All fish / Pseudochromidae

Royal Dottyback

Pictichromis paccagnellae

Also known as royal dottyback, bicolor dottyback, bicolour dottyback, false gramma, paccagnella's dottyback, royal gramma dottyback, bi-color dottyback, ロイヤルドティーバック, 双色草莓, 皇家草莓

A small, hardy reef fish with a vivid magenta front half that changes sharply to bright yellow towards the tail. It is popular for its striking colours, robust nature and its habit of darting in and out of rockwork.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

110 litres

Keep as

Keep singly or as a single pair

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood and quality marine pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Indonesia to Vanuatu and northern Australia

Breeding

Pairs spawn a ball of eggs in a cave and the male guards them until they hatch after a few days. Pairing adults is tricky because of aggression, and rearing the tiny larvae needs rotifers and dedicated effort, though it has been done.

Good to know

Often confused with the peaceful Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto), but this species can be territorial and bully small or similarly shaped tankmates. It is reef safe with corals but may pick at very small shrimps.