Nemateleotris decora
| Latin name | Nemateleotris decora - Randall & Allen, 1973 |
|---|---|
| Local name | Purple Firefish |
| Family | Microdesmidae - Nemateleotris |
| Origin | East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, The Red Sea, Indonesia |
| Max length | 9 cm (3.5") |
| Minimum volume |
90 l (24 gal) 
|
|---|---|
| Hardiness |
Hardy
|
| Suitable for aquarium |
Suitable with care
|
| Reef safe |
Always reef safe
|
| Aggressiveness | Docile but might be aggressive towards similar species |
| Recommended |
Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...) |
|---|
This species is known to jump out of open aquaria.
This species can live as a pair (male and female).
This species requires places to hide, especially when newly introduced into the aquarium.
This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.
Over time this species can lose some of its colour when the food does not contain sufficient vitamins.
It pays therefore, to use a some type of enriched food, or one, specific to this species.
Dartfish (Microdesmidae) are recognized by their unique torpedo like shape. All Dartfish need hiding places where they can withdraw to when feeling threatened. They do not normally naturally dig their own holes, but use ones made by other creatures.
They are generally a popular aquarium fish, relatively easy to keep, so for a small tank with peaceful fish the Dartfish is the obvious choice.
They can easily feel threatened by larger more aggressive fish with the result that they cannot feed enough and die by lack of food. One has therefore a greater chance of success when they are kept with smaller, peaceful, fish.
After first introducing a Dartfish, it is advizable to dim the light, so it can get used to the tank in peace.
| Aquarium trade | Yes |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Indo-Pacific: Mauritius to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to New Caledonia. |
| German common names |
Veilchenschwanz-Flügelgrundel |
| Danish common names |
Violet ildhalekutling |
| English common names |
Decorated dartfish Elegant firefish Elegant firegoby Purple firefish Purple fire-goby |
| French common names |
Eleotris décoré Gobie-flamme maquillé |
Daniel Pomfret. 2008. Let’s Play Darts! Marine Dartfish - Tropical Fish Hobbyist - (English)
Bob Fenner. Firefishes, Dartfishes, Wormfishes, Family Microdesmidae, Subfamily Ptereleotrinae - Wet Web Media - (English)