neon dottyback

jamest0o0 · 03/14/2008, 04:30 PM

well was just looking around at different fish online and noticed this guy.... I love their colors!! and read a little on them, they seem to be a bit aggressive towards fish similar in color/shape, but are supposedly hardy?.... can anyone give me some info on these guys I'd love to have one....

jamest0o0 · 03/14/2008, 05:07 PM

anyone

Agu · 03/14/2008, 06:36 PM

Dottybacks in general are very aggressive fish. They're also very hardy. In addition several varieties are captive bred instead of being wild collected. That means they're likely to be healthier and disease/parasite free.

They're also carnivors that will eat pods and shrimp. Even ornamental shrimp much larger than them are fair game for a determined dottyback.

.::Jun77::. · 03/14/2008, 07:27 PM

how you considered royal gramma?

jamest0o0 · 03/14/2008, 08:21 PM

I had one and it died for an unknown reason about a month ago since then everyone has been doing great

jamest0o0 · 03/14/2008, 08:22 PM

I have also heard that captive bred reduces some of the aggression?

jamest0o0 · 03/14/2008, 08:50 PM

under liveaquaria they are listed as semi-aggressive... I'm not sure how aggressive that actually means....what are the chances of one of these guys taking out ornamental shrimp or fish?

jamest0o0 · 03/14/2008, 10:00 PM

bump

ACBlinky · 03/14/2008, 11:25 PM

Mine was incredibly aggressive. He went after anything on ten legs -- pods (eradicated the population), hermits, shrimp, crabs, no matter what their size. He'd lay in wait for fish to swim by and then dart out, striking at them like a cobra. These fish are gorgeous and definitely hardy, but they're also crafty and can be downright vicious. Dottys have been described as the nastiest fish in the ocean, pound for pound. I think that's taking it a bit far, but only a bit -- a neon would make a good tankmate for larger, tougher fish but IMHO they're not suitable for a tank housing any shrimp/crabs or fish such as skittish wrasses, gobies, firefish etc.

jamest0o0 · 03/15/2008, 09:49 AM

okay thanks a lot... guess I'll have to pass on one

tmz · 03/15/2008, 09:55 AM

Psuedochromis aldabraensis(Arabian Bluelined Dotty back/Neon dottyback) With that many names no wonder it is very beligerent and well equipped to harm tank mates.

nycsicktank · 03/15/2008, 10:08 AM

this beautiful fish or should i say SOB fish ate 3 of my snails in a week...im sure he would eat more later on. NOT REEF SAFE

sage_commander · 03/15/2008, 10:43 AM

I'll have to agree on passing on one. Mine bullied all the other fish, ate so many pods I no longer see any, and had the most irritating habit of digging sand and spitting it all over the rocks. He would do this all day long. Last week he jumped out and I didn't find him until the next day. I'm not too sad about it.

ksmmike · 08/11/2018, 09:38 AM

I put in a neon dottyback in a 120 gallon reef tank about a month ago. He was bullied by my yellow tang for about a week and hid most of the time. Now he's out all the time and has recently become quite aggressive. I put in a sharknose goby and the dottyback killed it within 2 hours. I tried to get the goby out, but it was too late. The dottyback even comes at me when I clean the tank. He's become the most aggressive fish in the tank even beyond the tangs and clownfish. He's beautiful but not sure I would have gotten him had I known he would be this aggressive.

billdogg · 08/11/2018, 12:22 PM

I had a purple pseudochromis in my DT only because my wife insisted even after my warnings. It was a model citizen for a month or two. Then it started randomly taking out anything with legs, and fish several times it's size. Luckily, it was very easy to catch with a simple trap. It went to live with my 4' Undulated Moray, where it was able to hold it's own for a couple years. Then it just disappeared, either eaten, jumped, or whatever. Never again in any tank of mine.

nereefpat · 08/13/2018, 09:18 AM

Orchid (fridmani) is the only dottyback I would recommend for someone else. They are fairly peaceful.

The other dottys get too aggressive, and really would do best in a big tank with only big tankmates like tangs, triggers, angels, etc.

03/14/2008, 04:30 PM	#1
jamest0o0 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,325	neon dottyback well was just looking around at different fish online and noticed this guy.... I love their colors!! and read a little on them, they seem to be a bit aggressive towards fish similar in color/shape, but are supposedly hardy?.... can anyone give me some info on these guys I'd love to have one....

