Who Gives A Fish Forums

How long have you had your spotted mandarin, i got mine a while ago and im still trying to figure out if its male or female

I'm not entirely sure on this one, but I've noticed my male will often display at his reflection, which makes me wonder if it's only males of the same colour that'll clash. Not entirely convinced though. Same-colour males might be the issue, but what about pairs - could they be different?

ive had my mandarin for about 9 months now, and its been in my 100 gallon tank for roughly 3 days, still getting used to the new environment

Honestly, I wouldn't stress too much about keeping a pair, the main issue is you're short on live rock to support two mandarins.

To make it work, you'd need to ensure they're getting enough nutrients from enriched frozen, and fingers crossed they'll take to pellets.
First step, find out the sex of yours - if you've got a male, you'd probably know by the fin by now. Then, look for a female that's already eating enriched frozen or pellets - get one from a private seller, not a LFS unless you've got a good contact.

i think mine is female, so that's a good start. my lfs is pretty good, they always feed the fish i'm buying before i take them home, if they can't be bothered to feed them then i don't bother buying.
i've got some brine shrimp pellets, gonna try those with mine, anyone know any other good pellets for mandarins?