Mandarin Green Goby (Synchiropus Splendidus)

Also Known As: Green Mandarin Dragonet, Psychedelic Mandarin

Compatibility and Behavior
The Green Mandarin is regularly called one of the most beautiful fish in the entire hobby, and one look explains why: an intricate, psychedelic maze of electric blue and orange lines swirls over a vivid green and turquoise body, carried onto the fins and throughout a uniquely rounded body. Rather than swimming freely, it "hops" and hovers along the rockwork and sand on its pelvic fins, an almost otherworldly way of moving as it hunts. This is a peaceful, shy, fully reef safe fish that spends its entire day picking copepods and tiny crustaceans off live rock and sand, and it grazes constantly rather than eating meals. That single fact drives everything. It needs calm tankmates that won't outcompete it or bully it off the rocks, and you should avoid anything that hammers the same copepod supply, like other dragonets or heavy pod-eating wrasses.

Caution during acclimation: All mandarins have a thick slime coat that can be toxic toward other fish when kept in small confined spaces such as an acclimation bucket. Please acclimate your Mandarin separately to avoid poisoning your other new arrivals.

Aquarium Requirements
Success with a Mandarin is really about building a pod factory before the fish ever arrives. It needs a fully mature aquarium, ideally running 6 to 12 months, with abundant live rock (roughly 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon) that's developed a healthy, self-sustaining population of copepods and amphipods to graze on. A bottle of copepods to start your population can easily be purchased online. A tank of at least 30 gallons is the minimum, but 50 to 75 gallons or more is strongly preferred, since more rock and sand surface directly supports a bigger, more sustainable pod population. A refugium with macroalgae is one of the best investments you can make here, acting as a protected nursery that continuously restocks the display with pods. A sand bed of 2 to 3 inches adds more grazing microfauna, and low to moderate flow suits the fish well. Feed enriched frozen foods two to three times a day to supplement its grazing, but understand that a steady live pod population is what carries it long-term.

Specifications
Approximate Size: Sm: 1.5", Md: 2", Lg: 2.5–3", XL: 3–3.5"
Diet: Carnivore; live copepods and amphipods, supplemented with enriched frozen foods where accepted
Origin: Western Pacific
Care Level: Moderate
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament: Peaceful
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons for a single specimen, with 50–75+ gallons strongly recommended for long-term success and more space for a pair
Special Considerations: A constant grazer whose long-term health depends on an established, self-sustaining copepod population, so it needs a mature tank (ideally 6–12 months) with abundant live rock and ideally a refugium; avoid housing with other dragonets or heavy pod-eaters that compete for the same food; peaceful and easily outcompeted, so best with calm tankmates