Facts
| Latin name | Pictichromis porphyrea - (Lubbock & Goldman, 1974) |
| Common name | Magenta dottyback |
| Family | Pseudochromidae - Pictichromis |
| Origin | Australia, Indonesia, East Pacific, Central/West Pacific |
| Max length | 6.0 cm (2.4") |
As aquarium fish
Food
| Mostly |
|
| Recommended |
|
Jumps out of open aquaria
This species is known to jump out of open aquaria.
Aggressive
This species can be extremely aggressive towards other fish.
Be careful when keeping these fish together with peaceful or docile species. Regular feeding, plenty of hiding places and a lot of space can alleviate aggressive behavior to some degree.
Threat towards crustaceans
This species poses a threat towards shrimps and crabs etc., which are relatively small.
Requires a varied diet
This species must be fed with an appropriately varied diet.
Looses colour in the aquarium
In the aquarium the colour of this species can become matte.
Food with plenty of pigment and generally a varied diet of high quality can help alleviate colour loss.
Hermaphroditic
This species can change gender from female to male.
When a male is needed, a female changes sex and takes on the role.
Bred in captivity
This species can be bred in captivity, one can therefore consider asking your local fish store for a captive bred specimen.
Hiding places
This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.
Family description (Pseudochromidae)
Dottybacks (Pseudochromidae) are often very colourful, rather hardy and relatively small, typically under 4 inch (10 cm). These fish can be distinguished from other fish by looking at the shape of the eye, see for example the picture of this: Labracinus cyclophthalmus.
They can be quite aggressive towards other fish, if they are kept together with more docile species or if there is not enough space. They are especially aggressive towards fish that resemble themselves or Wrasses, as in the wild, Wrasses will go after their eggs.
If their aggressive behaviour is dealt with, they can be suitable to smaller aquaria. Their aggressive behaivour can be remedied by keeping them together with other aggressive or larger species as for example: Hawkfish, Surgeonfish, Rabbitfish, Angelfish, Triggerfish, Clown/ Damselfish or Pufferfish.
Dottybacks will compete for food with other fish which eat zooplankton off the rocks. Mandarinfish and similar species can find it difficult to get enough food if kept together with Dottybacks.
One could consider the Gramma species, if one wishes a similar fish which is more peaceful.
FishBase
| Aquarium trade | Yes |
| Distribution | Western Pacific: Philippines to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Moluccas and Admiralty Islands. |
| English common names | Strawberry dottyback, Magenta dottyback |
References and further reading
Henry C. Schultz. 2002. The Dottybacks - Reefkeeping - (English)
Scott W. Michael. 2001. Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfishes: v. 2 (Reef Fishes) - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. The Dottybacks, Family Pseudochromidae - Wet Web Media - (English)
Collection of links to additional information - Wet Web Media - (English)
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2014. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (08/2014).
Tags
| hermaphroditic, aggressive territorial, eats shrimp, eats crab |
