Springer's Dottyback
From Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
An elegantly colored Red Sea endemic species. Scott W. Michael
[edit] Overview
Jet black with bright blue blazes above and below its eyes, this is an unusually beautiful and interesting-to-observe species. In the wild, it is found weaving between the branches of Acropora and Pocillopora spp. stony corals, and it with bring these natural behaviors into a captive reef, where it is easy to keep and exceptionally hardy.
A Red Sea native, it was once considered rare and commanded very high prices. Today captive-raised individuals are readily available.
Family: Pseudochromidae
Other common name(s):
- Bluestriped Dottyback
Native range:
Habitat: Reef. It will live among the branches of stony corals (live or skeletons) and in nooks and crannies in the live rock.
Maximum length: 1.6 cm (1 in)
Minimum aquarium size: 38 L (10 gal)
Water: Marine 24 °C (297 K, 75 °F) - 28 °C (301 K, 82 °F)
General swimming level: Midwater to bottom.
[edit] Feeding
Carnivore. Feed meaty foods such as Mysis Shrimp, enriched brine shrimp, reef plankton, and the like at least once a day. Color-enhancing foods will help prevent fading, although it tends to be more color-fast than many others in the family.
[edit] Aquarium Compatibility
Like other dottybacks, Springer’s Dottyback can present problems in a small tank, as it is prone to picking on smaller, substrate-oriented fishes such as gobies, dartfishes and blennies. Aggression is less problematic in a larger tank. Keep one per tank unless you can obtain a pair (try adding two smaller individuals, or one large and one small, to increase the likelihood of getting a male and female). It may bother small shrimps, but is otherwise not a threat to ornamental invertebrates.
[edit] Breeding/Propagation
Demersal (on or near the bottom) spawners that produce a mass of gelatinous eggs in a dark cave and then tend and protect their broods.
[edit] Notes
This is a somewhat furtive fish that will dash about the tank, never very far from shelter, occasionally stopping at the opening of a hideout to assess its situation or to dash out to grab passing food items.
Common name | Springer's Dottyback +, and Bluestriped Dottyback + |
Family | Pseudochromidae + |
Genus | Pseudochromis + |
Image credit | SWM + |
Maximum length | 1 in + |
Minimum aquarium size | 10 gal + |
Native range | Red Sea + |
Reference | 101 Best Saltwater Fishes + |
Specific name | springeri + |
Swimming level | Midwater to bottom. + |
Text credit | SWM + |
Water max temp | 301 K (28 °C, 82 °F) + |
Water min temp | 297 K (24 °C, 75 °F) + |
Water type | Marine + |