Where to buy Gardiner's Dragonet
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About Gardiner's Dragonet
Gardiner's Dragonet is a small, slender fish with a laterally compressed body and a large fan-like pectoral fin featuring intricate patterns and coloration. The body displays pale coloration with distinctive orange or reddish circular markings and patterns across the head and flanks, with a large, elaborately patterned first dorsal fin used in courtship displays.
Key facts
- Care Level
- Hard
- Water Parameters
- Temperature: 72-78°F pH: 8.1-8.3 Salinity: 1.02-1.025
- Family
- Callionymidae
- Feeding Schedule
- 2-3 times daily
- Difficulty Level
- Gardiner's Dragonet is a challenging species for most aquarists. It requires a minimum 30 gallon tank with abundant microfauna, precise water parameters (72–78°F, pH 8.1–8.3, SG 1.020–1.025), and a willingness to provide frequent live or frozen feeds of small crustaceans. Success depends heavily on establishing sustainable prey populations and patient acclimation.
- Care Requirements
- • Minimum 30 gallons with plenty of open sand/rubble bed for foraging • Water parameters: 72-78°F, SG 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4 • Fine sandy substrate essential; gentle flow, low bioload tank mates • Feeds on small crustaceans; requires live copepods & amphipods • Extremely docile; keep singly or in established pairs only
- Min tank size
- 30 gallons
- Appearance
- Gardiner's Dragonet is a small, slender fish with a laterally compressed body and a large fan-like pectoral fin featuring intricate patterns and coloration. The body displays pale coloration with distinctive orange or reddish circular markings and patterns across the head and flanks, with a large, elaborately patterned first dorsal fin used in courtship displays.
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Reef safety
- Reef Safe
- Diet
- planktivore
- Diet Details
- Feed high-quality frozen microfauna including copepods, amphipods, mysis shrimp, and other small crustaceans. Live cultures of copepods and amphipods are beneficial for establishing feeding. May require frequent small feedings to meet caloric needs.
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