The Mandarin Keeper's Hub
Everything you need to keep a mandarin dragonet alive
The mandarin goby is not difficult to keep. It is difficult to feed. Get the feeding right and everything else falls into place. This page brings together every resource, product, and guide we have built over 18+ years of helping reef keepers succeed with mandarins.
✓ Est. 2008
✓ 18+ Years Experience
✓ Cultured in Wales
✓ Darren Available Personally
Where are you in your journey?
Choose your starting point
Whether you are researching your first mandarin, trying to save one that is struggling, or looking to optimise a long-term system, we have built a path for you.
Path 1
I am thinking about getting a mandarin
The most important work happens before the fish goes in the tank. Tank maturity, refugium setup, copepod population, compatible tank mates. Get these right first and the mandarin will thrive. Get them wrong and no amount of product will fix it.
Path 2
My mandarin is struggling
A pinched belly, faded colour, reduced hunting activity. These are signs that the feeding system is not producing enough. The fix is almost always copepod supply. Act now, not next week.
Path 3
I want my mandarin to thrive long-term
Your mandarin is established and eating. Now the goal shifts from survival to genuine long-term health: sustained copepod production, culture independence, disease awareness, and the habits that separate a fish that lives two years from one that lives seven.
The complete mandarin toolkit
Every product a mandarin keeper needs
These are not random recommendations. Each product plays a specific role in building and sustaining the live food system that keeps a mandarin alive. Together they form a complete system.
Live Copepods
Seed and maintain your refugium population
Pod-Shot
Quick copepod top-ups between restocks
PodHide
Protected breeding structure for copepods
5 Species Phytoplankton
Feeds and sustains the copepod population
Copepod Culture Kit
Grow your own supply at home
Zooplankton Live Food Mix
Whole-reef dose: copepods, rotifers, phyto in one
The guide series
Keeping Mandarins Alive
Three guides. 80 pages. Everything between the moment you decide to keep a mandarin and the moment it reaches year seven. Written by Darren from 18+ years of professional marine aquaculture experience. Instant PDF download. Read a free preview before you buy.
Complete Mandarin Keeper's Library (All 3 Guides)
The full series at a saving of £6. Setup, feeding, long-term care, disease, breeding. The complete system.
£19.99 · Save £6
Guide 1: The Right Start
Tank readiness, sourcing, compatibility, and the critical first 30 days.
£7.99
Guide 2: Feeding Mandarins That Refuse to Die
Refugium design, home copepod culture, phytoplankton, frozen food training, body condition scoring.
£9.99
Guide 3: Long-Term Care and Troubleshooting
Disease recognition, the copper problem, breeding, and what separates two years from seven.
£7.99
Further reading
Mandarin care articles
In-depth guides written by Darren covering every aspect of mandarin dragonet keeping.
Interactive tools
Plan your mandarin feeding system
Use these tools to work out exactly what to dose, how much, and when.
Dosing Calculator
Enter your tank size, get the exact dose for every Reefphyto liquid product.
Feeding Schedule Builder
Build a personalised weekly feeding routine for your specific setup.
Phytoplankton Finder
Not sure which phytoplankton to dose? Four questions to your recommendation.
Culture Troubleshooting
Culture crashing or slowing down? Diagnose and fix common problems.
A note from Darren
I have been helping reef keepers feed mandarin dragonets since 2008. The ones whose fish reach year five, six, seven are not doing anything extraordinary. They built the system before the fish went in. They kept the copepod supply consistent. They paid attention. If you are thinking about a mandarin or struggling with one, talk to me. I would rather spend twenty minutes helping you get it right than see another fish lost to a problem I know how to solve.
Darren, Director, Reefphyto Ltd
Ready to give your mandarin what it actually needs?
Start with live copepods. It is the single biggest difference you can make.
Shop Live Copepods