Adding a female spotted mandarine dragonet

[that guy]

Hi everyone. In my 38 gallon tank I have a male spotted mandarine dragonet that eats mysis. He is by far one of my favorite fish and I would love to add a female to the tank. I know that dragonets will attack other dragonets but if I were to add a female what would I have to do to make it work? Also I got lucky with my mandarine who eats mysis. I have no idea if he is aquacultured or wild caught because although he was labled as wild caught he ate mysis right away after an hour of being acclimated to the tank. Seemed almost too easy. If I were to get a female do ORA dragonets eat mysis? I would be willing to pay the extra money if they do.

 

[Ambition]

I advise against keeping two dragonets in a tank of that size. The odds that the second one will eat mysis are against you. The pod population in a 38 gallon tank won't be able to sustain one mandarin, let alone two. If they both eat mysis it is good, but they would need to be fed nearly constantly in order to keep them alive.

 

[blue98ls1]

Again, IF you can get the female to eat prepared food. I'd probably just keep the male and enjoy the fact he's eating mysis. He could be supplementing with pods naturally occurring in the tank and you don't want someone else in there fighting for the same food.

 

[falconut]

I'd agree against adding a second one in a tank that size. Most people will tell you that size is too small for 1. If you're having success with the 1 in that tank, I would recommend against pushing your luck with a 2nd.

 

[that guy]

Thanks everyone for responding so quickly. I think it would be cool to have a second but i'll probably just keep the male by himself in the tank. Out of curiosity has anyone actually added a female with a male?

 

[rssjsb]

Not to pile on here, but it's worth reiterating that you have been incredibly lucky to sustain one mandarin in a tank that size.

Based on what's been reported here, the ORA mandarins are not really any more likely to eat mysis than any other mandarins. The major advantage (IMO) is ethical - you're not supporting the removal of this fish from the ocean when so few actually survive.

Looks like we cross-posted. I'll leave the content here for others, but I'm glad to hear you've decided to keep the status quo.