pm and stays there til 7am.

MondoBongo · 11/03/2017, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homer1475

Even a mandy and scooter?

So glad I talked my wife out of the scooter because I wasn't sure since they are both dragonets.

i had read other places that they could co-exist, and they did, for about a month.

my tank is large too, 155 oceanic. so there was plenty of room and plenty of food to spare.

Sk8r · 11/04/2017, 05:04 PM

I had a female kill a new male twice her size.

davocean · 11/04/2017, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

I had a female kill a new male twice her size.

That's very unusual, are you certain she was the reason?
Mixed or same species?

Usually it's having 2 males that is an issue, many have mated pairs or even a male w/ a harem of females is possible.

davocean · 11/05/2017, 10:06 AM

Here's a vid of one of my mated pairs, had the male maybe a year before getting the female.

There is a ruby red in tank as well, but this was focused on my mandarins doing their mating dance, but I had that ruby w/ them well over a year and they never even looked at it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM-ivmHab7g&t=38s

11/02/2017, 11:08 AM	#1
Frost_Hydra Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 151	Mixing Dragonet Species I have been thinking of getting a Red Ruby Dragonet (Synchiropus sycorax) and a regular Green Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus). I'm planning one of them being male and the other female. I was curious if anyone who knows more about this me thinks added two different Dragonets may end in conflict. I'm fine if they don't pair, I just don't want them to be aggressive towards each other.

11/02/2017, 11:22 AM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	No. Mandys don't fight, except each other. The first in will kill the second in anything but an absolutely huge tank. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/02/2017, 01:19 PM	#5
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	Even a mandy and scooter? So glad I talked my wife out of the scooter because I wasn't sure since they are both dragonets. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

11/02/2017, 05:15 PM	#6
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	My exp is usually a green or red will fight other males, not females, even multiples, and they usually do mix fine w/ both target mandy's and ruby reds. I had a mated pair of red mandy's and a ruby single w/ no issues at all, my only concern would be tank needs to be big enough and have enough fuge to provide pods for all __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

11/02/2017, 08:04 PM	#9
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Not sure your tank size but keep in mind they eat 1-3 pods per minute on the average, 24/7 nonstop, so even just one can wipe out a huge population of pods in no time. Typically it's suggested 50g per dragonet and an established fuge, unless you are providing pods in another way like culturing your own. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

11/02/2017, 11:34 AM	#3
Frost_Hydra Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 151	So even if their different genders they will fight each other? Sorry, I'm just slightly confused.

11/02/2017, 05:57 PM	#7
aznflyfisherman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 957	I have a green mandy n ruby red dragonet in my 110g, they did not fight. Mandarin is about 2yrs old n rubby red is about 1yr. Though they will eventually starve if your tank isnt big enough to support a lot of pods for them to eat, even if they eat mysis..

11/02/2017, 07:50 PM	#8
Frost_Hydra Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 151	I'm planning on getting a hang on refugium, but I can already see hundreds of white dots on the glass, so I'm not too worried about food. I guess the safer option would be to get 2 females instead of a male and a female.

11/03/2017, 06:13 AM	#10
ReefNomad Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 130	Like anything else, each mandarin is unique... we bring in several types of dragonettes, and mostly they'll cohabitate fine so long as we feed them live pods like crazy... once food gets scarce, some of them go a bit nuts though, and need to be separated. In a home tank, I think you'd need to really watch them.

11/04/2017, 05:04 PM	#13
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I had a female kill a new male twice her size. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/05/2017, 10:06 AM	#15
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Here's a vid of one of my mated pairs, had the male maybe a year before getting the female. There is a ruby red in tank as well, but this was focused on my mandarins doing their mating dance, but I had that ruby w/ them well over a year and they never even looked at it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM-ivmHab7g&t=38s __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD