| Scientific Name: |
Synchiropus splendidus |
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| Species Authority: | Herre, 1927 |
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| Family: |
Callionymidae |
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| Common Name: |
Green Mandarin Dragonet, Green Mandarinfish, Striped Mandarinfish, Mandarinfisch Leierfisch (DE) |
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| Distribution: |
Western Pacific - including the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Guinea, Ryukyu Islands to Australia. |
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| Environment: |
Reef-associated; marine; depth range 1 to 18 meters. They are tropical, marine fish found in waters with a temperature range of 24 to 26ºC. Often seen in coral reefs, shallow lagoons or bay environments, living in areas covered with branching corals and encrusted rock. |
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| Reef Safe: | Yes |
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| Minimum Tank Size: | 250 liters |
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| Tank Set-up: | Marine aquarium with corals, a lot of live rocks / rocks, live sand, macroalgae. Provide plenty of hiding places. This species is best suited for established reef aquariums and FOWLR aquariums with peaceful community fish species. |
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| Water Region: | Bottom |
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| Lighting: | Moderate to strong |
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| Water Flow: | Normal flow found in reef tanks, FOWLR tanks. |
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| Size: |
Up to 10 cm |
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| Lifespan: |
2 to 4 years in captivity, may be longer. In the wild mandarin fish are expected to live between 10 to 15 years. |
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| Diet: |
Carnivore. They will feed on pods and on a variety of vitamin-enriched live brine shrimp, live black worms, and natural prey on live rock and live sand. |
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| Temperament: |
Peaceful. Will show signs of aggression towards conspecifics. It is recommended to keep as a single specimen or as a mated pair. This species also needs peaceful tankmates, as it will shy away from much larger more boisterous fish species. |
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| Care Level: |
Difficult |
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| Resilience: |
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months. |
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| Reproduction: | Egg Layer. They have been known to spawn successfully while in the aquarium. The male and the female approach each other and begin to "dance" in a spiral up the water column. They release sperm and egg as they rise. The spawn are planktonic for some time, but will grow to a couple mm in length in a couple days. In the wild, spawning occurs on areas of the reef where small groups of males and females gather during the night. Mating occurs when the male and the female release sperm and eggs after they align themselves and rise about a meter above the reef. Mandarin fish are pelagic spawners. External fertilization occurs when a male and female are in close contact and swimming upward having about weekly intervals where up to 200 eggs are released. |
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| Gender: |
The males are somewhat larger than the females, have longer fins, and the first ray of the dorsal fin is about twice as long as the female's. |
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| Special Requirement/s: |
It is recommended to have your tank running for at least 6 months in order for the microfauna to establish. Even then, this may not be enough to support them in the long run as they spend their days in pursuit of minute invertebrates. An attached refugium populated with pods would also be very beneficial so that they can continue to hunt without extinguishing the pod supply. These fish may have to be trained to accept frozen or prepared food. |
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| Red List Status: |
Not Evaluated |
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