Dottybacks
Morgan Oliver
Aquaculture 2014
What are Dottybacks?
Family Pseudochromidae, Genus Pseudochromis
Ornamentals
Found in coral reefs in the wild
Cheaper in aquaculture
More readily available now
More basic info
• Hermaphroditic
• Hardy aquarium fish, adapt quickly
• territorial
• May eat tankmate, can be aggressive
• Prefer dim tanks
Picture perfect
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Orchid dottyback
• A. fridmani
• territorial
• Most “laid back”
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Diadema dottyback
• P. diadema
• Semi-aggressive
• Like to be hidden
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Striped dottyback
• P. sankeyi
• Live in colonies
• Less aggressive
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Sunrise dottyback
• P. flavivertex
• Moderately aggressive/territorial
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Bicolor dottyback
• P. paccagnellae
• Aggressive and territorial
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Elongate dottyback
• P. elongatus
• less aggressive
• rare
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Magenta dottyback
• P. porphyreus
• Similar to orchid dottyback
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Indigo dottyback
• P. fridmani x sankeyi
• Show mild behavior of striped dottyback
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Neon dottyback
• P. aldabraensis
• Aggressive
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Black margin dottyback
• P. tapeinosoma
• Very aggressive to conspecifics (same species)
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Springeri dottyback
• P. springeri
• Aggressive to conspecifics
Taxonomy- aquacultured
species
• Splendid dottyback
• M. splendens
• May eat crustaceans
• Somewhat aggressive
Cost
• Very expensive if caught in wild
• Much cheaper in aquaculture
• Can find them in most pet stores
Life cycle of reef fishes
• Adults spawn
• Hatched larvae are taken to open ocean where
they feed on zooplankton near surface
• Larvae mature and become equipped to
survive pelagic environment
• Few make it back to the reef, transfer into
juveniles, and then sexually mature into adults
Reproduction in captivity
and production methods
• One mated pair per tank
• They are hermaphroditic, one will grow larger
and become the male
• Females spawn 2-4 times/month
• Males responsible for eggs
Reproduction in captivity
and production methods
• Female deposits eggs into male’s nest
• Male fertilizes and cares for the eggs
• After spawning, eggs hatch on the evening of
5th day
Reproduction in captivity
and production methods
• Transparent larvae
• Separated from adults
• Active in the entire water column
• Grow very fast when taken care
of correctly
Reproduction in captivity
and production methods
• Day 9- slight coloration
• Day 20- juveniles, not larvae
• Day 25-30 – juveniles start to settle out and need
hiding places to undergo metamorphosis
• Adult coloration within 7 days
• Stay in hiding and eat what floats by
• Rapid growth
Feeds and feeding
• Preferably, foods high in natural pigments
• Plankton, bloodworms, brine shrimp, pellets,
flakes
• Live rock is helpful
Water chemistry and
culture requirements
• Salt water
• Lots of hiding places and low light, since they
are used to deep water
• Alkalinity: 124-214 ppm
• pH- 8.1-8.4
• Temp- 22-26 C
Advantages
Disadvantages
 Beautiful
 Must feed
correctly or
they’ll lose color
Very hardy
 Not easy to
grow
Adults= easy to  Aggressive and
take care of
territorial
Not picky eaters  Can be
expensive
sources
• http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&ei=2x
W7U9z0ErHSsASfn4D4AQ&ved=0CAQQqi4oAg
• http://www.orafarm.com/products/fish/dottybacks
• http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcs3/index.php
• http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/3/breeder
• http://www.rcthawaii.com/reproduction/4.htm
• http://www.seaandreef.com/marine-ornamentalfish/dottybacks/orchid-dottyback