Spotted mandarin dragonet
Synchiropus picturatus
Also known as Psychedelic Mandarin, Green Spotted Mandarin, Picture Dragonet, Target Mandarin, Spotted Mandarin Fish
SaltwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 2.8 in
- 7 cm
- Minimum tank
- 29 gal
- 110 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Difficult
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Callionymidae
- Origin
- Western Pacific and eastern Indian Ocean, from the Philippines and Indonesia to western Australia
Overview
A peaceful, slow bottom forager with the same demanding pod-based diet as the green mandarin, which makes it an expert-level fish. Success depends on a well established tank rich in live copepods and amphipods, usually backed by a refugium or regular pod dosing. Captive-bred or frozen-trained individuals are much easier and strongly preferred over wild fish that eat only live pods. It is fully reef safe with corals and inverts, but keep only one male per tank because males fight.
In the wild
The spotted mandarin lives on the same kind of sheltered inshore reefs and rubble zones as the green mandarin, patrolling the sand and rock all day to pick off amphipods and copepods. It is a slow, methodical bottom grazer. It needs a mature reef with a large amount of live rock and live sand supporting a dense pod population, and a refugium helps keep that food supply topped up. It stays close to the substrate and rarely enters open water.
Good to know
Synchiropus picturatus is told apart from the green mandarin by its bold green, blue-ringed target spots (ocelli) on a darker background rather than maze-like stripes. Like its relative it has no scales and produces a thick, foul-tasting mucus coat that deters parasites and predators. Males grow larger and carry a taller first dorsal fin.
Did you know
The blue in a mandarin comes from a rare true blue pigment in its skin cells rather than the structural coloration most fish use, so the spotted mandarin is one of very few animals that manufactures its own blue color.
Common questions
What size tank does a Spotted mandarin dragonet need?
A Spotted mandarin dragonet needs at least 29 gal (110 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a Spotted mandarin dragonet need?
A Spotted mandarin dragonet is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
How big does a Spotted mandarin dragonet get?
An adult Spotted mandarin dragonet reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).
Related species
3.1 in (8 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Green mandarin dragonet
Synchiropus splendidus
3.1 in (8 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)53 gal (200 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Ruby red dragonet
Synchiropus sycorax
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3.5 in (9 cm)29 gal (110 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Scooter dragonet
Synchiropus ocellatus
3.5 in (9 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
2.8 in (7 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Link's goby
Amblygobius linki
2.8 in (7 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
3 in (7.5 cm)29 gal (110 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Flametail blenny
Enchelyurus flavipes
3 in (7.5 cm) · 29 gal (110 L)
3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)Buan's sleeper goby
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3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)