NEWS103
40
FemaleMandarinfish,
Synchiropus splendidus
.
Callionymusenneactis
,abreathtaking sand-dweller that grows toaround6-8 cm long.
Callionymus lyra
lives in theNorthSea.This species cangrow to30 cm long.
accept granulate, whichmakes feeding a
whole lot easier.
Other species
Inprincipleeverything that has been said
about the Mandarinfish also applies to
other dragonets. The Psychedelic Fish,
Synchiropus picturatus
, grows to around 7
cm long and is distributed in theWestern
Indo-Pacific. The Starry Dragonet,
S.
stellatus
(Indian Ocean, around 7.5 cm
maximum length), and the very similar
Marbled
Dragonet,
S.
marmoratus
(maximum size 13 cm, western Indian
Ocean),maynotbeasgaudilycolored,but
are likewiseveryattractive fishes.
The
Callionymus
species are imported
only very sporadically; they are sand
dwellersandperfectlycamouflaged there.
Sometimes they remain unnoticed until
theymove. In these species too,whichare
sometimes colloquially known as
Spiderfishes, the males have strikingly
colored and greatly enlarged dorsal fins
that are used in the impressive courtship
display.
If you are now filled with the desire to
keep dragonets in your aquarium, then
your pet dealer can undoubtedly order
them for you from a wholesaler of his
acquaintance, for example Meeres -
aquaristik Reising in Alzenau-Wasserlos,
Fax+496023–31502.
