Commonly know as the Mandarin Goby, this name is misleading. This fish is a Dragonet in the family Callionymidae.

Provide plenty of live rock to sustain its diet. This fish spends most of its time grazing on live rock and the substrate hunting copeopods and amphipods. As this fish feeds almost exclusively on these tiny crustaceans, its important to have a well established tank. You can help sustain the population of pods in the tank by building small piles of live rock rubble which predators cannot get into, as well as adding a refugium to the system. Similar feeding habits to the yellow target mandarin, and the scooter blenny.


Maximum Length: 5 in.
Care Level: Difficult
Family: Callionymidae
Reef Compatibility: Reef safe.
Minimum Aquarium Size: 55 gallons.
Range: Indo-Pacific
Diet: Carnivore
Water Conditions: 74-80 F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4