Awesome new little guy! Ruby Red Dragonet/Blenny

[mayjong]

Very cool fish. I'm getting a pair.

i wanted a pair but wasn't sure if they could be sexed like other mandarins, with the male having a longer fin on top... and they don't "raise" they're fins as much (especially at the lfs). +the lfs only had two, not a very good chance of seeing any difference...

 

[ReeferKimberly]

When I bought mine and the employee stuck the net in, they stuck their fins up and it was easy to spot the males Much larger fins. The males also have a green/black band on their yellow fins that the females do not. Just make sure to have a large enough tank to support the pods for two.

(mine also raises his fin in the tank quite often, but that is just mine)

 

[NyReefNoob]

my lfs gets about 20 of them a week lol and sells out they sell them for 35

 

[mayjong]

cool, mine raises her fin in my tank alot now, too.
looks like i need to find a male!

 

[BiggsTheGoalie]

Hopefully this helps someone and it's not just me, but I've always had luck with my dragonets eating frozen mysis (PE or Hikari) and usually frozen brine as well. I also had luck with the frozen ova. Brine is usually easiest for them to take, but long-term they'll need something more substantial like the other two. I've had multiples over the years, including breeding pairs of S. splendidus and regular scooters and they've all taken frozen food.

Good luck...the moyeri is a new one to me, gorgeous fish!

 

[Hoopz87]

He's awesome looking

 

[mayjong]

looks like i need to rethink my theory. took a good look last night and got a better pic.
my guy looks male...

 

[BiggsTheGoalie]

I would still lean towards female. Males normally has much large dorsals. Looks at the LiveAquaria pics Kmberly posted above.

 

[anbosu]

That looks like the female to me if the dorsal fin is fully extended in your picture.

 

[mayjong]

here is a better pic. (not a better pic, but a better angle. only have cell pics)
the dorsal has the yellow/black striping on the "front half" but is solid black on the back half, and it also has the dark stripe on the lower fins. could it just be immature?
i can see it much better by eye. i need a macro lens for my camera!

 

[FTDelta]

Do they need mature tanks with constant supply of pods as would a Mandarin? Or are they more of a blenny species? Gorgeous fish btw...

 

[mayjong]

i would err on the side of established tank. mine is a year old, and i moved most of the liverock from a two year old tank. it is covered in sponges/macro/etc.

 

[sc50964]

How would an established mandarin do with this new guy? I wonder coz I have one in my matured 40 gallon reef.

 

[Paul B]

There is a store here in New York that got a shipment of them in. They have about 20 of them for $39.00 each, so you did great on the price.

 

[drej424]

Where in NY, Paul? I would love one of those!

 

[Nembo]

Very nice.Tried 3 but can't keep them longer than 6 months despite them eating well.Been told my tank temperatures are too high as they are a deepwater fish.A friend has a pair in a nano with catalina gobies running at 65F with dimmer lighting than me.He's had his over a year and they seem to be thriving.

 

[Reef Frog]

Very nice.Tried 3 but can't keep them longer than 6 months despite them eating well.Been told my tank temperatures are too high as they are a deepwater fish.A friend has a pair in a nano with catalina gobies running at 65F with dimmer lighting than me.He's had his over a year and they seem to be thriving.

Wow this is kind of distressing information but appreciate the post. I thought I did my due dilegence but never saw any cool temperature requirements. Can I ask about the source of your info?

I am going to do some more research, but can anyone point the way to some authoritative sources, or even anecdotal accounts? How long has this fish been available in the hobby? Any long term reports out there in captivity? Any information on where this fish is harvested and specifics on environment? Is it found in the same environment as the Catelina goby in the temperate Pacific Ocean?

I have a chiller & could probably go from 79F to 74F if needed but any lower might cause changes I wouldnt like. What do you think?

This is just a guess & perhaps wishful thinking, but I assumed this wasn't a deep water fish since other dragonets are not to my knowledge & pod populations might be more abundant at higher depths.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't many other hardy fish in our hobby deep water fish? But if it shares a cool water temperate environment with the Catalina goby. Well that's another matter. I've been diving there and the water is COLD!

I can tell lots of you really like this fish. Are we doomed long term? Or is it time to set up a small cold water tank?

 

[Reef Frog]

I just started my research on the above but good info seems hard to come by. Anyone have the full species name for this fish?

 

[johnike]

Synchiropus sp. so far.

 

[ReeferKimberly]

I keep my tank at 76, wonder if that would be better than 80. (no particular reason, heater is just set at that and I never did change it, everything has been fine). I know temperate species are at colder than that, but I guess every degree would help.....

Nembo, in how big of a tank did you have 3?