Dusky Dottyback

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Great Barrier Reef and Palau. Inhabits coral reefs, rocky crevices, and shallow caves at depths between 1 and 25 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Belongs to the family Pseudochromidae, genus Pseudochromis. Features a slender, flexible body, large eyes, and a mouth with small sharp teeth. Grows to 10.0 cm.

Social Behavior: Territorial and bold, highly defensive of its chosen cave. Can be aggressive toward fish of similar shape or size.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The name 'fuscus' refers to its dark brown color phase, though bright yellow variants are common in the wild. Males are typically larger and may exhibit more intense coloration, particularly when breeding.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a tank of at least 100.0 liters with plenty of live rock arranged to create numerous caves and dark tunnels. A tight-fitting lid is recommended.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Feeds on small crustaceans and worms. Provide a variety of frozen foods such as mysis, brine shrimp, and high-quality protein pellets.

Water Quality: Maintain stable marine conditions: temperature 22.0-26.0 °C, pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.020-1.025.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: May behave aggressively toward small ornamental shrimps, tubeworms, and passive fish. Best kept singly without other dottybacks.

Aquarium Breeding: Protogynous hermaphrodite. Lays spherical egg masses inside a cave, which are actively guarded and aerated by the male.

Risks and Diseases: Very hardy and disease-resistant. However, severe territorial fights can lead to secondary bacterial infections.