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Little Shop of Coral

Green Mandarin Dragonet (Pterosynchiropus splendidus)

Green Mandarin Dragonet (Pterosynchiropus splendidus)

$65.00 CAD
$65.00 CAD
Sale Sold out

The Green Mandarin Dragonet is one of the most beautiful reef fish you can keep, with intense green and blue patterning and a calm, gliding swimming style. It is peaceful and reef safe, but it has specialised feeding needs and does best in a mature system with a healthy copepod population. If your tank can support it, a mandarin becomes a true showpiece that you can watch for hours.

Why we love it

  • Stunning colour and patterning, one of the most iconic reef fish

  • Peaceful and reef safe with corals and inverts

  • Fascinating behaviour as it “hunts” across the rockwork

Suggested parameters

  • Temperature: 24–26°C (75–79°F)

  • Salinity: 1.024–1.026 SG

  • pH: 8.1–8.4

  • Alkalinity: 8–10 dKH

  • Ammonia/Nitrite: 0

  • Nitrate: Under 10–15 ppm (stable is best)

Care and temperament

  • Difficulty: Moderate to advanced

  • Temperament: Peaceful

  • Reef safe: Yes

  • Minimum tank size: 55 gallons recommended (larger and more mature is better)

  • Tank maturity: 6+ months minimum, ideally older with established pod activity

Diet

This is the key to long-term success. Many mandarins rely heavily on live foods.

  • Primary diet: Copepods and other microfauna from live rock and sand

  • Some individuals will accept frozen foods (like small mysis) or prepared foods, but do not assume this

  • In newer or pod-poor tanks, a refugium or regular pod additions may be necessary

  • Avoid housing with other heavy pod hunters unless your system produces a lot of pods

Compatibility and tankmates

  • Very peaceful and can be outcompeted at feeding time

  • Best with calm tankmates that will not harass it

  • Generally safe with shrimp, snails, and corals

  • Avoid aggressive wrasses and other pod-focused hunters in smaller systems

What you are buying

  • You will receive: 1 Green Mandarin Dragonet (Pterosynchiropus splendidus)

  • Colour and size can vary between individuals

Slow acclimation is recommended, and quarantine can be tricky with mandarins due to feeding, but a careful acclimation and a pod-rich environment are essential for long-term success.

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LIGHT

LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.

MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height. 

HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.

FLOW

LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.

MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.

HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.

SKILL

ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.

While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.

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