Orchid Dottyback

Orchid Dottyback

Size: 2.7in (7cm)
Family: Pseudochromidae
Care Level: Easy
Lifespan: 5-7 Years
Temperament: Semi-Aggressive
Range: Only found in the Red Sea & Guld of Aden
Minimum aquarium size: 10 Gallons
Diet: Carnivore
Reef Compatible:  Yes
Color: Purple
Water Conditions: Normal sea water
Special Requirements: None
Captive Bred Available: Yes
Where To Buy: Fragbox Corals

Overview

The Orchid Dottyback makes a beautiful and excellent, easy to keep fish addition to any reef tank. The Orchid Dottyback is extremely easy fish to care for and need no special requirements.   They are full of personality and a joy to watch. In the wild they are often found in large groups. They are not shy and can almost always be found. It may occasionally chase small shy fish but only to protect its home.

Care level

In terms of care, it really doesn’t get much easier than this fish. It makes a great first time or beginner saltwater fish. They are commonly available and can be found here.

Size & Sex

The Orchid Dottyback will grow to 2.7in or (7cm). The male is usually thicker and wider than the female.

Family

The Orchid Dottyback is known as the Psedudochromis fridmani and is part of the Psedudochromis family. The family of Psedudochromis fish if made up of 100 different types of fish !

Diet

The orchid dottyback is a carnivore but not a picky eater. It will usually accept all types of flake foods, pellets foods and frozen foods. It will also prey on small pests such bristleworms making it an ideal aquarium candidate.  It should be fed once a day

Reef Compatible

Orchid Dottybacks are 100% reef friendly fish, they won’t harm any of the corals in your reef. They are not known to host any corals and not known to eat any corals. They will actually eat some pests like bristle worms and small fan worms. They may eat some delicate shrimp though like bumble shrimp or certain marine ghost shrimps.

Aggression

This is the best dottyback for community aquariums, as it tends to be less aggressive towards other fishes and shrimp. It is recommended to only introduce one dottyback for every 50 gallons of aquarium. It may pester smaller, more passive fishes in more limited confines. Small group of P.fridmani can be house together in larger tanks ( add all preferable at the same  time).

 

Water conditions

The Orhchid Dottyback does not required special water conditions to survive and thrive. Normal salinity of 1.025 is ideal.

Color

This Dottyback gets its name from its striking color that is easily to identify among the many other species of Dottyback.

Breeding

They are quite easy to breed and bond readily and exhibit low levels of intra-pair aggression. They are protogynous hermaphrodites to technically any pair can become breeding pair. It will often spawn within a month of pairing, producing eggs every six to seven days. Eggs hatch in three to five days post spawning with metamorphosis occurring with 28-30 days post hatch