Mandarinfish

I have long had my Mandarin Dragonets mixed up...

In case anyone else confused...

Always beleived the "Green Mandarin" - (Pterosynchiropus splendidus) was the Psychedelic Mandarin.

And thought the Green Spotted Mandarin - (Synchiropus picturatus) was known as the "Green one" - Actually other way around.

Have called them wrong many times and seen others do also...and have never been corrected.

:-/

Was quite surprised when I was looking up fish characteristics. (have one of each. "Green" in Nano, Psychedelic in Main)...now know which is which.

​

Mandarin Dragonet - Green​

(Pterosynchiropus splendidus)​

a.k.a.Green Mandarin​

The Green Mandarin is full of colorful sweeping shapes of red, blue, and green throughout its body.

​

Mandarin Dragonet - Spotted ​

(Synchiropus picturatus)​

a.k.a. Psychedelic Mandarin​

The Psychedelic Mandarin is green to gray in color with colorful concentric mis-shaped spots of dark green trimmed with bright red, orange, and green.



FYI...

​

 

according from what i've read - the psychedelic one is able to deal with more boisterous tank mates then the splendidus. Also easier to adept to brine shrimp feeding etc... ive also read that psychedelic is rarer then the splendidus

 

Dragonets​

(Saltwaterfish.com)​

The Dragonet family of fish are small fish that are usually found hopping around reefs. These fish have small protruding mouths designed for capturing microfauna. The Dragonets have two separated dorsal fins with the male Dragonet having an elongated dorsal spine.

​

Mandarin Dragonet - Green​

(Pterosynchiropus splendidus)​

a.k.a.Green Mandarin​

The Green Mandarin is full of colorful sweeping shapes of red, blue, and green throughout its body. The Mandarinfish is a very peaceful creature that likes to hop and hover throughout the aquarium looking for copepods and other live food to feed on. They should be introduced into established aquariums with Live Rock, as this is where their best food source breeds -- copepods. The Mandarin will also accept live brine and worms. These fish love lots of rockwork to swim around and are very popular for their excellent disposition and coloring. These fish are often confused as Gobies, but their true species name is Dragonet. The males can be distinguished from females by their elongated dorsal spine. They make a great addition to any reef tank.

Size: 2-3 inches
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Safe: Yes
Diet: Live Worms, Live Brine, Copepods
Origin: Indian Ocean
Acclimation Time: 3+ hours
Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons
Coral Safe: Yes
Invertebrate Safe: Yes

​

Mandarin Dragonet - Spotted ​

(Synchiropus picturatus)​

a.k.a. Psychedelic Mandarin​

The Spotted Mandarin,is not nearly as available as its close cousin the Green Mandarin. The Psychedelic Mandarin is green to gray in color with colorful concentric mis-shaped spots of dark green trimmed with bright red, orange, and green.

Size: .75-2 inches
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Safe: Yes
Diet: Live Worms, Live Brine, Copepods
Origin: Indian Ocean
Acclimation Time: 3+ hours

 

thanks for the heads up their Ive always just refered to em as mandarin and spotted manderin.")

 

What a lovely fish! Thanks for sharing Scott! Very nice photos!