If you are looking for a beautiful fish to brighten up your aquarium, then adding a green mandarin might be a good choice. Be forewarned, however, that these fish are not the easiest to care for. But if you can get them to thrive they are amazing! Let’s learn a little bit more about this extraordinary swimmer.
This particular fishie has several aliases. The green mandarin fish is also known as the mandarin goby, the striped mandarinfish, and even the mandarin dragnet. While this exotic fish is often described as “blenny-like” it is actually a member of the dragonet family.
Let me go into a little more detail about this guy being difficult to care for. Your main hurdle is actually going to be getting the mandarin to your home. These fish do not ship easily. In fact, many of the online retailers who sell this breed do not offer any kind of guarantee that the fish will arrive alive. Once you’ve got a green mandarin at home, getting it acclimated to your tank is another issue. Though these fish are small, they need at least a 30 gallon tank to swim around in, with plenty of rock work to hide in. Some type of sand should also be covering the bottom of the tank.
Now let’s focus on the good. Obviously, the green mandarin has a lot to offer in terms of looks. It is one of the brightest fish available on the market today, and is relatively common. Another added bonus is that while these fish are pretty hostile to other members of their species, if you can find a mated pair, they will reproduce in a captive environment. Caring for the baby fish is difficult, but experts have mastered the task.
Do you own a green mandarin fish? Have you had an experience with one of these species? Let me know by posting a comment today!