Description
This stunning fish originates from the Philippines, but the specimens sold here are captive-bred by ORA. It has an orange-red body with thick, curving turquoise lines. Its underside blends into a green, while all of the fins are outlines in a dark blue. The males have large sail like dorsal fins that are particularly stunning. The females have smaller dorsal fins but are still beautiful. Blue Mandarins, sometimes called Green Mandarins, are known to be difficult to care for due to their feeding requirements. Wild-caught specimens require a very stable population of copepods and are difficult to train to eat frozen food. These ORA specimens were raised on a variety of different prepared foods, making them reasonable for even beginners. Feed meaty foods such as frozen or live baby brine shrimp, blood worms, fish roe, and high quality pellets several times throughout the day. Because they have fast metabolisms, they need lots of small portions of food during the day. It is recommended that you feed three or more times while also maintaining a copepod population just in case. Because the fish accepts other food, doing this won’t be difficult. Mandarin Dragonets are exceptionally hardy and resilient to disease. This is because of their thick outer mucus covering their bodies. This fish is best kept in an aquarium of at least 30 gallons with plenty of live rock to hide and scavenge in. Avoid keeping it with fish that will compete for food. The Blue Mandarin can be kept singly or in a pair.
Care Requirements
Purchase Size: ~1″
Feeding: Carnivore. Spot feed pellets or frozen food. Maintain a stable copepod population.
Water Parameters: ~78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef safe: Yes
Color: Orange-red body with bright turquoise lines.
More Information
Along with being easier to feed, captive-bred Blue Mandarin Dragonets are even hardier and more resilient to disease. They are also better adapted for aquarium life and better able to handle the stress of shipping than wild-caught specimens. By purchasing captive-bred fish, you are discouraging the harmful wild-caught trade while supporting the captive-bred industry. This makes our wonderful hobby more sustainable.