03/14/2008, 05:07 PM	#2
jamest0o0 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,325	anyone __________________ Planning on new tank, been about 5-6 years since I've been in the hobby

03/14/2008, 06:36 PM	#3
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Dottybacks in general are very aggressive fish. They're also very hardy. In addition several varieties are captive bred instead of being wild collected. That means they're likely to be healthier and disease/parasite free. They're also carnivors that will eat pods and shrimp. Even ornamental shrimp much larger than them are fair game for a determined dottyback. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

03/14/2008, 08:21 PM	#5
jamest0o0 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,325	I had one and it died for an unknown reason about a month ago since then everyone has been doing great __________________ Planning on new tank, been about 5-6 years since I've been in the hobby

03/14/2008, 08:22 PM	#6
jamest0o0 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,325	I have also heard that captive bred reduces some of the aggression? __________________ Planning on new tank, been about 5-6 years since I've been in the hobby

03/14/2008, 07:27 PM	#4
.::Jun77::. Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 328	how you considered royal gramma?

03/14/2008, 08:50 PM	#7
jamest0o0 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,325	under liveaquaria they are listed as semi-aggressive... I'm not sure how aggressive that actually means....what are the chances of one of these guys taking out ornamental shrimp or fish? __________________ Planning on new tank, been about 5-6 years since I've been in the hobby

03/14/2008, 10:00 PM	#8
jamest0o0 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,325	bump __________________ Planning on new tank, been about 5-6 years since I've been in the hobby

03/14/2008, 11:25 PM	#9
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Mine was incredibly aggressive. He went after anything on ten legs -- pods (eradicated the population), hermits, shrimp, crabs, no matter what their size. He'd lay in wait for fish to swim by and then dart out, striking at them like a cobra. These fish are gorgeous and definitely hardy, but they're also crafty and can be downright vicious. Dottys have been described as the nastiest fish in the ocean, pound for pound. I think that's taking it a bit far, but only a bit -- a neon would make a good tankmate for larger, tougher fish but IMHO they're not suitable for a tank housing any shrimp/crabs or fish such as skittish wrasses, gobies, firefish etc. __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

03/15/2008, 09:49 AM	#10
jamest0o0 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,325	okay thanks a lot... guess I'll have to pass on one __________________ Planning on new tank, been about 5-6 years since I've been in the hobby

03/15/2008, 09:55 AM	#11
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Psuedochromis aldabraensis(Arabian Bluelined Dotty back/Neon dottyback) With that many names no wonder it is very beligerent and well equipped to harm tank mates. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

03/15/2008, 10:08 AM	#12
nycsicktank Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: nyc Posts: 234	this beautiful fish or should i say SOB fish ate 3 of my snails in a week...im sure he would eat more later on. NOT REEF SAFE

03/15/2008, 10:43 AM	#13
sage_commander Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Poulsbo WA Posts: 646	I'll have to agree on passing on one. Mine bullied all the other fish, ate so many pods I no longer see any, and had the most irritating habit of digging sand and spitting it all over the rocks. He would do this all day long. Last week he jumped out and I didn't find him until the next day. I'm not too sad about it.

08/11/2018, 09:38 AM	#14
ksmmike Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: South Florida Posts: 60	I put in a neon dottyback in a 120 gallon reef tank about a month ago. He was bullied by my yellow tang for about a week and hid most of the time. Now he's out all the time and has recently become quite aggressive. I put in a sharknose goby and the dottyback killed it within 2 hours. I tried to get the goby out, but it was too late. The dottyback even comes at me when I clean the tank. He's become the most aggressive fish in the tank even beyond the tangs and clownfish. He's beautiful but not sure I would have gotten him had I known he would be this aggressive.

08/11/2018, 12:22 PM	#15
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I had a purple pseudochromis in my DT only because my wife insisted even after my warnings. It was a model citizen for a month or two. Then it started randomly taking out anything with legs, and fish several times it's size. Luckily, it was very easy to catch with a simple trap. It went to live with my 4' Undulated Moray, where it was able to hold it's own for a couple years. Then it just disappeared, either eaten, jumped, or whatever. Never again in any tank of mine. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

08/13/2018, 09:18 AM	#16
nereefpat Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Central Nebraska Posts: 3,190	Orchid (fridmani) is the only dottyback I would recommend for someone else. They are fairly peaceful. The other dottys get too aggressive, and really would do best in a big tank with only big tankmates like tangs, triggers, angels, etc. __________________ Pat Current Tank Info: 125 in-wall , 40b sump. 6 bulb T5. ASM G2 skimmer. LPS and leathers