Mandarin Dragonet

The Mandarin Dragonet is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful fish in the ocean, adorned with an extraordinary psychedelic pattern of wavy blue, orange, green, and yellow lines that make it look more like a living painting than a fish. Its name derives from its resemblance to the ornate robes worn by Imperial Chinese mandarins. Unlike most marine fish that rely on scales for protection, the Mandarin Dragonet secretes a thick, foul-tasting mucus coating that deters predators and provides remarkable resistance to common marine diseases such as ich and velvet.

Despite its breathtaking beauty, the Mandarin Dragonet is considered an expert-level fish due to its extremely specialized feeding requirements. In the wild, these fish spend their entire day methodically hunting tiny copepods and amphipods from the surface of live rock and rubble. They are notoriously reluctant to accept prepared foods, and the majority of specimens require a thriving, self-sustaining population of live copepods and amphipods to survive. An established aquarium of at least 6 months to a year with abundant live rock (minimum 75 pounds in a 30-gallon tank) is typically necessary to support the microfauna population needed to sustain a single Mandarin Dragonet.

In recent years, captive-bred Mandarin Dragonets have become available, and these specimens are far more likely to accept frozen and prepared foods than their wild-caught counterparts. ORA (Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums) and Biota Marine Life are among the facilities that have successfully bred this species. If choosing a wild-caught specimen, observe it eating at the fish store before purchasing, and be prepared to maintain a refugium to supplement copepod populations. Mandarin Dragonets are slow, deliberate feeders and should not be housed with aggressive eaters that will outcompete them for food. A mated pair performing their nightly spawning dance, rising together in the water column at dusk, is one of the most magical sights in the marine aquarium hobby.