A Lady for my green Mandirin?

[NaCl_H2O]

Some of you have seen my systems - I have a nice healthy green male Mandirin that I have had for about a year in my old 125g system. He is now in my 215g SPS tank and seems to be very happy, and still very fat.

I am considering getting a female and would like to hear your thoughts? I think I have an adequate pod population for both.

How do I make sure I am getting a female?
Is it likely they will pair up?
Any chance they would spawn?
Do I need to get a large female to go with my large male, or do they prefer younger women ;)

Thx - Steve

[Ram_Puppy]

Dragonete males have a long first dorsal spine, it can sometimes reach back to their tale, females do not have the first dorsal spine. Males are also larger, and more colorful.

I think your chances of them pairing up are pretty good, but I don't know how 'tight' a mandarin pairing is, since male mandarin's typically have a harem in their wild territory.

There are reported cases of breeding in captivity, but they are very few, and very far between. However many report them doing their mating dance.

not sure on female size, I think you might have a problem finding a female since males, being larger and more colorful are typically the ones captured on the reef.

[BA]

Might want to try to contact Mihn, i know he had a pair, i don't know if he still does...

[rocketeer]

Interesting you should ask. I've been looking for a large male for my female. She's been in my 120 gal for a little over a year. I tried to rescue a male once but he was too far gone. She was sort of a ***** toward him, so I QTed her for a couple of days in the fuge. I think she gained weight there! But when I brought her back to the tank, she was a real sweetheart. Unfortunately, he didn't last long. I even tried hand-feeding him cyclopeze. It didn't work. I decided that if I were to get her a healthy male, he should be somewhat larger than she is.

Too bad they're not like dogs. You could bring yours over and we could let them run around in the backyard for a while. :roll:

Jack

[::pete::]

Isnt there a spot in San Antonio off that list
You Know You're From San Antonio When... for this kind of thing?

[NaCl_H2O]

Isnt there a spot in San Antonio off that list
You Know You're From San Antonio When... for this kind of thing?

LOL - Hey Jack, grab your Mandarin & I'll meet you at Mission Drive-in :-D

[Ram_Puppy]

CB pets has had green mandarins in their tanks for a while, the tanks have a heavy pod population so they should be healthy, but I never took the time to see if they were male or female.