Blue Mandarin Dragonet

J

james-lee

Member
Hi! I just got a 3" Blue Mandarin and acclimated him (yes its a male) to my tank and put him in with lights out. Well lights came on and my six line arsse must have been butt hurt cause he is all up on the Mandarin. So far no fighting just quick darts uop tot he mandarin with fins extended for a second or two and the six darts back into the rock work. Six has only been in the tank for two weeks. Here are my possible options and I would like to know anyone elses experience and advice.

1) Put a mirror in the tank so the wriasse will just go be silly with his reflection.
2) Since there is no physical attacks perhaps the six will lose interest over time and move on with its life.
3) Use a fish trap and get the six out and put him in the sump for a few weeks or give him away all together.

Thanks in advance!
 
Update: Looks like the mirror trick is working. I have it up against the front of the DT and my six is now having fun displaying his fins to himself hahaha. How long should I leave the mirror up now that my Mandarin is swimming around and picking at pods in the sand bed?

Update again: Looks like the six line got bored with himself and went back to bullying the mandarin. I heard the six sleeps in a mucus cocoon should I hunt for it tonight or just use a fish trap? Between the two I would rather keep the mandarin.
 
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Yeah I am trying. I made a DIY fish trap with a 2 liter soda bottle. Thing is dont wrasse eat pods so would he not go for the pellets in the trap? Only thing I was able to do was hang my fish net in the middle of the tank. This seems to keep the six line on one side of the tank and my mandarin is on the other side.
 
When possible, an easy way to remove a 6-line is to watch which rock he sleeps in and remove it. I would something asap before the mandarin loses an eye or worse. Is it possible to partition off the tank with eggcrate?

Please don't take this the wrong way, I only mean it as an fyi. It's pretty well known that 6 lines and mandarins should not be kept together. You can save yourself some grief in the future by researching before buying.
 
Thanks. I did research and found quit a few people who had both in tanks smaller than mine. What I didnt realize was that the six was usually introduced after the fact that mandarin was already in the tank. When you say the rock the six sleeps in is that because he goes into a mucus cocoon and wont move from it while sleeping?
 
I don't know if they do that mucous thing. But they will sleep in a hole in the rock. If you know which rock and it can be removed easily. Go in there after lights have been out a couple of hours, switch them on and take out the rock into a bucket of tank water. Of course you have to have some place to keep him. You might want to have someone ready with a net to catch him if he tries to swim off the rock as you take it out. Or cover the hole or something.

The order you put them in doesn't make them compatible. They can coexist for a year and then the 6-line can suddenly decide the mandarin's time is up.
 
Thanks again. I have the lights out now but I have no isea where he went so I will have to go looking tonight. If anything I will probably catch the mandarin for now and stick it in the sump until I can get the six line.
 
Okay. Well I havent been able to catch the six yet. I have had the tank lights out for 72 hours and havent fed since Sat. I had the trap set up and caught alot of fishes but the six hasent gone in. In a suprising side note the six seems to have eased up on the mandarin. He will swim up to it and display his fins and leave. And quite a few times swam by the mandarin and gave it no attention at all. The mandarin has even ventured out to feed. Is the six line getting over it? I still plan to take him out just gonna have to have patience I guess with this guy and the damsels.
 
Well I still plan on getting him out. As fat as food goes I have over 300 lbs of well established lr. I also dump in 2000 pods bi monthly.
 
Your tank must be huge, still I think you're right to get one of them out of there. With that much rock, I'd be wanting a female mandarin, too :)
 
Well what if I get a mandarin thats about 4+". Maybe the wrasse wont pick on that one since is a little under 2". Either way when I catch him he and the damsels are being donated to the lfs!
 
I've heard that helps but it wouldn't be enough assurance for me. Since I mentioned getting a female, and your mandarin is so small, I just want to say that if you do add a female, be sure it's smaller than the male by a head or so.
 
i had a 6-line almost kill a mandarin in a 75 gallon tank once. The 6line would pressure and hunt down the mandarin every where it went.

remove one or the other.
 
Well small update: It has been three days and I gave up catching the Six Line. I have noticed now that the six is leaving the mandarin alone. He will swim by and not even notice him. Sometimes he swims in and out of a hole the mandarin is close to as if playing peeka-boo (he does this with everyone else lol). It has been three days and the mandarin is all over the tank now swimming for food as opposed to staying in the back right corner. Hopefully these two will get along from this point out or atleast till the mandarin gets big enough to where the wrasse will never want to bother him!
 
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