Ruby red dragonet

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to the Philippines (specifically near Jolo). Found on coral reefs near yellow sponge fields at 10-38 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the Callionymidae family. Small, slender cylindrical body. Distinctive yellow pelvic fins. Grows to 5 cm (2 inches).

Social Behavior: Peaceful, cryptic, and slow. Glides over rockwork inspecting surfaces for microfauna. Males are highly territorial towards other male dragonets.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Brilliant ruby red body accented by yellow pelvic fins and black stripes. Males possess a large sail-like dorsal fin with complex patterns.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum aquarium size of 100 liters (26 gallons). Must have a well-established live rock reef (at least 6-12 months old) with huge copepod populations.

Diet and Feeding: Extremely difficult. Strictly carnivorous micro-predator. Relies on hunting live copepods. Rarely accepts frozen foods without long quarantine training.

Water Quality: Maintain stable reef conditions: temperature 22-25°C (72-77°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.020-1.025, and KH 8-12.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Very peaceful. Avoid keeping with active wrasses or competitor fish that deplete the copepod population. Reef safe.

Aquarium Breeding: Performs vertical spawning rises. Larvae are pelagic and very challenging to raise in domestic aquaria.

Risks and Diseases: Highly prone to starvation in new setups. Scaleless skin produces a toxic mucus coat that provides resistance to common parasites.