Fish NOT for the Beginner

[dorkfish]

I'm by no means an expert on SW tanks. However, I have a Mandarin Dragonet that is doing very well in my 90g tank. It's actually improved its health since it first arrived at my home. It's fatter and swims frequently. Though I may have lucked out because mine has no aversion to frozen brine shrimp (must be thawed first). I do not think these fish are difficult to keep if the hobbyist does proper research before purchasing one and has a tank of the right size with plenty of LR. Of course, imo every fish should be researched before adding them to the tank.

I would agree here, dragonet's probably are some of the easier fish to keep, but since they do usually(more like always) require a decent pod population to eat, they are not for suitable for young tanks which also means not suitable for beginners (a beginner would just be starting into salwater).

[melissadotson]

i ffed my dragonet frozen coral ffod and he is doing great..now i;m traing him to eat pellet food...

[SubRosa]

There are several species of Dragonets commonly seen and the difficulty of care varies greatly from species to species. Synchiropus picturatus, the Spotted Mandarin are ime the easiest to get to eat non-living foods, while S. splendidus, the Psychedelic or regular old Mandarin are the most difficult. It's all a % thing, some splendidus will eat pellets but I wouldn't bet the house on it happening with one I obtained. A picturatus on the other hand is a much safer bet.