Dottybacks

[ToplessCube]

Is there such a thing as a peaceful, non-aggressive dottyback that is appropriate for a nano? The dottybacks are so beautiful as a genus and so many are small but I had a Diadem and had to return it. He was small and the last fish to go in, yet he chased the other fish endlessly. I hated to return him as I felt defeated. I had hoped that getting a small one and adding him after everyone else would keep him in his place. Any ideas?

[Menidia]

I've heard tank bred orchid dottybacks are much calmer than most others. 

 

Unfortunately though the the smaller the tank the more likely there are to be territorial disputes. Still an absolutely gorgeous group of fishes, I really like the sunrise dotty but value a non-antagonistic tank too much. 

[Clown79]

Orchids are the go to for the most docile dotty

[Sailingeric]

Go with a Royal Gramma, similar color and a fairly peaceful.  I love to watch mine dart around the tank and then under the rocks and the back out the other side.  

[squamptonbc]

I have an orchid dotty back in a 34 gallon. He is peaceful for the most part as long as nobody else tried to get into his cave he will chase them away, but it doesn't seek out trouble and the 2 clowns don't care about his cave, they have their back corner, and the clown goby just does his thing.

 

I had a royal gramma once, not the nicest fish out there...lol

[BulkRate]

Another possibility are the captive-bred red elongated dottybacks (I think from ORA).  I had a couple a year or so ago and they were pretty laid back.  Unfortunately they love to perch in powerheads, especially during feeding cycles - my koralia did in one of them and the other had several close calls. 

[KNelson]

6 hours ago, BulkRate said:

Another possibility are the captive-bred red elongated dottybacks (I think from ORA).  I had a couple a year or so ago and they were pretty laid back.  Unfortunately they love to perch in powerheads, especially during feeding cycles - my koralia did in one of them and the other had several close calls. 

I just saw one today in PetCo!  It was super-duper tiny and oh so cute.  I had to look it up as I had never heard of it before.  LA had it recommended in a 30+ gallon aquarium.  It gets like 2.5 inches...

[jesseatam]

It all comes down to the type of dottyback, what you’re keeping it with, and just the personality of the fish. In general though orchids are a good choice, I’ve read good things about indigos too but those are a hybrid.

[ToplessCube]

Thanks guys. The current residents are a (supposedly) bonded pair of yellowline gobies, two teeny bumblebee shrimp (seriously cute), a cleaner shrimp and CUC.   Im still looking.  I do love the orchid so I’ll do a little research about their proper care. I’ll let y’all know. 

[KNelson]

51 minutes ago, ToplessCube said:

two teeny bumblebee shrimp (seriously cute)

I concur!  I saw some in an aquarium for the first time yesterday.  Seriously cute!

 

Orchids are on my radar when I was first planning my tank last year.  They are quite the eye catchers! 

[Tamberav]

Red Serosa dottybacks are pretty peaceful but also cryptic. Live Aquaria lists them as 10 gallons... the females are yellow/pale and the males are pink to bright red. I had one in a 75g I did not see for months after adding and then it started to come out darting between rocks, the fins are very beautiful/impressive.

 

http://www.qualitymarine.com/Products/Fish/Wild/Dottyback/Pseudoplesiops-typus/Red-Serosa

 

I would think tiny inverts may become snacks for most any dottyback type.

 

Some 'super male' dottys are beautiful enough to warrant a species tank

 

cypho purpurascens

 

 

pseudochromis cyanotaenia

 

[A Little Blue]

53 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Red Serosa dottybacks are pretty peaceful but also cryptic. Live Aquaria lists them as 10 gallons... the females are yellow/pale and the males are pink to bright red. I had one in a 75g I did not see for months after adding and then it started to come out darting between rocks, the fins are very beautiful/impressive.

 

http://www.qualitymarine.com/Products/Fish/Wild/Dottyback/Pseudoplesiops-typus/Red-Serosa

 

I would think tiny inverts may become snacks for most any dottyback type.

 

Some 'super male' dottys are beautiful enough to warrant a species tank

 

cypho purpurascens

 

 

pseudochromis cyanotaenia

 

 Never had Dottyback before but these 2 would make it to my list for sure. Unfortunately there is no room for bullies in my tank. 

[mndfreeze]

Do dottybacks only chase fish in general?  If I had an invert specialist sort of tank would I need to worry about it trying to kill small shrimp and crabs like sexy shrimp, pom pom or porcelain crabs, etc?  

 

I've been struggling trying to find additional fish for my 24G aquapod.  I have a tiger pistol and blue spotted watchman goby, fire shrimp, misc hermits and snails.  Mixed reef with LPS and SPS.  Most information sources out there either don't consider nano environments for their labeling of things "peaceful" or not.  For example there are wrasses that most definitely will decimate your feather dusters and bristle worm populations and people reporting them killing sexy shrimp, but if you look them up they will get listed like they are the most peaceful fish out there lol.

 

 

[Sancho]

My orchid gets along with all the critters in my tank. 

 

[A Little Blue]

Don’t know, I was never really interested with these guys. But I would never risk putting something I know nothing about in my tank and disturb carefully put together selection of organisms that live in peace and harmony. Especially true for nano tanks where space is limited with very little room for aggression. There are 5 fish in my 30gal tank and largest fish is female clownfish. I still believe that it is too many fish for that size of a tank. Others might disagree. 

[A Little Blue]

18 minutes ago, Sancho said:

My orchid gets along with all the critters in my tank. 

 

Not even shrimps? 

[Sancho]

25 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Not even shrimps? 

Pistol shrimp and a cleaner shrimp. 

[A Little Blue]

Just now, Sancho said:

Pistol shrimp and a cleaner shrimp. 

Good to know. At least we know that some of them aren’t a$$holes. 

[Sancho]

17 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Good to know. At least we know that some of them aren’t a$$holes. 

Mine is an ORA captive bred. I think some of the assholerly gets bred out over time. 

[Tamberav]

My orchid is a great tank mate btw. I don't have shrimp though but he gets along with the other fish.

[Lugmos12]

My neon dottyback killed ALL my snails

[jesseatam]

On 4/25/2018 at 9:13 PM, ToplessCube said:

Thanks guys. The current residents are a (supposedly) bonded pair of yellowline gobies, two teeny bumblebee shrimp (seriously cute), a cleaner shrimp and CUC.   Im still looking.  I do love the orchid so I’ll do a little research about their proper care. I’ll let y’all know. 

Those bumblebee shrimps would probably be toast no matter what species of dottyback, honestly most fish would probably eat them or at least attempt to.