obese dragonet

[parrotchute]

So, despite its reputation for being a somewhat tough fish to keep, my spotted mandarin dragonet is becoming obese in my tank after a month. He doesn't eat any prepared food, but seems to be thriving on my abundant copos.

Can fish be overweight?

 

[dustin_P74]

a fat mandarin is a happy mandarin, and since the fish is in control of how much it eats a day i doubt its gonna be overweight

 

[parrotchute]

that's good to know, I can't afford to get him a rascal.

 

[yote]

The spotted (target) mandrines tend to easier to keep than the others.
Happy to hear yours is fat and happy.

 

[parrotchute]

Yeah, that's why I chose him over the psychedelic. I was a little concerned about it with their reputation, but the LFS told me he was eating, and my copepod population has been consistently strong.

He just looks so pudgy tho...soon he's going to look like a cowfish.

 

[dustin_P74]

you just have never seen a healthy mandarin

 

[dustin_P74]

these guys are happy and healthy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joer3/3014173430/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmbillies/198190587/

 

[parrotchute]

Hmmm...I'll try to take a photo. He doesn't look too far away from those ones, but at least he's fatter than when I got him, so that's good.

 

[dcantucson]

Well, since you're a "newbie" with this fish you probably don't know you're suppose to walk it at the least daily. Call your LFS an inquire how often they walked him and the best way... before he gets too fat!

 

[parrotchute]

haha, I need a hamster wheel.

 

[mng777777]

It's not the fish, it sounds like lazy pod syndrome to me. I put on some hip-hop twice daily so my pods can get in their aerobics time and healthy pods = healthy Dragonet
Here's Sid doing his push-ups

 

[Sharkie]

hes a nice fat happy lookin' lil guy :D I have a psych mandrin- Marley... at first i thought he was getting way to fat like my cat (haha) but a fat mandrin, is a healthy mandrin! :D

i want to get a female spotted one but am not sure if it would be a good thing to do or not, don't want them fighting or one getting less food even tho i have tons of pods and grown my own

 

[dustin_P74]

in your tank size i wouldnt try two

 

[mng777777]

ironically, I too was thinking of adding a second. What do you think of a mandarin with my spotted in my 75?

 

[dustin_P74]

if your pod supply is large then it could work but what i suggest is if you wanna do that pull the established mandarin out of the tank and put the new one in for a day or two to get adjusted also make sure you dont add two males or two females

 

[yote]

ironically, I too was thinking of adding a second. What do you think of a mandarin with my spotted in my 75?

Hate to say it,but it probably wont work.There both in the same family.
We tryed it in a 380 at the LFS and even in a tank that big,it didnt work.
Now if you get a male/female pair,then they'll probably get along as long as their a mated pair.

 

[mng777777]

that's what I thought. I just needed to hear it from a pro. So here's the next question: How would a scooter do with my spotted? I was at a public aquarium recently where they had a seahorse tank that was +/- 350 gals. They had 50 or more sea horses and 10-12 scooter blenny's. I assume the scooters are easier to keep together, but would the spotted freak out and attack or could they be friends?

 

[dustin_P74]

scooter bleeny and a spotted mandarin are two different fish species so i dont see why it wouldnt

 

[mng777777]

they are both in the Synchiropus family. i thought that was the determining factor, am I wrong?

 

[mng777777]

actually to be more accurate I believe they are both in the Synchiropus genus. But if compatibility is determined at the species level and not genus, then aren't the spotted and the green/red all different species and therefore also compatible?