Purple firefish

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Indo-West Pacific: from Mauritius and Cocos-Keeling to Japan, New Caledonia, and French Polynesia. Found in deep sand patches on outer reef slopes at 25-70 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the Microdesmidae family. Features an elongated cylindrical body and a modified first dorsal spine that flicks back and forth. Grows to 9 cm (3.5 inches).

Social Behavior: Shy, peaceful, and hovering. Hovers close to its chosen burrow, darting backwards into the rockwork at any sign of danger.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Body is pearly white fading into purple and deep magenta towards the tail. Head has vibrant purple and red accents. No sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum aquarium size of 80 liters (20 gallons). Provide a sand bed and rock formations with tight tunnels. A tight-fitting lid is absolutely mandatory as they jump.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous zooplankton feeder. Provide small daily feedings of frozen copepods, brine shrimp, finely chopped mysis, and high-quality micro pellets.

Water Quality: Keep standard marine parameters stable: temperature 22-28°C (72-82°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.020-1.025, and KH 8-12.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Peaceful and defenseless. Avoid aggressive or fast-swimming tankmates. Best kept singly or as a mated pair. 100% reef safe.

Aquarium Breeding: Monogamous egg depositors inside caves. Rearing the tiny larvae in a home setting is highly challenging and rarely documented.

Risks and Diseases: Extreme jumping risk. Will escape through any tiny opening in the lid. Timid nature can lead to starvation if housed with aggressive competitors.