The dragonet family (Callionymidae) is a group of perch-like species.
There are 19 genera with 190 species, of which only a handful are known, at least for home aquarists.
The majority of dragonets live in the Indo-Pacific. But there are also 7 genera in the Mediterranean.
Dragonets have two dorsal fins. The first has one to four hard rays (only two species lack them).
You can tell the sexes out of them.
The males usually have a larger, more colorful and sometimes a significantly longer first dorsal fin.
Dragonets use the pelvic fins as supports when resting on the bottom. The head is large and triangular when viewed from above. The mouth is small and pointed.
Depending on the species, the animals are two to 30 cm long. Lyrefish are often bought because they can be very colorful. They are one of the most interesting fish for the saltwater aquarium, but are difficult to keep due to their special nutritional requirements. Lyrefish should be offered a well-established and biologically mature aquarium with large amounts of live rocks and sand, with a well-developed mix of microfauna and flora.
An aquarium with attached sanctuary is also very beneficial as this will provide proper nutrition if the biology is well developed there. The successful keeping of dragonets presents quite a challenge as many specimens will only accept live food and will simply starve to death without it.
However, there is also the experience with some species that they initially only take live food that has developed in the tank and sees them constantly pecking there.
But over time it may be possible to switch them to frozen food. These include the most colorful and therefore best-selling species, the LSD dragonet and the Mandarin dragonet.
They also show distinctive and interesting courtship behavior in the aquarium.
Here is an interesting link on courtship behavior:
http://www.korallenriff.de/index.php?menu_id=&artikel_id=304
