2 mandarin dragonets

[sirrealism]

hi all I have a mandarin and a spotted mandarin both males in a 110 reef with a refugem, I was warned not to have 2 males "after I bought them from the lfs" but its been year and things have been really good. both of them fat and happy, but about a week ago the mandarin started chasing the spotted a little then they would face of with there spikes upfore about 10 minn. this has happend 1 more time. Im going to be setting up another reef tank in 3 months but can it wait? also and this is maybe a little crazy but what about 2 females,1 mandarin and 1 spotted? just a thought! thanks for any input.

 

[Sk8r]

They've grown up. Hormones have kicked in, is my guess, and they're annoying each other: it's the two guys-locked-in-a-space-capsule blues, and some day it's going to get bad. I don't think your other tank can wait. If you get females, you should separate the pairs into separate tanks, asap, because the next competion will be for egg-sites...and it just goes on and on.

Your next big problem is going to be pods in that other tank. I'd advise moving now, get it through a cycle as fast as you can (if you share out rock, it shouldn't be too extreme or long) and start dirtying it up so you can grow your own. Reed Mariculture (Reef Nutrition) is a great online source, with lots of rock on sand so you can create a pod population that can replicate itself soon.

 

[SumpDiver]

How much space do these mandarin dragonets require? Are they real swimmy fish? Can one be kept in a 50 gal FOWLR? Can they survive on prepared foods or does their sole diet consist of pods and what they can get off the rock and sand. They look a lot like a mandarin goby to me which I understand requires a big reef tank to keep.